The China Syndrome Movie Quotes
Jack Godell
What makes you think they're looking for a scapegoat?
Ted Spindler
Tradition.
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Greg Minor
[reviewing the film footage that Richard had secretly taken while at the nuclear power plant during the emergency]
Whatever stuck valve it was, it's forcing them to deal with the water level. From their behavior, it looks pretty serious. As I remember the control layout, the annunciators they seem concerned with are also in the area of the core water level. I dunno... they might have come close to exposing the core.
Dr. Lowell
If that's true, we came very close to the China Syndrome.
Kimberly Wells
The what?
Dr. Lowell
If the core is exposed for whatever reason, the fuel heats beyond core heat tolerance in a matter of minutes. Nothing can stop it. And it melts down right through the bottom of the plant, theoretically to China. But of course, as soon as it hits ground water, it blasts into the atmosphere and sends out clouds of radioactivity. The number of people killed would depend on which way the wind is blowing. Render an area the size of Pennsylvania permanently uninhabitable, not to mention the cancer that would show up later.
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Ted Spindler
He was not a loony. He was the sanest man I ever knew in my life.
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Jack Godell
I know the vibration was not normal.
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Greg Minor
[re evidence of a nuclear power plant accident]
I may be wrong, but I'd say you're lucky to be alive. For that matter, I think we might say the same for the rest of Southern California.
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Evan Mc Cormack
Scram the son of a bitch.
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Richard Adams
I showed the film to a nuclear engineer. You almost uncovered the core, Mr. Godell.
Kimberly Wells
Mr. Godell, you lied to me last night. We're not going to leave here until you tell us what happened at the plant.
Jack Godell
So some anti-nuclear nut tells you we almost uncovered the core? But we didn't uncover it, did we? We stopped it in time for one simple reason and I told you that! The system works, goddamn it! The system works! That's not the problem!
[he turns away]
Richard Adams
If that's not the problem, then what the hell is?
Kimberly Wells
What is the problem?
Jack Godell
The shudder... The damn shudder. The vibration I felt during the turbine trip. It bothered me. But it sure didn't bother anyone else. And while I'm checking it, I find that some idiot phonied the welding X-rays. I just can not believe a man would deliberately falsify the records of a nuclear reactor. My god!
Richard Adams
Holy shit.
Kimberly Wells
That means the plant's not safe.
Jack Godell
It means that vibration was a warning and the plant should be shut down, every one of those welds should be re-X-rayed... Of course we're talking about millions of dollars, but we don't want to talk about that. And no one will believe me. But if they ever put too much pressure on that pump, rupture those pipes...
Kimberly Wells
China Syndrome.
Jack Godell
It's possible.
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Churchill, Mac
Richard, I want that goddamn film.
Richard Adams
You can kiss my ass!
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Don Jacovich
I'm sure. Hothead award, Foulmouth award, Can-of-worms award...
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Barney
Jack, it just might be a feedwater leak.
Jack Godell
Which valve?
Barney
[Shakes head]
Can't really tell.
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Bill Gibson
Mr. Mc Cormack I can't take responsibility for this.
Evan Mc Cormack
What's your alternative? Let this maniac wash out a billion dollar investment? At least this buys time, it will take the press an hour to get here.
Bill Gibson
I wouldn't count on it.
Evan Mc Cormack
I'm counting on you to take care of the goddamn press. Now you do your job and I'll do mine.
Bill Gibson
Yes sir.
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