Nuclear Accident

Dr. William Murphy 
Faculty, CSU, Chico Department of Geological and Environment Sciences 

Dr. Murphy’s goal for his presentation is putting Japan’s 2011 nuclear accident in the context of the larger picture of nuclear accidents. He first explains basic concepts - fission, radioactive decay, radiation, and the chemical reaction that releases radiation. Dr. Murphy then explains the boiling water system at the Fukishima reactor, where the Japanese accident occurred due to the 9.0 earthquake. He also discusses previous major accidents at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania (1979) and Chernobyl, Ukraine (1986). 

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Recorded: April 13, 2011