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The Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster
March 11, 2011


The remains of what was once a roughly semicircular pattern of ancient, inscribed rocks [are] planted upright in the ground a few miles from the shoreline in northeastern Japan. These monoliths, probably 600 years old, are all graven with the same image, written in a long-forgotten Asian dialect. Scholars pooled resources for centuries, trying to decipher the message, seeing success some 30 years ago. Very roughly translated, the inscription reads "Don't even think of building anything between here and the ocean." A thin layer of water-borne silt underneath the topsoil, ending about where the stones are placed, attests to the fact that a tsunami wave once washed this far inland.

From "Atomic Accidents," by James Mahaffey (page 378), 2014

A Dozen Years After Fukushima, Nuclear Power is Still a Death Wish The plant still daily irradiates 150 tons of water, which must be treated and stored forever. By Harvey Wasserman, March 10, 2023

Court orders ex-Tepco execs to pay $95 billion damages over Fukushima disaster The court found that the executives could have prevented the disaster if they had exercised due care. The damages are to be paid to the company. Reuters, July 13, 2022

The Fukushima disaster ruined their lives On October 22, 2021, Kenichi Hasegawa died of thyroid cancer, almost certainly caused by prolonged exposure to radioactive iodine released by the nuclear catastrophe. Numerous others died from radiation in his village of Iitate as well. By Linda Pentz Gunter, Beyond Nuclear International, March 6, 2022

6 People to sue TEPCO over thyroid cancer after Fukushima nuclear disaster It will be the first group lawsuit in Japan by those who were minors at the time of the disaster and have since been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The Mainichi (Japan), January 21, 2022

Thyroid cancer in Fukushima children increased 20-fold Some Japanese still live in regions contaminated by fallout from Fukushima. Childhood thyroid cancer, normally extremely rare, has been detected at much higher rates. By Dr. Alex Rosen, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, May 23, 2021

The Pacific Ocean is not Japan's nuclear dumpsite A regional collective of young Pacific activists condemns Japan's plans to dump millions of tons of radioactive Fukushima wastewater in the Pacific. The Fukushima catastrophe endangers not only human life and health, but that of the Pacific Ocean, the lifeline of Pacific islanders. By Youngsolwara Pacific (a regional movement of Pacific activists), May 2, 2021

Japan Hasn’t Recovered 10 Years After Fukushima Meltdown The UN estimates that thousands of fatalities will occur from radiation contamination resulting from the catastrophe. Others believe that upwards of 100,000 deaths will result from radioactive microparticles strewn into the environment. By Arne Gunderson, Truthout, March 11, 2021

Latest UN Report on the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster The UN report's conclusion that there are no observed ill-health effects from the catastrophe is inconsistent with the agency's own estimates of high collective doses from the accident. The UN report further concludes that the large observed increase in thyroid cancers in Japan since 2011 was due not to thyroid intake of of iodine isotopes from the accident but from increased surveillance. However, the large exposure increases are also published in this new UN report. These exposures suggest about 38,000 thyroid cancer case due to the accident, resulting in an estimated 3000 fatalities will have occurred as a result. By Dr. Ian Fairlie, March 10, 2021

How dangerous is the Fukushima nuclear plant today? A decade ago, a massive tsunami crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Three of its reactors melted down, leaving it looking like a bombed-out factory. Emergency workers risked their lives trying to keep one of history’s worst nuclear crises from spiraling out of control. Deep inside the plant, danger still lurks. Officials don’t know exactly how long the cleanup will take, whether it will be successful and what might become of the land where the plant sits. Indian Today, March 14, 2021

Citizens' Radiation Data Map of Japan Radiation contamination is not limited to Fukushima Prefecture. One hundred years from now there will still be several highly contaminated areas where humans should not live. Meanwhile, the government has yet to establish a criterion for for radioactive soil contamination. The authorities are continuing to enforce the policy of compelling people to return to their homes if the air dose rate goes below 20 mSv/year. Beyond Nuclear International, December 20, 2020

Japan's New Environmental Minister Calls for Closing Down All Nuclear Reactors to Prevent Another Disaster Like Fukushima "We will be doomed if we allow another nuclear accident to occur." By Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams, September 12, 2019

Manipulated childhood cancer data hides radiation impact, harms public health protection As the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe unfolded in March 2011, experts began studying the impact of radioactivity, particularly radioiodine, on children's health. After Chernobyl, it took nearly a decade for official experts to admit what data were revealing: exposure to radioiodine, one of the nuclides released from nuclear power disasters, increases thyroid cancer. During Fukushima releases, experts had claimed that thyroid exposures wouldn't be high enough to dispense potassium iodide to the public for protection. Subsequently, these same experts were put in charge of studies examining radioiodine's impact. Missing, and misused, data from these reports are now influencing future international response to radioiodine exposure. Beyond Nuclear, July 19, 2019

The Hoax That Nuclear Power Is Green At 20:00 into this video: It is costing between $500 billion and $1 trillion to remedy the Fukushima disaster. That is $1 to $2 billion per nuclear reactor in the world, just due to this disaster. One and a half per cent of all nuclear reactors ever built have melted down to some degree.
Conference on Financial and Environmental Dangers of NY's $7.6 billion Nuclear Bailout, and Soaring Cancer Rates Near Nuclear Reactors. Organized by Radiation and Public Health Project. (30-minute video by Karl Grossman, EnviroVideo) July 2019

Should GE’s Mark 1 Nuclear Reactor Be Recalled Worldwide Like a Faulty Unsafe Automobile? The Mark 1 failed catastrophically at Fukushima. There are also 35 other such reactors in the world, including 23 in the US. GE engineers who helped design this reactor model, and who later quit because they realized the design was not safe, are interviewed in this article/video. EnviroNews, September 11, 2017

TEPCO announces that it will dump 770,000 tons of radioactive tritium water into the Pacific Ocean Once tritium (half life about 12.5 years) travels up the food chain it becomes even more dangerous to life. When incorporated into animal or plant tissue and digested by humans, tritium can stay in the body for 10 years or more. Internally exposed individuals can expect to be chronically exposed to the toxic impacts of this carcinogen for years to come. By Dahr Jamail, Truthout, August 18, 2017

Near miss at Fukushima is a warning for U.S., panel says Thanks to a lucky break, spent fuel stored at the reactors did not catch fire and send a radioactive plume across much of eastern Japan, including Tokyo. But it easily could have, and a report by the U.S. National Academies should serve as a wake-up call for the nuclear industry. Science Magazine, May 20, 2016

Beyond Nuclear Until the Fukushima accident, Japan had 55 operating nuclear reactors as well as enrichment and reprocessing plants which had suffered a series of deadly accidents at its nuclear facilities resulting in the deaths of workers and releases of radioactivity into the environment and surrounding communities. Since the Fukushima disaster, there is growing opposition to re-opening those reactors closed for maintenance.

Fukushima Response Mobilizing a global effort to deal with the ongoing nuclear catastrophe in Japan.

Are We Safer Now? The Future of Nuclear Power in the Northwest 3.5 Years After Fukushima. Presentation by Dr. Edwin Lyman, Senior Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists, October 2014 (Power Point slide show)
Audio presentation to accompany the slide show (starts at about 2:20)

Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster Union of Concerned Scientists, September 3, 2014

What if the Fukushima nuclear fallout crisis had happened here? Interactive map. Enter an Eastern Washington zip code (such as 99301) to see the area projected to be covered by the radioactive plume. Natural Resources Defense Council, September 2014

Costs and Consequences of the Fukushima Daiichi Disaster By Steven Starr, Physicians for Social Responsibility, 2011

Soft Energy Paths for the 21st Century Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Amory Lovins to outline his reaction to the Fukushima disaster and his suggestions for Japanese and U.S. energy policy  It's a timely contribution to the rapidly growing movement in Japan to accelerate the strategic shift from nuclear power to efficiency and renewables, as Germany is already doing—an approach consistent with sound economics. July 30, 2011 (PDF)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission report on lessons from Fukushima July 12, 2011

 


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