At the moment, the No. 1 and No. 3 reactors in Fukushima face the meltdown of the nuclear core—the most serious nuclear accident possible. No one can predict how much radiation exposure there would be or how far the fallout could spread if this should occur. [Note: As of March 16, partial meltdowns may have occurred in reactors No. 1 and 2, the No. 3 reactor building was damaged and spent fuel rods in No. 4 were emitting radiation.]
Taiwan is also in a seismically active zone, with three nuclear plants on the coast, including two within the local tsunami warning area on its northeast coast following the Japan temblor.
The media is suddenly replete with references to Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, but the circumstances in Japan are not the same. There was a partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in the U.S., but thanks to the plant’s safety measures, no radioactivity escaped to harm residents.
The reactor design at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union was completely different from Western designs, with highly flammable graphite moderators and no containment vessel or secondary containment structures. Coupled with human error, these features resulted in huge explosions and massive releases of radiation, affecting more than 300,000 people.
Taiwan’s three nuclear plants employ boiling water reactors with the same basic design as the Fukushima ones, but the Japanese plant was built in the 1950s, while Taiwan’s were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s, with improved safety designs and materials standards.
In this age of extreme weather, however, can the quake-resistant designs of the past stand up to today’s temblors of increasing magnitude?
In Taiwan, moreover, there is very little data on tsunamis. The nation’s nuclear facilities are designed to withstand waves of up to 12 meters, but the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami exceeded that level. More powerful tremors and tidal waves are quite likely to occur, so relevant government agencies must quickly take stock of the situation and implement protective measures.
Another difference lies in disaster preparedness. As up to 200,000 Japanese were evacuated from around Fukushima, with roads clogged throughout the night, they did not honk their horns in impatience or cut each other off, once again demonstrating their calm and self-control in the face of catastrophe. This was a result of the fundamental civility of Japanese society and the quality of its disaster training.
People in Taiwan have never taken disaster preparation seriously, and relevant authorities have not effectively promoted the need for it. Drills at nuclear power plants, to put it bluntly, are a joke, with many citizens taking part just to get a free box lunch.
On top of all this, Taiwan must factor in the dozen or so nuclear power facilities in operation along the southeast coast of mainland China, with 10 more under construction. The weather systems frequently shared between these two geographic neighbors could easily carry radioactive material either way across the Taiwan Strait.
Although experts have called repeatedly for the immediate establishment of a cross-strait nuclear hazard warning system, this issue has not appeared on the agenda in talks between the two sides.
Japan’s reputation for industrial, and especially nuclear, safety is very high, but the mega-quake and tsunami are putting its emergency response capabilities, and its resolve, to the supreme test.
The government and people of Taiwan should rethink nuclear safety from the ground up, improving design standards, monitoring and safety inspections. Only human effort can lessen the destructiveness of natural disasters. (THN)
(This commentary originally appeared in the China Times March 14.)
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