Saturday, February 18, 2012

Latest Fukushima Report in January 2012

Current Situation and Happenings

1) Reactor 4 (of Fukushima Daiichi NPP) is in danger of falling down. When its hanging nuclear fuel pool is falling down by the big earthquake next time, and if its equipped fuel rods (1,331 items) are spreading out, at least half of Japan are to be highly polluted by radioactivity, and they won’t be able to live there any more.

2) There are quite a lot of earthquake occurred around Fukushima since New Year days 2012, then on January 6th, black smoke was fallen out from Reactor 4, thereafter high amount of radioactivity (Gamma Rays) has been found all around Tokyo or East Japan.

3) The accidental Reactor 1, 2, 3 are in danger of leaking out contaminated water. Around Fukushima Daiichi, radioactive contamination of underground water as well as sea water has been always more and more seriously spreading out.

4) At the end of last year, the Prime Minister of Japan declared “cold shutdown” and “the catastrophe comes to the end”. Thereafter, basic news or information by the government and TEPCO has been always decreasing, so the mass media (press and TV) less and less reported on the nuclear catastrophe.
On the contrary, ordinary citizen’s anxiety is increasing, whereas the national and local government, TEPCO and mass media always repeat on every case: “No health damage at all by radioactivity“ or “nuclear power plant is safe”. Recently they intend to disclose underestimate the radiation data, which seems not correctly measured.

5) Confirmed by US Military, in capital area around Tokyo or Southern Part of Japan, there found Plutonium and Uranium (and other Alpha-Ray nuclide) here and there, however Japanese government has never measured such data. Totally 31 different nuclides were diffused from Fukushima Daiichi NPP, but how far and how much they were flown, is still unclear except Cesium 134/137. 

6) Stress test was already ongoing, and the government and electricity companies hurry to re-start all reactors present as soon as possible. Recently the Japanese government has declared they can operate any reactors present up to 40 years but they set up an exception up to 60 years at the same time.

7) There are already many reports from ordinary citizen in Fukushima and East Japan, who are suffering from unknown health disorder ---- such as sudden death, leukemia, cataract, respiratory disease, thyroid disease, cystitis, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, many kinds of infectious disease, etc. However, the government and medical organization have never investigated nor disclosed the statistics in the nuclear affected region.

There are many reports of respiratory disease, such as nosebleed or bronchitis, so this might come from internal exposure, by absorbing radioactive hot particles, which diffused so much in the air in March to May.

8) Caused by contamination of air, soil and water, more and more seriously spreading is contamination of foods (crops) and daily goods. Particularly processed or frozen food, sea foods, fresh foods, automobiles and medicine are highly contaminated by radioactive Cesium, but more and more distributed all over Japan almost freely, because the government set up extraordinary loose standard of restriction (500 bq/kg, which should be changed into 100bq/kg since this April, only 1/5 amount for all foods without exception).
In some cases, contaminated foods are sold in “false labeling of production centers” at many supermarkets or grocery stores.

9) Radioactive contaminated cigarettes are to be sold from February 2012 from Japan Tabacco Company all over the country (because they cleared governmental tentative standard under 500 bq/kg), so the cigarettes smoke may well be dangerous if you absorb it.

10) In Japan, every spring from early February until April, cedar pollen is widespread flown all over the country, but this year, highly radioactive contaminated pollen is assumed to be spreading (maximum 250,000 bq/kg by official measure ), so people worry about body exposure by absorbing contaminated pollen.

11) There increase Refugees from Fukushima and East Japan toward West Japan. However, the government never tries to compensate for them. On the contrary, the Japanese government promotes the policy that recommends inhabitants around Fukushima NPP to be back to their hometown and live there again, if their region is measured under
20 mSv per year.

12) The government is promoting full scale de-contamination policy, but as in Chernobyl, this cannot be possible. Actually, here and there around Fukushima, de-contamination is hardly working.

13) Another problem is that the government promotes radioactive waste to be carried out of the affected area and be burned in incineration plants all over the country, which shall be reclaimed on the coast of big cities. Already some local governments accept radioactive waste in their cities to be burned. Radioactive materials must be vaporized and diffused in the air, then contaminated all around the area, damage human health as causing internal exposure. Reclaiming contaminated waste on the coast area will cause high water and sea pollution. They are planning to re-use burned ash as construction materials such as cements.

14) The national and local governments as well as leading media (TV and press) have always been campaigning purchase of Fukushima’s foods and goods, then criticizing as “harmful rumours or misinformation” if consumers try to avoid foods or goods in contaminated area or region.

15) In April 2012, all NPPs in Japan will stop for their maintenance work. (At present, 90 percent of all NPPs are already stopping) Nevertheless, no power shortage happens. On the contrary, local governments and big companies are calling for re-starting of existing NPPs. Power companies have been campaigning to call for reducing energy consumption, to agitate “possible power shortage” to our consumers, then many companies try to obey the rule.
 

Our Request to the Government

1. Setting up extraordinary loose standard for restricting contaminated foods and allow distributing them freely; Burning radioactive waste; Moving inhabitants back to highly radioactive contaminated areas ---- these are inhuman, insane measures against international law and human rights. This is already a not a problem of nuclear technology but a problem of human morality. We citizen cannot overlook such insanity by the government. Otherwise we cannot but call international public opinion for stopping it.

2. At least, the government, major media, medical organizations and nuclear specialists in Japan, all of them ignore to refer to damage on human health through “internal exposure”, nor examine assessment of our health disorder. They cannot make use of the data, interviews or survey in Chernobyl (and by ECRR) at all.

3. For setting up food contamination standard by the government, the fundamental problem is that they applied the standard based only on “external” exposure for that of “internal” exposure. As you leave things as they are, a lot of people will suffer from health disorder by internal exposure from eating contaminated foods. Therefore the government must set up highly strict standard for contaminated foods and goods immediately, considering “internal exposure” and its serious effects through previous intelligent research.

4. Fukushima NPP accident was proved to be a human error, not directly by earthquake or Tsunami disaster. Therefore we cannot accept re-starting any NPPs in our country.


5. The government should measure the range and amount of diffusion of “radioactive nuclides” which produces Alpha and Beta Rays as soon as possible, disclosing in the public immediately after they are measured . To build up immediate information disclosure system on nuclear accident and Fukushima NPP is needed.

6. To make a strict law for punishment against agencies and companies which try to distribute foods and goods with false labeling, examine and adopt it severely.

7. To bury all radioactive waste from affected areas without burning it, in the nearest places of the affected areas or nearby Fukushima NPP or concerned highly radiation-contaminated areas. Spreading waste all over the country must be prohibited.

8. It is almost impossible to accomplish de-contamination in the highly radiation-contaminated areas. Instead the government must evacuate all the inhabitants there to safer areas. For their living, particularly their farming, the government and TEPCO should compensate all things. At the same time, new planting in Fukushima and around areas must be prohibited.


Post Your Direct Opinion to the Japanese Government (English only): https://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment_ssl.html

Any Comments or suggestions directly to us: ecoloj2007@gmail.com
(ECOXIA International Institute)