How we survived an earthquake-the aftermath
61The Plant has left many radioactive contaminants
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The aftermath
Choosing to call this title the aftermath may be premature as it will take some time for Japan to regain its usually fluent infrastructure. Also there is no knowing what the aftermath may be if they do not manage to contain and prevent any further problems with the errant nuclear power plant. We were counting ourselves lucky that we did not live in the path of the terrible tsunami that swept the eastern villages away. However, we struggled to find fish tonight – no supermarkets were stocking it but one fishmonger. Bread and milk and other fresh produce are disappearing as soon as they are put on the shelves. Some wait in the queues but are faced with nothing as some in front overstock in panic.
Due to the train service relying on electricity and a fire at JX energy Sendai oil refinery - petrol is now restricted to only a certain number of filling stations at any one time. This is going to have a huge impact on being able to travel within the country preventing some from leaving or arriving and deliveries of food are going to become less likely. Even though the Japanese people are disciplined, I wonder how long it will be before the queues outside shops start to get angry when they have nothing to take home. Will the country resolve to theft, looting and disorder?
We need to stop the rhetoric and more countries need to pull their resources together as this noble country is often too proud to ask. I know many have joined but consider this country is also one of the greatest exporters and lack of receiving these products may have a profound effect on others. It is also one of the main global exchanges and a slump in the yen would have a profound effect too on many other world economies. I am not an economist, I am a realist and if this country does resort to rioting and other nefarious activities then the cost of this cleanup will be significantly more.
As a Briton I already have family in the UK calling for me, my wife and our boys to leave Japan and return to England. They are terrified of the nuclear leaks but it is not just a health issue which the crisis of one earthquake has brought. It goes much deeper than that and when you are amongst the Japanese struggling to survive with them it makes the realism of the situation more desperate. I have not seen one foreign envoy in Ichinoseki yet as I know that those who are in Japan are rightfully helping those who suffered because of the tsunami. However, they need help to reach all areas to bring more food, other resources and skilled people to help rebuild the infrastructure before it becomes too late.
The following authors' links have contributed to enrich my hubs:
Gift Giving in Japan - Japanese People and Their Gift Giving Customs by vaguesan
Facts of Japan - Transportation by loonyBG
What causes a Tsunami? by Rickrideshorses
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Interesting counter argument to panic about radiation...
It is not surprising that many people in Japan are deeply worried about the potential health threat from the radiation leak at the Fukushima nuclear plant. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami produced tangible, visible destruction whereas radiation is an invisible danger.
The images of families being screened for contamination by workers in protective suits add to the sense of alarm. So what are the risks at present? Scientists I have spoken to say we cannot give a clear answer yet because we don't know enough about the amount and type of radioactive material that has leaked. Nonetheless, most experts seem to suggest the danger to the public is low.
To start with, some background on radiation exposure which is measured in the unit known as sievert. This quantifies the amount of radiation absorbed by human tissues.
It is worth pointing out that everyone gets exposed to radiation, all the time. This is from the air, cosmic rays, food, water and so on. The levels are very low.
Figures from the Health Protection Agency say:
A chest x-ray gives a dose of about 20 microsieverts (that is 20 millionths of a sievert)
The average annual background radiation dose for individuals in the UK is 2,200 microsieverts.
So how does that compare with what is happening in Japan? Earlier today, a Japanese minister said at one point, anyone at the Fukushima plant itself would be exposed to 11,000 microsieverts per hour, but this had fallen back.
At another point radiation levels are said to have reached as high as 400 millisieverts (one millisievert is 1,000 microsieverts). That would be 20 times the annual permitted limit for nuclear workers. Clearly it is the small group of nuclear workers remaining at the plant who are most at risk.
For the public there is a 20 kilometre (12 mile) exclusion zone around the plant. People living up to 30 kilometres (18 miles) away have been told to stay indoors. "That would be effective in reducing the chances of inhaling radiation from an airborne plume" said Steve Jones, Professor of Environmental and Occupational Toxicology at the University of Central Lancashire. He said, "We don't know what is in that plume released after explosions at the plant, but the risk would decrease very quickly the further away you travel from the site."
All of the experts I spoke to said the health risks to the public, at present, were low. Professor Jones said if the situation did not get worse then it would probably be impossible to show any measurable health effects on the wider public in the decades to come. Cancer is a key long-term risk from radiation exposure and officials will undoubtedly be monitoring the health outcomes of the population around Fukushima..
So how does the danger compare to the worst nuclear accident in history, at Chernobyl, 25 years ago? The radiation leak in Japan is minute by comparison. At Chernobyl a huge explosion was followed by a fire which raged for 10 days and emitted a huge amount of radiation which spread over a vast area.
In a report on the 20th anniversary of the disaster, the World Health Organisation said up to 4000 people may eventually die from the health effects of radiation poisoning, but so far there had been around 60 deaths. Around 50 of those were emergency workers and nine children who died from thyroid cancer. Children are especially at risk from radiation poisoning because of their developing bodies.
Dr Jim Smith, Reader in Environmental Physics at Portsmouth University and author of "Chernobyl: Catastrophe and Consequences" spoke to me from Kiev. He is part of a team on its his way to visit Chernobyl.
He said: "The Chernobyl disaster resulted in a major release of radioactivity. It was a graphite reactor and huge amounts of radioactive caesium and iodine escaped. It was partly due to the design of the plant - very different from those in Japan."
He said several hundred thousand people worked on the subsequent clean up and decontamination of the plant. Many had received an average of around 100 millisieverts over the duration of their work at the site. Professor Smith estimated that this had increased their lifetime risk of cancer to the extent that for every 100 workers an extra one would get cancer. This is not a risk anyone would choose to take, but he pointed out it was far less than the danger of cancer from being a life-long smoker.
One of the main health effects of the Japanese radiation leak maybe the psychological impact. Professor Jones said the stress of being displaced from your home and the fear of radiation contamination could have serious consequences. And that fear factor extends as far as Tokyo, 155 miles from the nuclear plant. "Even though people in Tokyo maybe completely safe, it is understandable that they are nervous and that can lead to stress and ill-health", he said
My heart goes out to all of you..I urgently ask that all nations across the world. to please extend a helping hand to Japan..This could happen to any of us at anytime. This is the age of Earthquakes,Tsunamis, tornado's,devastating storms, floods and droughts. Please put aside all differences of opinion, and help the people of Japan! If we are to save out planet, then go with your higher thoughts. Help others, you never lose by giving of yourself, even if its a few dollars or even $1.00 if thats all you can give. There is ALWAYS an answer to every problem..Give with Love
Much Love to you all, you are in our thoughts. How brave and noble you have and continue to be.
Hayley
http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake201
link to donate to Japanese red cross
As you rightly said, the aftermath is still going on. As Jon mentioned here, radiation is invisible killer. Along with Donna & Hayley, my heart goes with you all there in Japan. My prayers are always there wishing for the speedy recovery!
I'd say that the fear factor has spread across the world but that it is transported on a vehicle of justifiable suspicion coupled with reason. Alternative safer Energy sources must be embraced for the future. That natural disasters occur is a sad but unavoidable part of reality. Radiation poisoning, on the other hand, is avoidable.
This re-edit of my family's experience during the Japanese earthquake is enriched with the appropriate linking of other hub artists. Thank you to the following:
Facts of Japan - Transportation by loonyBG
What causes a Tsunami? by Rickrideshorses
Japanese Food Guide by amy jane
Supermarket Grocery Shopping List to Use as a Checklist by 2patricias
Nutritional Value of Fresh Milk by mekoshark
Explore Japan with a cheap rail pass by DanPowers
Jon Davenport 14 months ago
Great stuff mate...If you can, I would either get out of there entirely or if possible relocate to the South of the country if you have friends/relatives who would put you up?
The risk of over-exposure to radiation is more prevalent to children.
Following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident in the Ukraine in 1986, the World Health Organization recorded a dramatic increase in thyroid cancer among children in the vicinity.
This was because the radioactive materials released during the accident contained high levels of radioactive iodine, a material that accumulates in the thyroid.
To counter that risk, people - in particular children - could be given tablets containing stable iodine which would prevent the body absorbing the radioactive version.
The Japanese already have a lot of iodine in their natural diet, so that should help too.