Nuclear PP accident in S. Peterburg - how to protect myself?

[Lukenberg]

Hello,

I live not really far from Sankt Peterburg(Russia) and yesterday there was accident, where radioactive gas leaked from reactor. They told those gases headed straight to Finland and Estonia, but in these such of accidents truth is never told for people. Like... let's remember Japan. Consequences may had been avoided if truth were told for people.

How can I protect myself from it ? I was googling about measuring it but only found EMF, I guess it's not what I need? What kind of measuring unit do I need and what kind of device can I buy to measure it?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Can you point us to a report of this accident in the media?

 

[russ_watters]

Here's a translated article (not that I can vet the source): http://en.news-4-u.ru/near-st-petersburg-the-accident-occurred-at-the-nuclear-power-plant-may-have-leaked-radioactive-steam.html

 

[mathman]

Geiger counters are the usual detectors for radiation levels.

 

[Lukenberg]

I found only it in russian: http://en.news-4-u.ru/near-st-petersburg-the-accident-occurred-at-the-nuclear-power-plant-may-have-leaked-radioactive-steam.html

What is difference between EMF and Geiger counters?

 

[russ_watters]

A geiger counter is a device for measuring radiation. "EMF" generally stands for "electromagnetic field". They really don't have much to do with each other.

 

[mheslep]

That reactor is an RBMK. Four of the eight still in operation are in Leningrad. All due to close in less than 10 yrs.
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Nuclear-Fuel-Cycle/Power-Reactors/Appendices/RBMK-Reactors/

 

[Hiddencamper]

We talked about this event on reddit. Based on some translations other users were making, this looks like a rupture of a smaller steamline on the turbine/non-nuclear side of the plant feeding a deaerator. This type of event has no public impact. The steam leak is dangerous internal to the plant to the workers (because high pressure steam cuts human flesh like butter). It's not a radiation hazard, specifically because the only real dangerous radioactive product is N-16, which decays away within a minute or so after leaving the reactor. After the reactor is shut down, it's pretty much all gone.

The operators scrammed the reactor, which removes the primary heat source. Then they likely either performed a rapid cooldown, or shut the main steamline stops, to stop the leak. No evidence or indications of fuel damage, or radioactive release.

You need to do nothing. This is an industrial event at a nuclear plant. Not a nuclear safety event. Based on what I've read.