Japan: Gov't didn't release radiation data after accident (life-threatening situation covered-up)

NHK ^ | 06/04/11

[TigerLikesRooster]

Gov't didn't release radiation data after accident

The Japanese government has expressed regret for not disclosing some important results of the radiation monitoring conducted near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant soon after the accident.

The central and Fukushima prefectural governments collected the data to determine evacuation measures as well as food and water restrictions for residents.

A reading on March 12th, one day after the massive earthquake and tsunami hit the plant, shows that radioactive tellurium was detected 7 kilometers away. Tellurium is produced during the melting of nuclear fuel.

Three hours before the data was collected, the government expanded the radius of the evacuation area around the plant from 3 kilometers to 10 kilometers.

But the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency reported at a news conference several hours later that the nuclear fuel was intact.

The government also failed to disclose the high radiation levels in weeds 30 to 50 kilometers from the plant. On March 15th, 123 million becquerels of radioactive iodine-131 per kilogram were detected 38 kilometers northeast of the plant.

The nuclear safety agency says it deeply regrets not releasing the data.

Professor Yasuyuki Muramatsu of Gakushuin University says radioactive iodine has a high effect on children. He says that if the data had been released earlier, more measures could have been taken to protect them from exposure.

Saturday, June 04, 2011 15:27 +0900 (JST)

[TigerLikesRooster]

So they have made some locals develop deadly cancers later in their lives, which could have been totally avoidable , had they revealed this information early and taken action to evacuate larger number of people.

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[sushiman]

I’m shocked ! ( not )

[TigerLikesRooster]

Japan used to have similar problems in the past, but on the smaller scale. In the case of deadly heavy metal poisoning. They went by the name such as Minamata Disease(mercury poisoning) or Itai-itai Disease(cadmium poisoning.) Now we have radiation-generated diseases on the larger scale, unfolding for the longer duration.

[SteveH]

It is beginning to look like the Japanese are not able to handle nuclear reactors properly.

Providence help all of us when Middle East nuclear reactors come online...

[TigerLikesRooster]

Well, that means the whole Mediterranean area, Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Pakistan, and Central Asia become irradiated.
Come to think of it, it will irradiate all oil producing area in Mid-East. No oil out of Mid-East. That will make things worse.

[The Antiyuppie]

This really is bad to hear, because protecting humans (and for that matter, animals) from limited amounts of radioactive iodine is easy and cheap, and radioactive iodine has a short half-life.

[J Aguilar]

So they have made some locals develop deadly cancers later in their lives, which could have been totally avoidable , had they revealed this information early and taken action to evacuate larger number of people.

Your conclusion is free. Regarding tellurium, technology allows the detection of radiactive elements (and many chemical substances) at levels well bellow the ones that represent a danger to the people.

Volatile elements, such as iodine and caesium, were accumulated by wind and rain at concrete places far away from the plant in high levels.

Such posts are far more inaccurate that the ones provided by the Japanese government and TEPCO.

[SaraJohnson]

Didn’t want to cause a panic and disrupt the economy. This is the crap excuse governments are using these days to hide deadly situations from people.

Our government did it in the Gulf during the oil spill. Come on down and swim, everybody!