FUKUSHIMA: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
By: Devvy
August 25, 2013
NewsWithViews.com
The
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster came as a result of the Tohoku earthquake
and tsunami on March 11, 2011. A truly horrible disaster almost beyond
words. Naturally, it dominated news media, electronic and print, for
many weeks. The death and destruction was simply heart wrenching.
After
a while, the media moved on to the next “when it bleeds, it leads”
story and Fukushima became a forgotten incident. Not for the Japanese
people – not after that day and for decades and generations to come.
I have prayed for all the lost souls and the citizens over there who
will continue to suffer from radiation poisoning – especially children.
But, should we be concerned? Has or will the effects of Fukushima hit
the U.S.?
“The
plant comprised six separate boiling water reactors originally designed
by General Electric (GE) and maintained by the Tokyo Electric Power
Company (TEPCO). At the time of the earthquake, reactor 4 had been de-fueled
and reactors 5 and 6 were in cold shutdown for planned maintenance.
Immediately after the earthquake, the remaining reactors 1–3 shut
down automatically and emergency generators came online to power electronics
and coolant systems. However, the tsunami following the earthquake quickly
flooded the low-lying rooms in which the emergency generators were housed.
The flooded generators failed, cutting power to the critical pumps that
must continuously circulate coolant water through a Generation II reactor
for several days to keep it from melting down after shut down. After
the pumps stopped, the reactors overheated due to the normal high radioactive
decay heat produced in the first few days after nuclear reactor shutdown
(smaller amounts of this heat normally continue to be released for years,
but are not enough to cause fuel melting).
“As
workers struggled to cool and shut down the reactors, several hydrogen-air
chemical explosions occurred. It is estimated that the hot zirconium
fuel cladding-water reaction in each reactor produced 800 to 1000 kilograms
of hydrogen gas, which was vented out of the reactor pressure vessel,
and mixed with the ambient air, eventually reaching explosive concentration
limits in units 1 and 3, and due to piping connections between units
3 and 4, unit 4 also filled with hydrogen, with the hydrogen-air explosions
occurring at the top of each unit, that is in their upper secondary
containment building.
“The
negative health effects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster include thyroid
abnormalities, infertility and an increased risk of cancer. One study
found that more than a third (36%) of children in Fukushima Prefecture
have abnormal growths in their thyroid glands. Furthermore, a WHO report
found that there is a significant increase in the risk of developing
cancers for people who live near Fukushima. This includes a 70% higher
risk of developing thyroid cancer for newborn babies, a 7% higher risk
of leukemia in males exposed as infants, a 6% higher risk of breast
cancer in females exposed as infants and a 4% higher risk of developing
solid cancers for females. An increase in infertility has also been
reported. As of August 2013, there have been more than 40 children newly
diagnosed with thyroid cancer and other cancers in Fukushima prefecture
alone and nuclear experts warn that this pattern may also occur in other
areas of Japan.”
While
the American media has pretty much ignored what’s been going on for
the past 2 1/2 years (you might see a headline here and there), a few
dedicated web sites have kept a steady stream of updates. For the most
comprehensive coverage, go to Rense.com;
scroll down to Japan Nuclear Disaster.
Contrary
to the few weak statements by the criminal syndicate out in Washington,
DC., one journalist recently penned this:
Why
the Fukushima disaster is worse than Chernobyl
“Some
scientists say Fukushima is worse than the 1986 Chernobyl accident,
with which it shares a maximum level-7 rating on the sliding scale of
nuclear disasters. One of the most prominent of them is Dr Helen Caldicott,
an Australian physician and long time anti-nuclear activist who warns
of “horrors to come” in Fukushima.
“Chris
Busby, a professor at the University of Ulster known for his alarmist
views, generated controversy during a Japan visit last month when he
said the disaster would result in more than 1 million deaths. “Fukushima
is still boiling its radionuclides all over Japan,” he said. “Chernobyl
went up in one go. So Fukushima is worse.”
On
our side of the world, we can still remember the terrible Deepwater
Horizon oil platform “spill” in April 2010; eleven died. I
won’t say accident. To say it was/is a financial as well as ecological
disaster is the understatement of the century. Our fellow Americans
in the gulf states who depend on fishing and tourism have endured hell
for years. After all I have read since that deadly day, I won’t eat
anything coming out of the Gulf of Mexico. I’m sorry to the fishermen,
but it’s a choice I’ve made.
For
those who haven’t heard what should have lead on all major boob tube
channels and cable news networks, here’s
an update:
“In
November 2012, BP and the United States Department of Justice settled
federal criminal charges with BP pleading guilty to 11 counts of manslaughter,
two misdemeanors, and a felony count of lying to Congress. BP also agreed
to four years of government monitoring of its safety practices and ethics,
and the Environmental Protection Agency announced that BP would be temporarily
banned from new contracts with the US government. BP and the Department
of Justice agreed to a record-setting $4.525 billion in fines and other
payments but further legal proceedings not expected to conclude until
2014 are ongoing to determine payouts and fines under the Clean Water
Act and the Natural Resources Damage Assessment. As of February 2013,
criminal and civil settlements and payments to a trust fund had cost
the company $42.2 billion.”
A
money plea deal. When the DA pleads out a case for manslaughter, how
many times have you heard the guilty party pay to stay out of prison?
When you’re charged with and plead guilty to manslaughter, the convicted
almost always get jail time unless there’s some unusual circumstances.
Certainly, the fines for BP are a ton of money, but in the oil business,
it’s really, well, just the cost of doing business. Money talks. In
this case, it also buys your way out of jail.
I
bring up the Deepwater disaster because the same applies to Fukushima.
Here’s but a small sample of what we all need to know:
“Absolutely
Every One” – 15 Out of 15 – Bluefin Tuna Tested In
California Waters Contaminated with Fukushima Radiation. That was
in 2012. With Fukushima pouring 300 TONS of contaminated water into
the ocean EVERY day, what does current testing show for Bluefin tuna
and other species of popular fish? The American people have the right
to know, even if the news is bad.
Holy
Fukushima – Radiation From Japan Is Already Killing North Americans
(May 2013) (Be sure to look at the graphic image of Radioactive Seawater
Impact Map)
“This
isn’t a conspiracy theory, this is happening and it’s happening right
now.
“The
fancy little picture at the top of the article isn’t showing you the
flow of happy fun time thoughts from Japan back in March of 2012, it’s
showing you the flow of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant after
the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Yes, that sharp pain
you just felt in your chest is the sudden realization that the image
shows the radiation reaching almost past Hawaii more than a year ago.
“Do
the math – If that radiation screamed across the Pacific Ocean
that far in one year, just how far do you think it has gotten since
then? Look at what World Truth TV is saying and then you decide.
Samples
of milk taken across the United States have shown radiation at levels
2000 percent higher than EPA maximums. The reason that milk is so significant
is that it is representative of the entire food supply. According to
an article published on Natural News, “Cows consume grass and
are exposed to the same elements as food crops and water supplies. In
other words, when cows’ milk starts testing positive for high
levels of radioactive elements, this is indicative of radioactive contamination
of the entire food supply.”
“The
Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Deception Protection
Agency, instead of refusing to prohibit the sale of tainted foods and
mandatory testing of foods produced and harvested from the Pacific Coast,
have simply raised the “acceptable levels” of radioactive
material in foods.” (The column above gives excellent suggestions
about purchasing seafood from here on out.)
Fukushima:
300 tons of radioactive water leak everyday (August 2013)
“In
the weeks after the disaster, the government allowed Tepco to dump tens
of thousands of tonnes of contaminated water into the Pacific in an
emergency move. But the escalation of the crisis raises the risk of
an even longer and more expensive clean-up, already forecast to take
more than 40 years and cost $11 billion. The admission further dents
the credibility of Tepco, criticized for its failure to prepare for
the tsunami and earthquake, for a confused response to the disaster
and for covering up shortcomings. “We think that the volume of
water (leaking into the Pacific) is about 300 tonnes a day,” said
Yushi Yoneyama, an official with the Minister of Economy, Trade and
Industry, which oversees energy policy.”
Tritium
soaring in water at No. 1 plant (July 2013)
“A
Nuclear Regulation Authority official recently said contaminated groundwater
from the plant, which is being fed cooling water from outside, may be
seeping into the ocean and that the matter must be addressed carefully
because data is limited.”
There’s
no maybe about it:
Deadly
Radioactive Groundwater Pours Into The Pacific (July 2013): ”
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said Wednesday it strongly suspects
highly radioactive water at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant
is seeping into the ground and contaminating the Pacific Ocean.”
•
Radiation
Expert: Enormous amount of contamination flowing from Fukushima will
probably imperil entire Pacific Ocean — Threatens other countries,
food chain — Absolutely can reach U.S. and Canadian shore (August
2013)
• Airborne
Radiation Spread – The facts with Marco Kaltofen
• “Tepco
Has Lost Control” – What Is Really Happening At Fukushima In Four
Charts (August 2013)
Seeping
into the ocean and carried airborne.
Fukushima
Nuclear Radiation in California Dairy Products. This is an important
column because it deals with testing being done by The Nuclear Engineering
Department at UC-Berkeley. The piece isn’t dated, so I’m not sure how
old the data is, but the results are encouraging.
In
that we are dealing with science, this piece speaks for itself. It’s
important to get opinions from credible sources: Shameful
“Study” Claims Fukushima Radiation Affected US Babies
We’ve
seen debris washing up on U.S. soil:
•
Japanese
tsunami debris makes its way into Hawaiian birds (March 2013)
• Radioactive
Debris Washing Up on Pacific Coast (Debris field the size of California)
• Japan
Tsunami Debris Confirmed in California (April 2013)
The
bottom line is TEPCO’s gross ineptness in dealing with Fukushima since
day one borders on criminal. At least after the Chernobyl meltdown,
the damaged reactors were enclosed in a large concrete sarcophagus fairly
quickly, although so many died. TEPCO has made a mess of “fixing
it” from day one. It’s not getting better and likely reaching a
critical point of no return.
As
someone who eats a lot of fish, I have kept current on Fukushima. It
has caused me to closely scrutinize where any fish is coming from –
particularly the Pacific Ocean. I’ve had to stop eating my favorite
prawns and salmon unless I know for sure where it was caught. After
Fukushima, I started researching farm raised salmon. Uh, uh, no thanks:
•
“Farm-Raised”
is Farmed and Dangerous” – Prime Seafood
• How
Farm-Raised Salmon Are Turning Our Oceans Into Dangerous and Polluted
Feedlots
• First
Global Sampling Study Reveals Health Risks Associated with Consuming
Farm Raised Salmon
• Norway
Issues Warnings About Health Dangers of Farmed Salmon
Most
of the time, I just go without because I won’t ignore what’s right in
front of my face. Everyone should be very concerned about what is going
on in the Pacific Ocean. The toxic water coming out of Fukushima for
the past 2 1/2 years is most definitely harming our beautiful oceans
and marine life.
When
you order fish at a restaurant, ask where it came from and does that
restaurant test for radiation considering what’s already been found
off the coast of California? You can bet a restaurant in NY is going
to say, they don’t know anything about it. Perhaps all their fish comes
from the Atlantic, but not likely. My heart breaks for our fishing families,
which I have always supported. If (more probably when) the many popular
fish species become more and more contaminated, it will have a huge,
negative impact on commercial and family owned fishing businesses. More
tragedy.
Our
oceans provide us with so many wonderful things besides beautiful
mammals, heavenly beaches and delicious fish of all kinds for consumption.
They also provide critical plant life. Too many do not appreciate the
importance of all sea life. It is criminal what’s going on and has been
going on for the past 2 1/2 years. We simply cannot ignore the damage
done and what is underway for a long time to come.
Everyone
needs to be aware of the fall out from Fukushima. If you live in California,
Oregon, Washington State or Canada (Pacific side), you need to contact
your state representative and ask if your state’s health department
is monitoring and testing things like fish, water, soil and air samples.
Is your state working with big universities like UC Berkeley in their
monitoring and testing? What are the results? Why isn’t more being publicized
to the citizens of those states — especially farmers? Is river water
being tested on a regular basis? Where are the PSA’s (Public Service
Announcements) warning the citizens of those states about radiation
contamination — especially for pregnant women or moms breast feeding?
While
the Poltroon who represents you in the U.S. House is in your district
from now until Sept. 6th, send a fax or call and ask them what they’re
doing about holding TEPCO accountable for this disaster that is affecting
the U.S. From the cost of cleaning up the debris from Fukushima to contamination
of water supplies and the ocean – what the hell is TEPCO doing about
getting some experts to get that plant contained once and for all? Tell
the dope who represents you in the U.S. House: TEPCO has not been able
to contain Fukushima after more than two years. Their disaster
is becoming ours and will likely get worse. Put pressure on
them.
This
is nothing to smirk at and it’s certainly not some ‘flaky’ issue. Out
of sight, out of mind might seem like a good idea, but a lot of suffering
has been going on since that earthquake and subsequent tsunami 2 1/2
years ago and now it’s here on our shores.
Links:
1-
Incompetent
TEPCO should never be allowed to handle nuclear energy
2- Fukushima
apocalypse: Years of ‘duct tape fixes’ could result in ‘millions
of deaths’
3- Inside
the Fukushima “Exclusion Zone”
4- Chernobyl:
25 Years After The Nuclear Disaster (Photos)
5-
Hazardous
Levels of Mercury in Sushi
6- If
You Choose Wisely, the Benefits of a High Fish Diet Can Still Outweigh
the Risks Associated with Mercury Contamination
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Devvy Kidd authored the booklets,
Why A Bankrupt America and Blind Loyalty; 2 million copies sold.
Devvy appears on radio shows all over the country. She left the
Republican Party in 1996 and has been an independent voter ever
since. Devvy isn’t left, right or in the middle; she is a constitutionalist
who believes in the supreme law of the land, not some political
party.
Devvy’s regularly posted new columns
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E-mail is: devvyk@npn.net