CNN: A Tale of the Half-Life and the Half-Wit

I have to admit that I watch CNN more than any other news channel. I believe that Americans are only exposed to what the government allows us to see or the bias of the channel wants to convey.  News is news.  You're not going to get more news from another channel: it's a matter of presentation.

News is just a different Hollywood

I also have to admit that I am often very appalled at the lack of news and wonder if Journalists have any education beyond broadcasting.  It is just a different kind of Hollywood.

In the recent Tsunami that hit Japan, I was glued to CNN.  I was waiting for news on the nuclear power plant (Fukushima Daiichi) that was "hit" by the wave.  My interest was humanitarian but also scientific.  As I watched and watched, only ONE physicist was interviewed.  Clearly, he had much to say, but was constantly interrupted and then cut off.  Though physics wasn't my best subject in school, it certainly was the most challenging and fascinating subject.  It taught me how all things are interrelated and affect each other at all levels--from subatomic to the visible world.

I had many first thoughts of,  "Oh no not seawater--where will it end up after being used for cooling?" "Oh shit, was it JUST steam or was it an explosion?"  "What about the radioactive particles--all I am hearing is about the Gamma Rays and how they are harmless like sunlight!"  "Is there going to be nuclear fallout?" "PLEASE explain to the public what this means."  "Interview people from Russia who were involved with Chernobyl or Three Mile Island workers."  I felt like one of those OLD PEOPLE who yell at the television who I used to make fun of!  Of course, now we can "Twitter" and have some interaction.

Perhaps the most shocking element is that a journalist has the responsibility to not only report the news but to inform.  I kept waiting for explanations and definitions of things like:  gamma rays, alpha particles, gamma particles, radioactive isotopes and HALF LIVES.  Nothing.  My mother called me many times asking questions knowing that I am a nerd.  I think I gave her a headache on several occassions but I also gave her some understanding.  Half Lives -- as other seemingly complex subjects are not that hard to explain if you have a captive audience.

Half-Life is like losing your "-ness" from You, Me and DuPree

Since I have a captive audience, let's talk about the "half-life."  Some will assume that I am inferring the time when one reaches the ripe old age of 50.  In a sense, I am.  Simply, it is the period of time when half of your "-ness" is gone!  For example, CNN kept stating that the half-life of radioactive Iodine was 6 days.  Which is fine. However, when there is 1000+ times the amount that is safe for humans, 6 days still means that you will die.  So, how many days would have to pass to be safe for humans?  Good question!  About 60 days.  Here's why.  In 6 days, there is 1/2 of the radioactivity left.  In other words, it has decayed.  Our illustrious Anderson Cooper was claiming that everyone was safe after 12 days.  Sounds simple enough.  If half is gone in 6 days, then all will be gone in 12.  Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.  After 12 days, 1/4 of the radioactivity is left.  It isn't until 1/1024 amount of radioactivity is left and 60 days have passed that you are safe.

When the going gets tough, Sanja goes

No one probably noticed that Sanja Gupta got his rear back on a plane to the U.S.  Did you?  I did. 

I was shocked of the comparison to Three-Mile Island (TMI) and not to Chernobyl.  In the history of nuclear disasters, Three Mile Island was rated a 5 and Chernobyl a 7 (International Nuclear Event Scale) Fukushima was immediately rated a 5.  Keep in mind that the Three Mile Island nuclear incident  happened in 1979 in Dawphine County, Pennsylvania.  There was a complete meltdown with environmental exposure of 20 Curies of of iodine 131 (radioactive Iodine) and 13 million Curies of radioactive gases.  Also 40 thousand gallons of radioactive waste water was pumped directly into the Susquehanna River with authorization by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the USNRC). 

Chernobyl occurred in 1986 in the Ukraine SSR (Russia).  It was a complete meltdown and explosion that caused 31 immediate reactor related deaths  and perhaps a million over all deaths to date.  The surrounding environment was altered in Russia , Western Soviet Union and Europe.   47 million Curies of Iodine 131 (radioactive Iodine) were released, 2.3 million Curies of Caesium 137 and 2.3 million Curies of Tellurium, Strontium, and numerous other radioisotopes.  The after effects are expected to be seen for at least another 100 years.

NOTE:  A CURIE is a unit of radioactivity and are used to provide information on the radioactivity of a given isotope.  Named for Marie and Pierre Curie and their research involving radium 226 (isotope).

NOTE:  An isotope is a variant a of particular element.  The difference being that they have extra neutrons which make them unstable.  The atomic number of an element is based on the number of protons contained.

Back to you Anderson...

The news was quick to minimalize the Fukushima incident.  Without inspection or adequate testing, it was rated a 5--meaning that like Three Mile Island, there was minimal, short term damage to the environment.  Though now we know that Fukushima exceeded Three Mile Island, the rating remains the same--at a 5.  So, Anderson…why is it that technology has advanced at a staggering rate since 1989, yet we have much less information on Fukushima explosion than on Chernobyl?!  Back to you Anderson….