We don’t know when it will end: 10 years after Fukushima | Earthquake News

The effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident will remain felt for decades to come, local and international activists say on the tenth anniversary of Japan’s tripartite disaster in March 2011, contradicting the Japanese government’s official narrative that the crisis has been largely overcome.

Memories of that day in March 10 years ago are still fresh for those who tried it.

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan – the strongest earthquake ever recorded – followed first by a massive tsunami and then by the collapse of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant built on the coast and destroyed by the force of the wave. Nearly 20,000 people in the northeast of the country lost their lives.

A decade later, most of the Japanese in the Tohoku region were able to move forward with their lives, but in the areas near Fukushima Daiichi, where radioactive particles polluted the Earth, the recovery was not so fast.

“The buildings can be restored after the earthquake and tsunami,” said NGO worker Ayumi Eda. “Only the nuclear disaster has not ended. We don’t know when it will end.”

In the aftermath of the nuclear accident, the government ordered people in neighboring cities to leave, and established radiation blocking zones around the plant. Nearly 165,000 residents were evacuated at its peak in 2012.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant seen from the air two weeks after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami [File: Air Photo Service/Handout via Reuters]Decontamination efforts have reopened most areas and allowed people to return home. But there are still nearly 37,000 people listed as evacuees in Fukushima and many of them say they have no intention of returning.

Iida is a spokeswoman for a group called NPO Mothers Radiation Lab Fukushima Tarachine, a grassroots organization founded by residents after the disaster to protect the health and livelihood of children living in the area who have been exposed to radiation and other potential sources of harm.

Ida, a young mother who lives in the coastal city of Iwaki, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the destroyed factory, told the English island that she is trying to protect her children by providing food from faraway places in Japan, by finding playgrounds with the lowest levels of radioactivity. And every year her children are checked for signs of thyroid cancer.

“Our children should be the main focus of the future of everything here,” she said.

Long-term exposure

While the past 10 years have not seen a marked spike in cancer rates among Fukushima residents or other visible signs of radiation-related disease – unlike Chernobyl, which released 10 times more radiation – experts warn that there are still enough reasons for concern as exposure accumulates the most. . Time.

So far, radiation levels in many parts of the former exclusion zones are still uncomfortably high, says Shawn Burnie, chief nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Germany.

“The level of contamination is that if these radiation levels are found in a laboratory inside a controlled nuclear facility, it will require at least the intervention of the plant management, and it will have to be closed and decontaminated,” he said.

Like many other observers, Burney rejects claims that the Fukushima crisis is “under control” (as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared long ago in 2013).

A doctor performs a thyroid examination at the Iwaki Citizen Radiometry Center – TARACHINE in Iwaki. The non-profit organization offers free thyroid check-ups for children from the Fukushima District [File: Damir Sagolj/REUTERS]”As long as you have this level of pollution in an uncontrolled environment – forests, hills, riverbanks, farmland – you cannot say the situation is under control from a radiological perspective,” he said.

Mary Olson, the founder of the US-based Gender + Radiation Project, notes that the fears of a young mother like Ida are not out of place. While she points out that scientific research on the issue is still underfunded and incomplete, there is evidence to suggest that women may also be at greater risk of developing radiation-induced cancer than men.

“Males get cancer.” Referring to a long-term study of Hiroshima survivors, she said, it is not the case that radiation is safe for them. “But females in the younger age group got twice that.”

You also notice – as most nuclear scientists do – that while more radiation exposure carries greater risks to human health, there is no absolutely “safe” minimum.

“A deadly cancer can arise from a single emission of radiation,” she said.

On the other hand, in the same way that climate scientists acknowledge that a single hurricane or tornado cannot be attributed to the impacts of climate change, there is no way to determine whether individual cases of cancer in Fukushima or elsewhere are a direct result of radiation exposure.

The effect can only be measured statistically, for example, by comparing the number of cancer cases per 100,000 people in a place like Fukushima with a different part of Japan.

Little transparency

Several activists claim that the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Corporation (TEPCO) do not really care to fund and conduct health impact studies in Fukushima because the answers they receive may be politically inappropriate for an energy policy that still favors nuclear power. .

“Their behavior is not trustworthy,” Ayumi Fukakuza, a climate justice and energy activist with Friends of the Earth Japan, said of her government.

As for the risks of radiation health, she says, “The problem is that the government is not really researching it. The incidence of cancer among children has increased … but they have never acknowledged the relationship or the causation.”

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from the area around the Fukushima station immediately after the landslides. While many have returned with the reopening of the regions, others fear that the risk of radiation is too high [File: Damir Sagolj/Reuters]Fukakusa also gives voice to a common complaint even among those who sympathize more with the government’s stance – the feeling that officials have done a very bad job when it comes to transparency, and also in providing locals with reliable information about the health risks posed by radiation that may allow them to make informed decisions about their lives. Future.

“The important thing is for the government and TEPCO to fully disclose the risks and information related to the situation,” Focaccuza said. They have to be honest with the locals, who must be fully consulted when it comes to resettlement and return [to the former radiation exclusion zones]. “

Ten years after the disaster, life has largely returned to normal in many parts of Fukushima Prefecture. In some inland cities such as Fukushima or Koriyama, there are few, if any, visible signs of a nuclear accident.

Imiko Fujioka, Secretary-General of the Fukushima Bacon Global Citizens Network, says only the people evacuated from the former radiation exclusion zones are still thinking about it a lot these days.

There is a big gap between people in Fukushima [city] Deportees now. “

In the absence of scientific guidance from government authorities, societies have long been divided between those who fear radioactive contamination and those who reject the danger – sometimes viewing their neighbors or family members as unnecessarily worrisome.

In a somewhat similar way to the current COVID-19 pandemic, local opinion tends to differ between those who are horrified by the potential health risks and those angry at the potential economic damage it could inflict on society by those who continue to do so. Highlight the risks.

A disjointed sign in Futaba, near the paralyzed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. It reads, “Nuclear Energy – Energy for a Better Future.” The entire town was evacuated in the wake of the disaster [File: Toru Hanai/REUTERS]For Ayumi Ida, a young mother who is concerned about the health of her children and those of her neighbors, there is also broader interest in a world that still views nuclear energy as a more “green” energy source.

“This time we had a nuclear accident in Fukushima, but we do not know where the next nuclear accident will be,” she concluded.

“This should not only be seen as an energy and environmental issue for the Japanese, but it should also be taken into consideration by people around the world.”

.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos