It was through NPR that I first heard about the Nuclear disaster at Fukushima. The earthquake, the biggest to hit Japan since 1923, struck on March 11, 2011 and the reactors that were not already off at the Fukushima power plant had to be shut down. Then the tsunami hit making a bad situation worse by knocking out the generators that were meant to keep the reactors cool in case of emergency.
This video by ABC News provides a comprehensive illustration of what went wrong at the plant.
Despite the video’s title “Playing With Fire” Nuclear energy is in fact usually quite safe. Should /could have Japan done something to help prevent a bad situation from becoming worse? Some authorities seem to think so.
“International nuclear inspectors have criticized the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant for failing to prepare for a tsunami of the size that slammed into the facility on 11 March, sparking the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/01/fukushima-plant-criticised-nuclear-inspectors
But what of the aftermath? Last December the plant was put into what is called a cold shutdown, the authorities claiming that it is quite safe. Many displaced citizens are refusing however, to move back to what they consider an unsafe area.
The following link explains that the citizens may in fact be right as the plant is still not entirely stable and is leaking tons of radiated water.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-declares-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-plant-stable/2011/12/16/gIQA36EZxO_story.html
I wouldn’t want to move back either.
It is clear this disaster is going to have long term negative effects and can not be swept under the carpet as easily as some authorities seem to wish it could be. Not only are many Japanese citizens still without homes but the production of food, especially of rice a dietary staple in Japan, has been massively affected by the Fukushima Nuclear disaster, which in turn effects the countries’ economy.
See the following link for an article by Lucy Craft (NPR) that deals with food fears as well as the psychological impact of the disaster on the Japanese people.
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/24/144194589/in-japan-radiation-fears-reshape-lives
The quality of water is still being debated and authorities talk of “tagging” children with radiation monitors to see if it is still safe for them to live in the area surrounding the plant. This angers parents who would rather see their children and pregnant women evacuated from the area.
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/15/137192592/japanese-kids-in-fukushima-to-receive-radiation-detectors
Time will only tell how severe the environmental damage is. For now there are already claims of the radiation making mutated bunnies. We can only hope that nature has a few tricks up her sleeve to help with the cure.
Look Familiar?