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Whos' Really to Blame for
Fukushima Health Impacts?
Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
EMF Computer Protection
Magnetic Field Detector
March
12, 2012
As is
often the case, the passage of time yields clarity about
events, and the nuclear power plant accident at Fukushima is
no different. It has become clear that the misinformation
and hysterics by anti-nuclear groups and individuals were
mostly wrong. Their doomsday prophesizing actually worsened
human suffering and environmental impacts by contributing to
unwise decisions by political leaders in Japan and elsewhere
to shut down nuclear plants. In contrast, bloggers and
experts from within the nuclear community accurately
predicted outcomes and human health impacts.
As was
predicted on this blog and elsewhere, the multi-barrier
reactor containment design protected the public. Contrary
to claims by anti-nuclear groups, the melted cores did NOT
burn through the reactor vessels. The containment
structures remained virtually intact. The damaged reactor
fuel remained inside the reactor vessels and containment
systems.
Despite
preposterous claims by Greenpeace and others, there were no
chunks of plutonium scattered across the countryside. Only
radioactive gasses escaped over the land, and most of that
gas was short lived Iodine that has long since decayed away.
As
reported on Bloomberg and other news sources, no one in the
public was harmed by radiation from the damaged reactors. A
small number of plant workers received higher than normal
radiation exposures, without lasting effects. Any
hypothetical future health effects will be immeasurably low
and will be indistinguishable from normal disease rates
within the general population.
No one,
not even the “Fukushima 50″, was exposed to life
threatening amounts of radiation. Journalists who flew
across the Pacific to cover the story received more
radiation exposure from cosmic rays in flight than they
received from the reactors once on the ground.
The
visually spectacular hydrogen explosions of the plant
buildings, while providing great fodder for anti-nuclear
rhetoric had little impact on the safety of the reactors,
and harmed no one.
The
unit 4 fuel storage pools did not empty of water and did not
catch on fire. The fuel there remained safely submerged and
suffered no damage of any consequence.
Finally, there was no need for the 50-mile evacuation zone
ordered by NRC Chairman Greg Jaczko. His decision still has
nuclear experts scratching their heads and wondering why.
Jaczko’s actions demonstrated he lacks the experience and
knowledge to ask the right questions at crucial moments. In
addition, he lacked the wisdom to recognize other more
credible information was available that contradicted his
view. He needlessly rushed forward with an ill-advised
decision that was horribly wrong.
This is
not to imply there were no environmental or economic impacts
from the reactor accident – of course there were! The
expensive cleanup in surrounding areas will take years and
will cost billions. This is but a small fraction of the
total cost of recovery from the horrific earthquake and
tsunami.
The
earthquake and tsunami were responsible for untold human
suffering and devastation. That is where the focus of the
world should have been and should continue to be. The
problems at the Fukushima nuclear plant accident have
contributed needlessly to Japan’s economic burden by
prompting the irrational shutdown of nuclear plants across
the country. This has caused energy shortages and billions
of dollars of additional costs from skyrocketing imports of
fossil fuels. Of course, the fossil fuels providers are
scrambling to rake in tens of billions of dollars in
profits.
The
health effects to Japan’s population were NOT from
radiation, but from stress caused by the unfounded fear of
future health effects. The responsibility for this lies
squarely on anti-nuclear activists who relished in spouting
fatalistic, exaggerated claims, and on an uninformed media
who presented those claims as virtual facts while
downplaying opposing views from true experts in the field.
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