Everythings okay here, trust us - but everythings not okay!

Japans nuclear disaster in Fukushima ought to open the worlds eyes to the immediate, underplayed dangers of radiation leakage and the long-term problems of nuclear energy, writes Polly Newall of CWS-Asia/Pacific

January 27, 2012 If I was sitting on the fence on the nuclear energy issue, it was because I was ignorant and didnt know enough about it - not because I thought nuclear power was good. Having spent a week in Japan, visiting towns in Fukushima Prefecture and attending the Global Conference for a Nuclear Power Free World in Yokohama on 14 and 15 January, CWS-Asia/Pacific was supporting through our partners, along with 11,500 other people from Japan and around the world; hearing stories firsthand and seeing for myself the evident destruction this and other nuclear accidents and fall-outs have caused; and talking to as many people who present different perspectives on the subject as I could, I now know where I sit and it isnt on the fence. Almost one year after the catastrophic series of events following the 9.0 earthquake off the north-east coast on 11 March 2011, the situation in Japan is, as I see it, far from under control. Despite those in authority saying everything is okay here, trust us, things are not okay. What I saw and what I heard in that week shocked, angered and deeply disturbed me. The nuclear plant itself is also walking a tight-rope in a country so prone to earthquakes. Another one half the size could cause it to collapse completely. The further damage that will cause does not bear thinking about. It also woke me up though. I quickly needed to turn this shock, bordering on grief, into something positive, if not for the people of Fukushima, for myself. I needed to find a positive energy to do my bit to help ensure, firstly, that

the immediate and longer-term needs of the Fukushima people are taken care of as they come to terms with and attempt to make the best out of an unimaginable situation; secondly, that Japan and the rest of the world know the truth about the dangers and risks associated with nuclear energy; and, thirdly, that we see a phase-out and an eventual end to the reliance on atomic and other dirty energy.

The closing Ceremony of the Global Conference for a Nuclear Power Free World, January 14-15, 2012. The conference was attended by 11,500 people and watched by over 100,000 more via the web. Photo: CWS/Asia-Pacific.

I truly believe that humans are smart enough to work it out, but it will take a concerted effort from everyone to do so. As I witnessed for myself, the consequences of a nuclear accident or otherwise go far beyond the possible short-

and long-term physical health risks associated with prolonged radiation exposure. There are a plethora of issues that literally explode from the central issue. There is considerable confusion over what are safe levels of radiation and in the absence of reliable maps, no one really knows the extent of the leakage or where it has leaked, even for the 20km radius and a small area to the north of this circle designated the no-go zone area. Furthermore, radiation doesnt operate in a circle and can alter its pattern with every gust of wind or with every storm. Recent research indicates that the river current that flows into the sea will change its direction and travel along the coastline, which will spread the radiation outside of this 20km radius. The withholding of complete and accurate information from the Government of Japan and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TepCo), is adding to the evident and palpable anxiety and stress of the people of Fukushima and Japan.

What are safe levels of radiation exposure and what are the physical health risks?
There is no consensus amongst scientists as to where the threshold is between safe and harmful radiation exposure- short and long-term. In the absence of hard data, those more concerned with human health follow the precautionary principle, and say anything over 1 millisievert per year should be avoided wherever possible. Those more concerned with economics prefer to make the assumption that in the absence of hard evidence, these doses should be considered safe. There are wildly differing viewpoints. For example, the World Nuclear Association, imply that even 100 millisieverts per year may be safe, whereas, the International Commission for Radiological Protection recommends the limit for public exposure should be 1 millisievert per year (20 millisieverts per year for occupational exposure). The Japanese governments limit for public exposure is currently set at 20 millisieverts per year. When I asked Andreas Nideker, a leading radiologist in Switzerland and a board member of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), what he thought of this level, he said it was not a long-term solution and needs to be reviewed as soon as possible. It simply cannot be guaranteed to be safe - particularly for pregnant women and children - and the people of Japan should not accept it. It is hard to say right now what the long-term physical health effects of prolonged radiation levels will be on those affected in Japan but based on the experiences of Chernobyl, Iraq and Marshall Islands alone, it is likely they will be significant. Evidence of radioactive material has been found in the breast milk of mothers and the urine of children in Japan, indicating internal exposure. As the former Senator of the Marshall Islands, Abacca Anjain-Maddison explained to me at the conference, in the years following the atomic bombs, detonated between 1946 and 1958 in the Marshall Islands as part of a test by the United States to study effects of radiation on humans, she noticed how many people were developing cancer. This was something her people had no idea even existed prior to this, let alone how to deal with it. Many people, including her own cousin, were also giving birth to children with serious health problems, if they were born alive at all. Her father lost his fight against 4 different cancers some years ago.

Japanese student activists at the Global Conference for a Nuclear Power Free World, January 15, 2012. Photo: CWS/Asia-Pacific.

The socio-economic impacts of this tragedy are already painfully visible. Families and communities have literally been torn apart. Some children cant play outside and in some cases cant go to school. People who once relied on the land have had their livelihoods stripped from them. People are facing taunting and discrimination from those outside. Countless people have taken their own lives. The situation is definitely not okay.

with its own set of issues. Not everyone wants to live away from where they were born and grew up. I heard from one lady who divorced her husband because they could not agree on evacuating. Another lady I spoke to from Minamisoma, 25km from the stricken plant who is currently living apart from her children is adamant she wants to stay there and to eventually bring her children back. One gentleman I spoke to described how he could only see his wife and child once a month as they had evacuated; he stayed in Watari, just outside Fukushima City to carry on his job. I could see in his eyes how hard it must be for him. There are thousands of families in a similar boat. With evacuation also comes the potential to lose key people who help to bind communities - teachers, doctors, engineers to name but a few, as happened after Chernobyl.
Anton Vdovichenko, CEO of Radimichi - for the Children of Chernobyl, an NGO established to support the most vulnerable victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Photo: CWS/Asia-Pacific.

Following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident in 1986, the World Health Organization recorded a dramatic increase in thyroid cancer among children in the vicinity. Anton Vdovichenko, who lives 180km from Chernobyl in Novozybkov, a contaminated area, and was 9 at the time of the disaster confirmed this to me. Like his father before him, Anton runs his own NGO for the children of Chernobyl. He said he noticed children getting sick from regular illnesses more often than before and compared to other parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. He has also observed a sharp rise in cancer cases in adults and children. Mr Sato, a representative for the Japan-Iraq Medical Network told the delegation to Fukushima that they reported high cases of cancer in children in Iraq who had the misfortune of being exposed to dangerous levels of radiation as a result of depleted uranium being used in the ammunition during the wars in 1991 and in 2003.

Having visited Fukushima, Anton believes that the people of Fukushima will suffer the same socio-economic impacts as Chernobyl if some issues arent addressed urgently. We are already seeing evidence of some of them.

This disaster is having a devastating effect on livelihoods

Fukushima Prefecture contains a considerable amount of farmland, the majority of which is contaminated by radiation. There are around 96,000 farmers - over 12,000 of them rely on farming as their sole source of income. One farmer in Aizu still has 9 tonnes of rice he cant sell. Thousands are in the same position. Dairy farmers in Iitate village, once certified one of the most beautiful villages in Japan, now more or less deserted, took a unanimous decision to stop dairy farming because the milk was contaminated. They had no choice but to kill half their stock. Mr Hasegawa, the Leader of Maeda District, Iitate village, read out a suicide note left by one of his closest friends. It read: 1.30pm, 10 June: If only there were no nuclear power plants. I thank my older sister for taking care of me for so long but I have reached my limit. To the remaining dairy farmers, I am sorry. I hope you dont give up the fight against nuclear power plants. Sorry to leave you behind. I have lost the will to work.

The impacts of this disaster are already painfully visible

As a result of this confusion over safe levels of radiation, coupled with insufficient concrete data on where the radiation is, issues are emerging over the right to evacuate, the right to compensation and the right to decontamination, which is further complicating the situation and putting additional strain on people. Evacuation - whether it is forced or voluntary - comes

He left a wife, a 7 year old and a 5 year old behind. Another farmer I spoke to said he knew of at least 10 other suicides since the accident. I learned that in UK, there are still hundreds of farms and at least 200,000 sheep under surveillance since Chernobyl. There is no telling how long this will go on for. It seems that higher levels of organic material in the soil results in less of the radioactive cesium being absorbed by the plants, which means organic farms have more chance of growing produce with lower levels of radiation, even managing in some cases to avoid it completely. Despite this, organic farmers are finding it nearly impossible to sell their goods.

care of their children so the children go out into the streets, drinking and smoking. What I have attempted to describe is just a handful of issues that have arisen from this unbelievable tragedy.

What are the solutions - or measures - for the people of Fukushima and beyond?
When I asked Andreas and Mycle Schneider, an international consultant on energy and nuclear policy this question, they both replied that there are no solutions but there are some measures that can be put in place to help manage the situation. One of them emphasized that what still needs to happen is that people need to acknowledge that this is not a temporary situation. The people of Fukushima need help and support as they come to terms with the reality of the situation. The best case would be to permanently evacuate everyone exposed to radiation but since no country has sufficient landmass to do this, this is not possible. The four most important measures are therefore: Temporary evacuation. This is particularly essential for children. This will allow their bodies to recover and release the radiation. Clean food, which is vital to minimize internal exposure to radiation. Mapping the radiation and monitoring it constantly because radiation doesnt stay put and you need to know if it has moved and where to. Increased awareness of the issues amongst as many people as possible - inside and outside of Japan.

Police at the barricade, near the edge of the no-go zone in Fukushima Prefecture, where radiation levels are too high for us to stay for more than 15 minutes. Photo: CWS/Asia-Pacific.

Discrimination doesnt stop at farmers

One little boy evacuated to another prefecture got blamed for his sports team losing because he was from Fukushima. One older boy hasnt been to school for 6 months because he faces discrimination and taunting on the school bus. Chernobyl children and adults face similar prejudices. Anton told me that one of the biggest problems is that people in the non-contaminated areas are afraid of people from the contaminated areas and think it is dangerous to even talk to someone from there. Largely as a result of this discrimination and the feeling of being outcast from normal society, in Antons words, people lose their jobs, stop working, start to drink vodka They start not taking

Largely as a result of being let down by their government and by TepCo, the people of Fukushima, and of Japan, are already taking steps to recover and rebuild their lives themselves. It was largely this civil society movement that led to the incredibly successful Global Conference for a Nuclear Power Free World. In the face of such adversity, I admire the resilience and the determination I saw in the Japanese people. Various initiatives have been set up, too numerous to list here. Most if not all of them were represented at the Global Conference, along with 11,500 others and over 100,000 who joined remotely. The conference was incredible and I truly believe that it provided an important platform from which we all need

to jump. It also demonstrated that connections between people are what will create the foundations for our future. I sincerely hope that we all manage to keep the momentum and the energy that I felt (and caught) in Yokohama. The global declaration achieved and signed by hundreds of people on the last day, maps nicely what is called for. In addition to ensuring that those directly affected by Fukushima are taken by the hand and supported, through exchange and partnership, I also believe it is vitally important we keep seeing the bigger picture. What is needed will require multi-tasking.

CWS-Asia/Pacifics response
CWS-Asia/Pacific would like to build on its existing support, through the following programs, detailed in our revised appeal: Urgent temporary evacuation for children The Fukushima Network for Saving Children from Radiation (aka Kodomo Foundations) is a grassroots organization for relocating and evacuating children to outside Fukushima Prefecture to protect them from radioactivity. We intend to send the children up to Sapporo City in Hokkaido in the North to stay and study for a month by rotation, starting with children from Iitate village as a priority. Awareness-raising campaign - Japan and rest of the world Peace Boat, already heavily involved in the recovery efforts for Japan, was one of the 6 organizations to organize the Global Conference. We intend to continue our awareness-raising campaign both in Japan and internationally through a range of different activities that seek to promote issues concerning Fukushima, nuclear power and alternative energy sources. I wish to thank all those people that taught me what I now know and for the inspiration and energy they bring to this important issue. I sincerely hope we will also raise the necessary funds of approximately USD $800,000 for our revised Japan appeal for us meet some of the urgent needs in Fukushima and beyond.

For more information on our Japan program or to contribute to our Japan appeal, please contact: Mr. Takeshi Komino Head of Emergencies Church World Service-Asia/Pacific Email: takeshi@cwspa.org.pk Telephone: +66-849-109 563 (Thailand) +81-90-9868-6952 (Japan)