The nuclear crisis unfolding hourly in Japan is grave indeed, and eventually may yield important lessons for the U.S. and other countries as they embark upon expanded nuclear energy development.
But at this moment, attention ought to be focused on mitigating the disastrous effects of the earthquake and tsunami that have wracked Japan.
Hundreds of bodies are washing up on shore; there is a lack of power and drinking water; and the country has a need for experts to help get Japan’s dangerously malfunctioning nuclear reactors under control.
At this point, we know only a fragment of what we need to know to determine what, if any, changes ought to be made in addressing nuclear plant safety design. The day for delving into those issues will come, but for now the focus of the world must be on the emergencies at hand.
The challenges are daunting.
Each news bulletin seems to bring increasingly grim news about conditions at a handful of nuclear reactors in Japan’s tsunami zone. The cooling systems at the reactors have failed, and the fear is that if plant operators cannot gain control, fuel rods could continue to overheat.
If such overheating were to continue unabated, the super-hot fuel rods could burn through the layers of protective casing and housing and release large amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere. That outcome is said to be unlikely, but it’s possible.
At this point, authorities are reporting trace amounts of radioactive substances outside the nuclear facilities. That has been attributed to the venting of steam, released as operators struggle to gain control of the reactors. Such emissions are far less dangerous than what could result if the situation further deteriorates.
Japan’s government has asked the United Nations’ atomic agency to provide experts to help in the nuclear crisis. We trust that such a request will be immediately answered so the most capable people in the world are engaged in this battle to keep the reactors from overheating.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Japan is growing. Entire towns have been obliterated. Some estimates put the death toll at higher than 10,000. There are shortages of food, fuel and drinking water, a situation exacerbated by destruction that has slowed the relief effort.
There are newly orphaned children to deal with, sanitation issues, and overcrowded shelters. Frigid temperatures have made life miserable, if not dangerously cold, for survivors.
Rescue efforts continue with teams from 13 countries engaged in trying to find the living amid the debris in the island nation’s disaster zone.
There are myriad ways the international community can extend a hand to alleviate suffering in Japan.
And when the situation stabilizes and experts have a chance to pick apart what went wrong at the country’s nuclear reactors, there will be wisdom to be gleaned.
The U.S. needs to be ready to learn from this disaster if we’re to go forward with our nuclear ambitions. But for now, the focus must be on helping Japan recover from the cataclysmic events of the past few days.
