With all the hullabaloo about North Korea building nuclear weapons, maybe the biggest threat from the increasing number of nukes is the risk of an accident with the potential to contaminate a large area. The accidental detonation of a nuke in the wrong place at the wrong time could trigger a conventional war that could destabilize a large region of the world.

The U.S. has had its share of accidents and one of the worst was in the early 1970s. The Baneberry Incident was supposed to be a routine underground test of an nuclear device located about 975 feet below the Nevada Test Site.

However the blast severely ruptured the geologic strata, creating the moral equivalent of a "volcano" that vented radioactive dust and debris for nearly 48 hours. Radiation monitoring indicated the contamination spread across the U.S. and into western Europe.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Emery

 

The mountain where the DPRK has been testing (Mant'ap(?)) is potentially on the verge of collapse. If it does that will be a massive cleanup project for them. I think the potential for accidents is already upon us.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantapsan

 

The mountain where the DPRK has been testing (Mant'ap(?)) is potentially on the verge of collapse. If it does that will be a massive cleanup project for them. I think the potential for accidents is already upon us.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantapsan

They've already had a pretty bad accident related to that, I'm afraid:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/31/collapse-north-korea-nuclear-test-site-leaves-200-dead/

 

The "Genie Is Out Of The Bottle" and there's no way to get rid of nuclear weapons.

So maybe the countries that already have nuclear weapons should organize an international nuclear safety program like the National Rifle Association has done with gun safety.

 

And to think that the infamous "Tsar Bomba" was detonated at only half the power that it was originally designed to release! :

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170816-the-monster-atomic-bomb-that-was-too-big-to-use

In order to give the two planes a chance to survive – and this was calculated as no more than a 50% chance – Tsar Bomba was deployed by a giant parachute weighing nearly a tonne. The bomb would slowly drift down to a predetermined height – 13,000ft (3,940m) – and then detonate. By then, the two bombers would be nearly 50km (30 miles) away. It should be far enough away for them to survive.

 

Reading the article to which the link in the above post pointed, the thought went through my mind "Glad those days are gone..." only to realize that they are not gone at all, just out of mind.

 

Before there was an understanding of the consequences there was a rush to beat the other guys. Once we got there we realized that we were better off not having started. Now that we are here we need to prepare for the possible cleanup. Iodine pills anyone?

N.B: Iodine is also used to for radiation emergencies, to protect the thyroid gland against radioactive iodides. Potassium iodide tablets for use in a radiation emergency are available as FDA-approved products (ThyroShield, Iosat) and on the Internet as food supplements.

 

Before there was an understanding of the consequences there was a rush to beat the other guys. Once we got there we realized that we were better off not having started. Now that we are here we need to prepare for the possible cleanup. Iodine pills anyone?

N.B: Iodine is also used to for radiation emergencies, to protect the thyroid gland against radioactive iodides. Potassium iodide tablets for use in a radiation emergency are available as FDA-approved products (ThyroShield, Iosat) and on the Internet as food supplements.

Food supplies check, Guns and Ammo check, Potassium iodide tablets check, Radiation detector in every room check.

Gas Mask check, Bunker reinforcement, we're ready.

kv

 

Food supplies check, Guns and Ammo check, Potassium iodide tablets check, Radiation detector in every room check.

Gas Mask check, Bunker reinforcement, we're ready.

kv

That'll get you through the initial period, maybe the first six months. What happens when the uncontaminated resources are exhausted and you can't get any more?

 

That'll get you through the initial period, maybe the first six months. What happens when the uncontaminated resources are exhausted and you can't get any more?

I know, thats the part I don't get with the people here in Utah, they think they can out survive Nuclear winter. Let alone contamination. I once went to one of these survival meetings I had no idea what they wanted until they told me, which was for me to make a version of clean drinking water machine, similar to whats on the space station, when the M14 came out onto the table I left the house saying I'm out sorry can't do this I'd rather just starve and die than try to live through this crap.

Nonsense.

kv

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Emery

View attachment 138696

That cloud looks like an evil wolf face.

 

That cloud looks like an evil wolf face.

Nope. Poodle.

 

Nope. Poodle.

Ya, Monster poodle.

kv