By Here is a member of the media who thinks that the media is hyping the danger of the Fukushima nuclear disaster:
Warned the Guardian: “Japan fears food contamination as battle to cool nuclear plant continues: Abnormal radiation levels reported in tap water, vegetables and milk with concerns that fish may also be affected.”
Most of the contamination involves the aforementioned iodine-131, which was the main culprit for elevated thyroid cancer risk after Chernobyl. Its half-life is eight days. At the time of writing, a fortnight after the article, the IAEA reported that most drinking water restrictions have been lifted.
“Dangerous Levels of Radioactive Isotope Found 25 Miles From Nuclear Plant,” yells the New York Times headline. Sure, it’s higher than normal, but it would have to remain that way for a few decades, while you lived there, before there’d be a small chance that you’d notice.
“Japan may have lost race to save nuclear reactor,” trumpets a Guardian headline, evoking fears of a meltdown and containment breach, before promptly contradicting itself: “no danger of Chernobyl-style catastrophe”.
But who to believe, when Agency France-Presse, as carried by News24, reports “Fukushima much bigger than Chernobyl – expert”?
Here are a few hints. The “expert” in question, Natalia Mironova, is an anti-nuclear campaigner, speculating about an entirely fictional worst-case scenario in Fukushima.
As the story unfolds you learn that the UN has long dismissed claims that tens or even hundreds of thousands of people died as a result of Chernobyl, and even the reliable alarmists at Greenpeace limit themselves to a number of 60,000. However, “Mironova said Chernobyl would likely impact the health of 600 million people around the world over the long-term, or nearly nine times more than were killed in World Wars I and II.”
Face it, “600 million” doesn’t even need exclamation marks. It’s scary just sitting there staring at you, especially when Fukushima is “much bigger”.
Many of these stories follow a typical pattern. [The Daily Maverick via Japan Probe]
Make sure you read the whole thing because he provides plenty of more examples of the media hyping the radiation danger from this nuclear disaster.
5:34 pm on April 14th, 2011 1
At the same time it would also be irresponsible to underestimate the risks and dangers.
While most of the ambient readings are at trace levels there will likely be pockets of concentrated radioactive or other hazardous material around. So it will be a while before anyone can say all clear.
Then what criteria do they use to decide what is safe. I don't know what level of trust the Japanese have with their officiials but we (Americans) would have reason to be skeptical in their position. We have a bad history with our officiials telling us "it's safe" when it was unknown;
* Agent Orange?
* The 9/11 rescuers were told the pollutants in the dust wasn't dangerous?
* anthrax vaccines and depleted uranium? (Gulf War syndrome.)
That fact is maybe 98% of people will experience no adverse effects from low level pollutants. But for the 2% who may be genetically extra sensitive to it, it sucks for them.
5:36 pm on April 14th, 2011 2
Try to post on this but captured by the spam filter.
6:27 pm on April 14th, 2011 3
So…
Is there too much hype?
In some ways, yes… and in some ways, no.
What has been said is important… but what has NOT been said is equally or more important. The most important thing is the actions of those involved regardless of what is said.
First, the actual radiation release from Fukushima will likely have a minuscule-to-non existent effect on nations outside Japan… which is where the hype comes into play. The "hypers" keep pointing to this to show there really is no real disaster and those who say otherwise are simply ignorant.
"This is no Chernobyl and, besides, Chernobyl wasn't really that bad anyway," is a common attitude… and, in the big picture, they may actually be right.
The reality is the situation at Fukushima is a long-term disaster with no end in sight. Continued radiation releases will insure a large, and likely further-expanded, evacuation zone… and the longer this drags on, the larger effect it will have on Japan's population, agriculture, and economy… which will affect the world in a number of ways… from JIT supply lines to energy policy. This reality is being downplayed in the media.
As for the reactors, even cursory observation shows the workers at Fukushima are reactionary… managing problems rather than solving them. It has been this way from the beginning.
The equipment and structures are degrading as immediate emergencies are reacted to without concern for later consequences… which is adding new layers of difficulty to the management of the problem.
And this is being done to avoid the worst-case scenario(s) that the media is NOT talking about… some which may actually be inevitable if a single link in the current chain of management fails or is mismanaged.
One example might be if the reactors' current makeshift cooling procedure fails, the core will likely melt, drop to the floor, melt through the containment vessel, hit the water at the bottom and create a steam and particulate explosion filled with uranium (and plutonium)… which could be an unbelievable disaster depending on the wind.
The media is very much NOT hyping this possibility…
…but, since there are many workers putting their lives on the line to continue managing the reactors instead of going home for an early lunch while it cools off on its own, there is good reason to believe they are trying to avoid something worse than radioactive steam and water releases with a small fire and some spontaneous criticality now and then.
There are also the used fuel rods which can't be kept under water due to cracked containment… etc.
So. Is the media over-hyping the situation?
The media is doing what the media always does… over-hypes one part to draw attention away from the real story.
And the real story is that Japan is funked… and we are all going to pay a LOT more for energy.
There is lots more to say… but I have stuff to do.
As of now, this is how I see it… and have seen it… since early on in the disaster when everybody was running around making desperate and short-term decisions like blowing up their building and using salt water on equipment that likes distilled water.
For anybody who thinks I am wrong, which I may be, I welcome your skeptical question or comments in hopes of getting even closer to the truth of the situation.
7:50 pm on April 14th, 2011 4
"For anybody who thinks I am wrong, which I may be, I welcome your skeptical question or comments in hopes of getting even closer to the truth of the situation."
Not skeptical of any one thing at the moment, but I do believe that whatever Japan is currently trying to hide, will be discovered in the end.
Complete transparency should have been their play from the start. This isn't a politician trying to cover up an infidelity! There will be tell-tale signs of the problem's magnitude in the future.
7:57 pm on April 14th, 2011 5
LOL. You're actually taking sources from that anti Korean site Japanprobe run by a white guy Otaku, who has been posting nothing but reassuring "proof" that this is all hype, that Japan is safe and nothing is wrong. Oh my god, he desperately wants to believe what he wants to peddle. lol… The truth is, outside of Japan, we're fine. Japan itself however… is sayonara..
Oh well, there she goes. Korea will take over Japan's position and this is only good for Korean economy.
3:28 pm on April 15th, 2011 6
Thanks for freeing my comment from the spam queue @#1.
6:42 pm on April 15th, 2011 7
All right, GI. If you're so sure that it's all hype, I've got some prime real estate to sell you. You won't have to worry about being bothered by noisy neighbors.
11:26 pm on April 15th, 2011 8
Here is a radiation map of Japan.
There are a number of ways to interpret this.
Anybody want to take a crack at it?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d…
7:48 pm on April 16th, 2011 9
End of hype. Japan is safe enough for Hillary to visit Akihito and Michiko.
8:11 pm on April 16th, 2011 10
I understand that police patrolmen in most cities in the USA carry radiation detection devices to warn against terrorist dirty bombs.
Want to make some money? I bet there will be a demand for a couple of million of them in Japan.