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Fukushima - the continuing saga

More horror:

http://olivebiodiesel.com/altnews/10242013.html


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How many pickles do you eat a year? "Gee, I don't know anyone who eats nuclear pickles"... The wind above Tokyo is one of the fastest air currents on Earth. It blows straight East to Los Angeles, New York and all points between. Your last pickle probably grew near said path...
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It is called Nuclear Origami, the art of turning a carrot into a creature-like being with radioactive leaks and disposed of wastes.


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America's favorite home grown vegetable. F Ω C Κ! ed up almost beyond recognition. I put this page up to give people a sense that Abe, TepCo, Obama, DoE and the Judas-betraying MSM are "keeping things from us we should know about". Food Chain contamination goes way beyond Japan's sovereign borders.


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Fuyu sweet, flat persimmons are part of Chinese, Korean and Japanese culture. But this persimmon could probably raise the clicks on a Geiger counter. But Abe and Obama raised the "safe, legal" daily required dose of human radioisotope consumption.




The CELESTIAL Convergence: FUK-U-SHIMA: Former Japan TV News Anchor Declares That Mutations Have Begun In Fukushima - Birds Found Blind, Unable To Fly; Magazine Says "Birds In Tailspin 4 Years After Nuclear Meltdown,...The Proverbial CANARY IN A COALMINE; Professor Says Birds With Mutations Popping Up All Over In Contaminated Areas!

FUK-U-SHIMA: Former Japan TV News Anchor Declares That Mutations Have Begun In Fukushima - Birds Found Blind, Unable To Fly; Magazine Says "Birds In Tailspin 4 Years After Nuclear Meltdown,...The Proverbial CANARY IN A COALMINE; Professor Says Birds With Mutations Popping Up All Over In Contaminated Areas!






May 13, 2015 - JAPAN - Katsuhide Okada… didn’t worry much about the power plant: It was so safe, Tepco told the Futaba community… [T]he roses that Mr. Okada cultivated over a lifetime — more than 750 varieties, nearly 8,000 bushes — have perished. Still, Okada has returned to Futaba 10 times… he was interviewed on NHK appearing grim and heartbroken… Maya Moore, a former news anchor and journalist at NHK, happened to catch Okada’s interview… she collaborated with Okada and the group in putting together the book “The Rose Garden of Fukushima.”

The forward to ‘The Rose Garden of Fukushima’ was written by US Ambassador to Japan (2009-13) John Roos: “The incredible tale of Katz Okada and his Fukushima rose garden as told here by Maya Moore… gives you a small window into what the people of Tohoku faced” - Mar 8, 2015 (emphasis added) - Japan Times.


Interview with Maya Moore, former NHK news anchor and author of The Rose Garden of Fukushima (22:15 in): It’s just poisoned wasteland. The last time Mr. Okada actually went back in there, he found baby crows that could not fly, that were blind. Mutations have begun with animals, with birds.

Several studies have linked the Fukushima disaster to mutations in wildlife and specifically discussed negative effects on crow populations:

Dr. Tim Mousseau, Professor of Biological Sciences at the Univ. of South Carolina, 2014 (pdf): We have studied biodiversity at Chornobyl since 2000 and Fukushima since 2011. Most organisms that we have examined showed significantly increased rates of genetic damage in direct proportion to the level of exposure… Many organisms showed increased rates of deformities, developmental abnormalities, eye cataracts, and even tumors and cancers. - Apr 24, 2015 - WHYY.


Birds Are in a Tailspin Four Years After Fukushima — Like the proverbial canary in a coalmine… Mousseau and his team have assembled a grim portrait… their data show that bird species and abundances are in sharp decline, and the situation is getting worse… “where it’s much, much hotter, it’s dead silent. You’ll see one or two birds if you’re lucky.”… birds such as the carrion crow… demonstrated higher susceptibility… 2012, he began capturing birds [with] patches of bleach-white feathers… the patches have a high coincidence with… cataracts, tumors, asymmetries, developmental abnormalities By 2013, the birds… had white patches big enough to be seen through binoculars. - Apr 30, 2015 - Smithsonian.


Recent seminal studies of butterflies… found strong evidence for increased mutation rates, developmental abnormalities and population effects as a direct consequence of exposure to [Fukushima] radionuclides… these unambiguously supported observations of the elevated mutation rates and phenotypic effects observed in the field. - Mar 2015 -Journal of Ornithology (Moller, Nishiumi, Mousseau).









Former Japan TV News Anchor: The mutations have begun in Fukushima; Birds found blind, unable to fly — Magazine: “Birds in tailspin 4 years after Fukushima… the proverbial canary in a coalmine”
By andyc -

May 19, 2015




Professor: Birds with mutations popping up all over in contaminated areas

Japan Times, Mar 8, 2015 (emphasis added): Katsuhide Okada… didn’t worry much about the power plant: It was so safe, Tepco told the Futaba community… [T]he roses that Mr. Okada cultivated over a lifetime — more than 750 varieties, nearly 8,000 bushes — have perished. Still, Okada has returned to Futaba 10 times… he was interviewed on NHK appearing grim and heartbroken… Maya Moore, a former news anchor and journalist at NHK, happened to catch Okada’s interview… she collaborated with Okada and the group in putting together the book “The Rose Garden of Fukushima.”

The forward to ‘The Rose Garden of Fukushima’ was written by US Ambassador to Japan (2009-13) John Roos: “The incredible tale of Katz Okada and his Fukushima rose garden as told here by Maya Moore… gives you a small window into what the people of Tohoku faced”

WHYY, Apr 24, 2015 – Interview with Maya Moore, former NHK news anchor and author of The Rose Garden of Fukushima (22:15 in): It’s just poisoned wasteland. The last time Mr. Okada actually went back in there, he found baby crows that could not fly, that were blind. Mutations have begun with animals, with birds.


Several studies have linked the Fukushima disaster to mutations in wildlife and specifically discussed negative effects on crow populations:

Dr. Tim Mousseau, Professor of Biological Sciences at the Univ. of South Carolina, 2014 (pdf): We have studied biodiversity at Chornobyl since 2000 and Fukushima since 2011. Most organisms that we have examined showed significantly increased rates of genetic damage in direct proportion to the level of exposure… Many organisms showed increased rates of deformities, developmental abnormalities, eye cataracts, and even tumors and cancers.

Smithsonian, Apr 30, 2015: Birds Are in a Tailspin Four Years After Fukushima — Like the proverbial canary in a coalmine… Mousseau and his team have assembled a grim portrait… their data show that bird species and abundances are in sharp decline, and the situation is getting worse… “where it’s much, much hotter, it’s dead silent. You’ll see one or two birds if you’re lucky.”… birds such as the carrion crow… demonstrated higher susceptibility… 2012, he began capturing birds [with] patches of bleach-white feathers… the patches have a high coincidence with… cataracts, tumors, asymmetries, developmental abnormalities… By 2013, the birds… had white patches big enough to be seen through binoculars.

Journal of Ornithology (Moller, Nishiumi, Mousseau). Mar 2015: Recent seminal studies of butterflies… found strong evidence for increased mutation rates, developmental abnormalities and population effects as a direct consequence of exposure to [Fukushima] radionuclides… these unambiguously supported observations of the elevated mutation rates and phenotypic effects observed in the field.
 

Professors: 100s of Millions of animals have died recently along West Coast — Worst mortality event ever known — “Wiped out at least 20 different species” — Marine life also disappearing from Fukushima coast (VIDEO)

Professors: 100s of Millions of animals have died recently along West Coast — Worst mortality event ever known — “Wiped out at least 20 different species” — Marine life also disappearing from Fukushima coast (VIDEO)

Published: April 22nd, 2015 at 10:34 am ET
By ENENews

New Yorker, Apr 21, 2015 (emphasis added): [A]n ongoing outbreak of a sea-star wasting disease… has killed millions of starfish… It’s the greatest wildlife mass-mortality event, or “die-off,” of the present day… Online, speculation about the cause of the die-off soon focussed [sic] on radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant… [Pete Raimondi, principal investigator with a research group studying the disease] recalled a phone call in which a fearful soon-to-be father asked whether he should immediately move his family away from the West Coast. It was one of many similarly heartfelt calls. Researchers have found no evidence of a link between the ongoing Fukushima disaster and the starfish die-off,.. Many members of the public remain unconvinced… sea stars are known to be maritime canaries-in-the-coal-mine: “They’re always the first ones to go,” Raimondi said.

Santa Cruz Sentinel, Apr 6, 2015: [A] mysterious disease has melted millions of sea stars… This current epidemic has wiped out at least20 different species of starfish, Raimondi said.

Dr. Ben Miner, Western Washington Univ., Jan 22, 2015 (35:45 in): “The numbers of stars that have died are probably — reasonable estimates of hundreds of millions. I think at this point most scientists are pretty comfortable saying that it’s the largest mass mortality ever associated with a disease ever recorded. [It's] quite frightening… Patterns we initially saw and subsequent to that — and some other data — strongly suggests that it has nothing to do with Fukushima, though that was something that was very commonly reported in the media.”

Was ‘the media’ responsible for suggesting a possible link to Fukushima contamination as Dr. Miner claims? Or was it the sea star wasting researchers?




    • CTV News: The vanishing sea creatures have caused concern among marine experts… [They're] studying the potential impact of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster.
    • Discovery News: A wasting disease that’s attacking starfish… could be at least in partcaused by nuclear pollution from [Fukushima] said a marine ecologist involved with studying sick starfish. Peter Raimondi [told News 1130 in Vancouver] that nuclear pollution carried across the ocean… can’t be ruled out as a factor. “One of the byproducts is obviously nuclear radiation discharge…” he told the news outlet.
    • Dr. Ian Hewson, Cornell Univ. (.mp3): “We’ve had a lot of questions about whether it is related to radiation from Fukushima. We can’t completely exclude that possibility, but…sea stars on the Japanese side of the Pacific, they’re not dying*, as far as we know.”
    • The Herald: “It’s extremely difficult to pinpoint the exact cause,” said Ben Miner… [One] theory is that the condition is caused by radiation [from] Fukushima… If that were true,many more creatures would be affected**, researchers said.“It’s unlikely to be thedirect cause,” Miner said.
* See report from Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies (2014): “We conducted field surveys at intertidal zones of 43 sites… The number of species of intertidal biota seemed to get smaller as the site was close to 1F [Fukushima Daiichi]. No rock shell specimens were collected at 8 sites of Fukushima… specimens were collected at many sites in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, where enormous Tsunami attacked, it is unlikely that smaller number of intertidal species… were caused by Tsunami. Contaminated cooling water… may have given any impacts to intertidal biota.” [Sea stars are "the foundation of intertidal life" -Source]

** Many other instances of mass die-offs and disease have occurred along North America’s Pacific coast since 2011 — for example: whales, orcas, dolphins, sea lions, seals, polar bears,walruses, sea birds, owls, pelicans, turtles, crabs, sea urchins, oysters, scallops, abalone,sardines, anchovies, salmon, herring, jellyfish, sea salps, coral, krill, plankton and more.

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April 22nd, 2015 | Category: Audio/Video Clips, Canada, US, West Coast




Also related:

82 contaminated waste bags from Fukushima washed away by typhoon floods



Officials: 6,000% cancer rate increase in Fukushima children’s thyroids — Expert: Urgent countermeasures against the suspected outbreak are necessary — Professor: Gov’t stopped me from checking thyroid exposure levels after 3/11 (VIDEO)

Published: May 19th, 2015 at 7:05 pm ET
By ENENews
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Asahi Shimbun, May 19, 2015 (emphasis added): Fukushima finds 16 new cases of thyroid cancer in young people… authorities said May 18, although they added it is “unlikely” a direct result of the nuclear accident…The 16 new cases were detected between January and March, and bring the total number of young people diagnosed with the disease in the testing program to 103… 127 [have been diagnosed or suspected of having thyroid cancer]… many cases of thyroid cancer in infants were reported after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. However, this has not proven to be the case so far with regard to the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Fukushima Voice, May 19, 2015: The Thyroid Examination Evaluation Subcommittee… came to a conclusion [that this] clearly represents an excess incidenceby an order of magnitude(At the November 11, 2014 subcommittee meeting, it was described as “61 times)… this increase can be a result of either excess occurrence due to radiation exposure or over-diagnosis… “it is not possible to conclude if thyroid cancer cases detected during the screening are radiation-induced… it is unlikely these cases are the effect of radiation exposure… the exposure dose is far less than the Chernobyl accident and that there have been no cancer cases in children younger than 5… early internal exposure dose
from radioactive iodine is extremely critical in assessing the effect of the accident.”


The subcommittee and Asahi article discount the link between these cancers and the Fukushima disaster due to a lack of cases among infants. Asahi claims this is unlike Chernobyl, where “many cases of thyroid cancer in infants” had developed. Is this accurate?According to Shinichi Suzuki, who was in charge of the Fukushima Thyroid Examination, March 2015: “There is a striking similarity between the [age] profiles of patients diagnosed during the period of latency after Chernobyl in Ukraine and currently in Fukushima.”

Also, the subcommittee noted “the early internal exposure dose from radioactive iodine is extremely critical in assessing the effect of the accident” — what does that dose data show?

Japan Focus, Dec 8, 2014: Sakiyama Hisako, former senior researcher at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences… observed that power was deployed to stop measurements of thyroid exposure being taken… Professor Tokonami Shinji of Hirosaki University… tried to measure exposure levels immediately after the explosions [but] was halted by Fukushima Prefecture, which accused him of stirring up trouble… Tokonami went on to test 65 Fukushima residents one month after the explosions [and] found radioactive iodine in the thyroids of 50 out of the 65 (77%)… He estimated the equivalent dose to the thyroid [was up to] 87 mSv [and] infants who remained in areas with high iodine levels may have been exposed to over 100 mSv.

FUKUDEN (pdf), Dec 31, 2014: Prof. Toshihide Tsuda, an epidemiology specialist [said] “When we analyzed the results of the thyroid cancer survey conducted in the Fukushima Prefecture according to location, it is obvious that there are more numbers of thyroid cancer cases in the Nakadori area (middle area), and we urgently need to take necessary measures.”

Prof. Tsuda, Eiji Yamamoto & Etsuji Suzuki of Okayama Univ.: [The thyroid cancer] incidence rate ratio was 26.98… in the nearest area, and in Fukushima city, it was 19.41… compared with the Japanese mean… [E]xcess incidence rate ratios were observed… Dose-response relationship by distance from the plant was indicated… countermeasures against the suspected outbreak are necessary in Fukushima and the neighboring areas.

Related Posts
  1. Japan Paper: Now 104 children diagnosed with cancer of thyroid in Fukushima — New results show 5-fold increase in rate of suspected/confirmed cancers August 26, 2014
  2. Kyodo: 27 Fukushima minors with confirmed or suspected thyroid cancer — Almost tripled since last report in February June 4, 2013
  3. Mainichi publishes report on thyroid cancer: 30% in Fukushima now with tumors of 2cm or less, thyroid gland only 5cm by 3cm total — Claims cancer increases after 10 sievert radiation dose, so Japan ok (10,000 millisieverts) April 27, 2012
  4. Japan Professor: Fukushima crisis is leading to surge in thyroid cancers… First signs of health catastrophe — NHK: Trend seen in new cancer tests is ‘suspicious’ (VIDEO)August 23, 2013
  5. Kyodo: 10 Fukushima children believed to have cancer — 70% female — Several already had surgery for thyroid February 13, 2013
May 19th, 2015 | Category: Audio/Video Clips, Fukushima Daiichi, Japan (Fukushima)

Officials: 6,000% cancer rate increase in Fukushima children’s thyroids — Expert: Urgent countermeasures against the suspected outbreak are necessary — Professor: Gov’t stopped me from checking thyroid exposure levels after 3/11 (VIDEO)
 
Officials: 6,000% cancer rate increase in Fukushima children’s thyroids — Expert: Urgent countermeasures against the suspected outbreak are necessary — Professor: Gov’t stopped me from checking thyroid exposure levels after 3/11 (VIDEO)

Published: May 19th, 2015 at 7:05 pm ET
By ENENews
Email Article
526 comments
Tweet
Asahi Shimbun, May 19, 2015 (emphasis added): Fukushima finds 16 new cases of thyroid cancer in young people… authorities said May 18, although they added it is “unlikely” a direct result of the nuclear accident…The 16 new cases were detected between January and March, and bring the total number of young people diagnosed with the disease in the testing program to 103… 127 [have been diagnosed or suspected of having thyroid cancer]… many cases of thyroid cancer in infants were reported after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. However, this has not proven to be the case so far with regard to the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Fukushima Voice, May 19, 2015: The Thyroid Examination Evaluation Subcommittee… came to a conclusion [that this] clearly represents an excess incidenceby an order of magnitude(At the November 11, 2014 subcommittee meeting, it was described as “61 times)… this increase can be a result of either excess occurrence due to radiation exposure or over-diagnosis… “it is not possible to conclude if thyroid cancer cases detected during the screening are radiation-induced… it is unlikely these cases are the effect of radiation exposure… the exposure dose is far less than the Chernobyl accident and that there have been no cancer cases in children younger than 5… early internal exposure dose
from radioactive iodine is extremely critical in assessing the effect of the accident.”




The subcommittee and Asahi article discount the link between these cancers and the Fukushima disaster due to a lack of cases among infants. Asahi claims this is unlike Chernobyl, where “many cases of thyroid cancer in infants” had developed. Is this accurate?According to Shinichi Suzuki, who was in charge of the Fukushima Thyroid Examination, March 2015: “There is a striking similarity between the [age] profiles of patients diagnosed during the period of latency after Chernobyl in Ukraine and currently in Fukushima.”
Also, the subcommittee noted “the early internal exposure dose from radioactive iodine is extremely critical in assessing the effect of the accident” — what does that dose data show?

Japan Focus, Dec 8, 2014: Sakiyama Hisako, former senior researcher at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences… observed that power was deployed to stop measurements of thyroid exposure being taken… Professor Tokonami Shinji of Hirosaki University… tried to measure exposure levels immediately after the explosions [but] was halted by Fukushima Prefecture, which accused him of stirring up trouble… Tokonami went on to test 65 Fukushima residents one month after the explosions [and] found radioactive iodine in the thyroids of 50 out of the 65 (77%)… He estimated the equivalent dose to the thyroid [was up to] 87 mSv [and] infants who remained in areas with high iodine levels may have been exposed to over 100 mSv.

FUKUDEN (pdf), Dec 31, 2014: Prof. Toshihide Tsuda, an epidemiology specialist [said] “When we analyzed the results of the thyroid cancer survey conducted in the Fukushima Prefecture according to location, it is obvious that there are more numbers of thyroid cancer cases in the Nakadori area (middle area), and we urgently need to take necessary measures.”

Prof. Tsuda, Eiji Yamamoto & Etsuji Suzuki of Okayama Univ.: [The thyroid cancer] incidence rate ratio was 26.98… in the nearest area, and in Fukushima city, it was 19.41… compared with the Japanese mean… [E]xcess incidence rate ratios were observed… Dose-response relationship by distance from the plant was indicated… countermeasures against the suspected outbreak are necessary in Fukushima and the neighboring areas.
Related Posts
  1. Japan Paper: Now 104 children diagnosed with cancer of thyroid in Fukushima — New results show 5-fold increase in rate of suspected/confirmed cancers August 26, 2014
  2. Kyodo: 27 Fukushima minors with confirmed or suspected thyroid cancer — Almost tripled since last report in February June 4, 2013
  3. Mainichi publishes report on thyroid cancer: 30% in Fukushima now with tumors of 2cm or less, thyroid gland only 5cm by 3cm total — Claims cancer increases after 10 sievert radiation dose, so Japan ok (10,000 millisieverts) April 27, 2012
  4. Japan Professor: Fukushima crisis is leading to surge in thyroid cancers… First signs of health catastrophe — NHK: Trend seen in new cancer tests is ‘suspicious’ (VIDEO)August 23, 2013
  5. Kyodo: 10 Fukushima children believed to have cancer — 70% female — Several already had surgery for thyroid February 13, 2013
May 19th, 2015 | Category: Audio/Video Clips, Fukushima Daiichi, Japan (Fukushima)

Officials: 6,000% cancer rate increase in Fukushima children’s thyroids — Expert: Urgent countermeasures against the suspected outbreak are necessary — Professor: Gov’t stopped me from checking thyroid exposure levels after 3/11 (VIDEO)

Source: Japan asks globalist trade organization to force S Koreans to eat radioactive Fukushima food | Page 2
 
Protective Fukushima Sea Wall Cracking - Reports

07:16 26.11.2015

The barrier constructed at the Fukushima nuclear power plant to prevent contaminated water from leaking into the ocean has tilted, developing a crack about 500 meters (0.3 miles) in length along its base, local media report.

TOKYO (Sputnik) – The tilt, which reportedly occurred as a result of heavy groundwater pressure on the wall, is only about 20 centimeters (just short of 8 inches), but because of the crack there is a danger of ocean water getting contaminated.

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Fukushima: Hundreds of Radiation-Related Cancer Cases on the Way in Japan

Specialists from Fukushima’s operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), are currently working on filling up the crack and correcting the wall tilt.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster occurred on March 11, 2011. As a result of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami, half of the reactors at the nuclear power plant suffered a meltdown.

1017844739.jpg

© AP PHOTO/ SHIZUO KAMBAYASHI

First Case of Cancer Triggered by Fukushima Recovery Confirmed in Japan

TEPCO finished constructing the protective coastal wall along the damaged Fukushima reactor buildings in October 2015. The wall is about 780 meters (about 0.5 miles) long and extends about 30 meters (98 feet) below ground.

According to TEPCO estimates, the wall should reduce contaminated water flow into the ocean from 400 tons to 10 tons a day.

TEPCO is also developing a freezing soil barrier around the reactors.

1030771330.jpg


Workers at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station work among underground water storage pools on 17 April 2013.


Read more: Protective Fukushima Sea Wall Cracking - Reports
 
Protective Fukushima Sea Wall Cracking - Reports

07:16 26.11.2015

The barrier constructed at the Fukushima nuclear power plant to prevent contaminated water from leaking into the ocean has tilted, developing a crack about 500 meters (0.3 miles) in length along its base, local media report.

TOKYO (Sputnik) – The tilt, which reportedly occurred as a result of heavy groundwater pressure on the wall, is only about 20 centimeters (just short of 8 inches), but because of the crack there is a danger of ocean water getting contaminated.

1016022237.jpg


Fukushima: Hundreds of Radiation-Related Cancer Cases on the Way in Japan

Specialists from Fukushima’s operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), are currently working on filling up the crack and correcting the wall tilt.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster occurred on March 11, 2011. As a result of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami, half of the reactors at the nuclear power plant suffered a meltdown.

1017844739.jpg

© AP PHOTO/ SHIZUO KAMBAYASHI

First Case of Cancer Triggered by Fukushima Recovery Confirmed in Japan

TEPCO finished constructing the protective coastal wall along the damaged Fukushima reactor buildings in October 2015. The wall is about 780 meters (about 0.5 miles) long and extends about 30 meters (98 feet) below ground.

According to TEPCO estimates, the wall should reduce contaminated water flow into the ocean from 400 tons to 10 tons a day.

TEPCO is also developing a freezing soil barrier around the reactors.

1030771330.jpg


Workers at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station work among underground water storage pools on 17 April 2013.


Read more: Protective Fukushima Sea Wall Cracking - Reports

japanese are currently using China made bridge building machines. Maybe they should contract out the wall building to China.
 
Press release - 1 September, 2015
Tokyo, 1 September 2015 – The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Fukushima report, released Monday, downplays the ongoing environmental and health effects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. According to Greenpeace Japan, the report plays into the Abe government’s agenda to normalise the ongoing nuclear disaster.
“The IAEA concludes that no discernible health consequences are expected as a result of the Fukushima disaster, but admits important uncertainties in both radiation dose and long-term effects. Nobody knows how much radiation citizens were exposed to in the immediate days following the disaster. If you don’t know the doses, then you can’t conclude there won’t be any consequences. To say otherwise is political rhetoric, not science,” said Kendra Ulrich, senior global energy campaigner with Greenpeace Japan.

“Even the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has concluded that there is no safe level of radiation exposure. To intentionally subject nuclear victims to raised radiation levels is unjustified, particularly when we have the tragic reminder of Chernobyl where we saw increased rates of cancers more than five years after the crisis.”

“The IAEA report actively supports the Abe government’s and the global nuclear industry’s agenda to make it appear that things can return to normal after a nuclear disaster. But there is nothing normal about the lifestyle and exposure rates that the victims are being asked to return to. What is clear is that the Japanese government has utterly failed to learn the lessons of the Fukushima nuclear accident, as is shown by the NRA ignoring outstanding safety issues in order to allow the restart of the Sendai nuclear reactor” said Ulrich, in reference to page 3 of the IAEA report.

The Japanese government is systematically lifting evacuation orders in progressively more contaminated areas, attempting to increase the public’s tolerance for what is an acceptable limit of radiation to which the Fukushima victims are exposed.

A Greenpeace Japan investigation in July this year, for instance, revealed radioactive contamination in the forests and land of Iitate district in Fukushima prefecture so widespread and at such a high level that it will be impossible for people to safely return to their homes. Decontamination has been restricted to limited areas, and does not even attempt to address the vast expanses of contaminated forests and waterways. Given that many former residents will no longer be able to work in their previous lines of work due to the environmental contamination, it is intolerable to state that a lack of income is an acceptable “constraint” for the lives of the victims, as the IAEA report implies.

In May, Greenpeace Japan released an analysis of the IAEA summary report, which is still applicable to our preliminary reading of the full IAEA report. Greenpeace is currently reviewing the multiple technical documents and annexes released together with the Fukushima report.

Media contacts:
Kendra Ulrich, Senior Global Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Japan,kendra.ulrich@greenpeace.org, +81 80 5088 3351

Shaun Burnie, Nuclear Specialist, Greenpeace Germany, sburnie@greenpeace.org, +44 7716 501238

Elena K. Johansson, Global Communications Associate, Greenpeace Japan,elena.johansson@greenpeace.org, +81 90 6478 5408

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0)20 718 2470(available 24 hours)

Notes to the editor:
(1) “The Chernobyl Catastrophe: Consequences on Human Health” Greenpeace International. 2006.

(2) The internationally accepted model for calculating the risks of radiation exposure, the Non-Linear Threshold (LNT) model, stipulates that there is no safe level of radiation exposure. In addition, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) in its 2005 report, “. . . that while existence of a low-dose threshold does not seem to be unlikely for radiation-related cancers of certain tissues, the evidence does not favour the existence of a universal threshold. The LNT hypothesis, combined with an uncertain DDREF for extrapolation from high doses, remains a prudent basis for radiation protection at low doses and low dose rates.” See: “Low-dose Extrapolation of Radiation-related Cancer Risk.” ICRP Publication 99. Ann. ICRP 35 (4), 2005. Publication 99

(3) “The IAEA Fukushima Daiichi Accident Summary Report: A preliminary analysis.” Greenpeace Japan. 2015.
IAEA Fukushima report downplays radiation risks and ignores science - Greenpeace | Greenpeace International
 
‘Political rhetoric, not science’: Greenpeace slams IAEA Fukushima report
Published time: 2 Sep, 2015 04:11
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© Damir Sagolj / Reuters
READ MORE: Child cancers ‘attributable’ to Fukushima disaster ‘unlikely’ to increase – IAEA[/paste:font]
On Tuesday, Greenpeace slammed the conclusions of the UN body as being ‘political rhetoric’.

“Nobody knows how much radiation citizens were exposed to in the immediate days following the disaster. If you don’t know the doses, then you can’t conclude there won’t be any consequences. To say otherwise is political rhetoric, not science,”said Kendra Ulrich, senior global energy campaigner with Greenpeace Japan.

Part of the reason why no solid data is available regarding the potential exposure of the civilian population, as IAEA notes, resulted from the chaos and unpreparedness of the authorities to deal with and document the radiological impact of the March 2011 industrial disaster. Besides security and design “weaknesses” at the nuclear facility, IAEA also noted the government’s failure to swiftly and uniformly distribute stable iodine to block radiological effects in humans.





Greenpeace notes that those were evident failures on behalf of both Tepco and Tokyo, and remains certain that there is no safe level of radiation exposure following a nuclear disaster.

Meanwhile, Japanese media reported that yet another youth has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, bringing the total number of young victims to 104, out of the 385,000 Fukushima Prefecture non-adult residents at the time of the accident.

At the same time, the prefectural government committee investigating the issue said that “as of now, it is unlikely for the thyroid cancers found in Fukushima Prefecture to have been caused by the nuclear power plant accident,” Asahi News quotes.

Greenpeace blames IAEA for being complicit in covering up the truth about the potential harm posed by Fukushima fallout.

“The IAEA report actively supports the Abe government’s and the global nuclear industry’s agenda to make it appear that things can return to normal after a nuclear disaster,” Ulrich said. She accused Tokyo of giving the green light for Fukushima residents to return home, despite the risk of further nuclear exposure.

The organization also criticized the government’s move to restart nuclear power plants in the country. Last month, the Japanese government approved the program, which would let evacuees temporarily return to their homes for up to three months. The program is a step towards lifting the evacuation order and encouraging people to go back to their former residencies.

“But there is nothing normal about the lifestyle and exposure rates that the victims are being asked to return to,” Ulrich continued. “To intentionally subject nuclear victims to raised radiation levels is unjustified, particularly when we have the tragic reminder of Chernobyl where we saw increased rates of cancers more than five years after the crisis.”

The environmental NGO claims that its July investigation registered radioactive contamination levels in Fukushima prefecture at such a “high level” that it would be “impossible” for people to return.

Tokyo plans to lift the evacuation order by spring 2017 for many parts of the evacuation area stretching to a 20-kilometer radius around the Fukushima plant in addition to other zones that had high levels of radiation. Currently about 79,000 people from 10 localities remain evacuated.
‘Political rhetoric, not science’: Greenpeace slams IAEA Fukushima report — RT News
 
Fukushima: Hundreds of Radiation-Related Cancer Cases on the Way in Japan
© East News/ Kyodo/FOTOLINK
ASIA & PACIFIC
18:23 23.10.2015(updated 20:08 23.10.2015) Get short URL
2104970
The Japanese government has recently admitted that a worker at the Fukushima nuclear plant contracted cancer as a consequence of radiation exposure of 2011, British journalist Oliver Tickell points out, warning that there are many more cases on the way.

The Japanese government has officially confirmed that a worker at the Fukushima nuclear plant has contracted radiation-related cancer: the man has been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukaemia.

"But that single 'official' cancer case is just the beginning. New scientific research indicates that hundreds more cancers have been and will be contracted in the local population. A 30-fold excess of thyroid cancer has been detected among over 400,000 young people below the age of 18 from the Fukushima area," British journalist, author and health and environment issue campaigner Oliver Tickell wrote in his article for The Ecologist, citing a report entitled "Thyroid Cancer Detection by Ultrasound Among Residents Ages 18 Years and Younger in Fukushima, Japan: 2011 to 2014."



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"The highest incidence rate ratio, using a latency period of 4 years, was observed in the central middle district of the prefecture compared with the Japanese annual incidence (incidence rate ratio = 50; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 25, 90)," the report read.


Tickell noted that during a first screening for thyroid cancer held four years after the Fukushima catastrophe among 298,577 youths, the disease was registered 50 times more frequently among those who lived in the most heavily irradiated zones than among other Japanese youth.

During a second screening carried out in April 2014 among 106,068 young people who lived in less contaminated areas of the Fukushima prefecture, the disease was 12 times more common than for the main population.

"Thyroid cancer is commonly developed as a result of acute exposure to radioactive iodine 131, a product of nuclear fission. Because iodine concentrates in the thyroid gland, thyroid damage including cancer is a characteristic marker of exposure to nuclear fallout," Tickell elaborated, adding that iodine-131 constituted about 9.1 percent of the radioactive material released during the Fukushima disaster.



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Quoting the report, Tickell called attention to the fact that "the incidence of thyroid cancer is high by comparison with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986," beating the drums over the possibility of a growing cancer threat in the region in the next four-five years.


That is not all, the British journalist added, emphasizing that the real exposure doses for residents could have been higher than had been reported by the authorities and the World Health Organization.

"We could infer a possibility that exposure doses for residents were higher than the official report or the dose estimation by the World Health Organization, because the number of thyroid cancer cases grew faster than predicted in the World Health Organization's health assessment report," the authors of the report underscored, as quoted by Tickell.

The British journalist also highlighted that the scientists have failed to mention that other radioactive elements emitted in the accident pose even more of a threat to the population's health (in particular, 17.5 percent Cesium-137 and 38.5 percent Cesium 134).

"These longer-lived beta-emitters (30 years and two years respectively) present a major long-term hazard as the element is closely related to potassium and readily absorbed into biomass and food crops," Tickell stressed.

The author bemoaned the fact the Japanese people also face a danger posed by "long lived alpha emitters like plutonium 239 (which has a half-life of 24,100 years) which is hard to detect."

"Even tiny nano-scale specks of inhaled plutonium entering the lungs and lymphatic system can cause cancer decades after the event by continuously 'burning' surrounding tissues and cells," Oliver Tickell warned.



Read more: Fukushima: Hundreds of Radiation-Related Cancer Cases on the Way in Japan
 
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