Behind Major Nuclear Disasters 1

Mihama Nuclear Power Plant – Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

By Micayla B. Taylor

(Ms. Carter – 4th Period – September 13, 2019)

On March 12, 2011, a major and devasting disaster happened at the Mihama Nuclear

Power Plant. What caused it and what exactly happened afterwards?

 Behind Major Nuclear Disasters 2

What Caused It?

On March 12, 2011, a major earthquake and tsunami happened which resulted in a major

accident at the nuclear power plant. The tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling of three

Fukushima reactors which caused a nuclear accident. All of three cores melted in the first three

days. The accident was rated 7 and 4 reactors were written off due to the damage. After the

accident, the main priority was to prevent release of radioactive materials, mainly in from water

getting contaminated. There have not been any cases of deaths or radiation sickness from the

nuclear accident, but over 100,000 people were evacuated. Unfortunately, there were well over

1000 deaths from maintaining the evacuation. (World Nuclear)

What Was Happening in The World?

While 3 major disasters were happening in Japan were happening at the same time, what

was going on in other parts of the world at the time? Well, other major things were happening

whether they be disasters or just gossip. For example, on March 12, 2011, the 2011 Libyan civil

war was happening. When it comes to international politics Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir

was accused of attempting to overthrow the southern government. In Covington, Kentucky, 83

people were rescued from a floating restaurant due to the flooding of the Ohio River. So, when it

comes to disasters, this was a big major one happening that day. (2015)

What is the Science Behind How a Nuclear Power Plant Works?

The nucleus of an atom is held together with great force so, when bombarded with a

neutron, it can be split apart, a process called fission. Since uranium atoms are very large, the

atomic force that binds them together is weak, making uranium good for fission. So, in nuclear

power plants, neutrons collide with uranium, splitting those atoms. This split releases neutrons
 Behind Major Nuclear Disasters 3

from uranium that in turn collide with other atoms, causing a chain reaction. This chain reaction

is controlled with “control rods” which absorb neutrons. (ucsusa)

What Was the effect of the Disaster?

This disaster influenced both land and water. On land, radiation was now exposed in the

air which means that radiation absorbed in top layer soil for years. The soils around Fukushima

had been contaminated with depositions or more than 100,000 MBq km. As for the water, they

were also subject to nuclear contamination. Radioactive isotopes were released into the ocean

and other nonvolatile activation products. At the time, the water was considered harmful to

marine animals and human consumers. (Dong, 2016)

Conclusion.

The Fukushima accident caused the largest accidental causing of radioactive substances

in both the air, on land, and in the water. The accident resulted in deaths of workers who were in

the power plant and risk to the people of the city. Because of this accident, many other places

have considered the shutdown of their nuclear power plants in fear that it will happen again.

Even so, it has also led to international collaborations to better understand the extent is

something like this happens again. Hopefully, this will not occur again in the near future.

(Pariona, 2016)
 Behind Major Nuclear Disasters 4

References

Dong, C. (2016, March 5). The Environmental Impact of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

Disaster. Retrieved from http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2016/ph241/dong1/

Fukushima Daiichi Accident. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-

library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-accident.aspx

How Nuclear Power Works. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-power/nuclear-

power-technology/how-nuclear-power-works

March 2011. (2015, December 12). Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events/March_2011

Pariona, A. (2016, July 20). The Worst Nuclear Disasters of All Time. Retrieved from

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/deadliest-nuclear-and-radiation-disasters-in-history.html