Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Official Diet Report on Fukushima Nuclear Disaster



Japan National Diet “The Official Report of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission" http://naiic.go.jp/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/NAIIC_report_hi_res2.pdf

[Excerpts]
On page 9 of the executive summary, the report describes the disaster primarily human wrought:
THE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI of March 11, 2011 were natural disasters of a magnitude that shocked the entire world. Although triggered by these cataclysmic events, the subsequent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant cannot be regarded as a natural disaster. It was a profoundly manmade disaster – that could and should have been foreseen and prevented. And its effects could have been mitigated by a more effective human response. How could such an accident occur in Japan, a nation that takes such great pride in its global reputation for excellence in engineering and technology? This Commission believes the Japanese people – and the global community – deserve a full, honest and transparent answer to this question. Our report catalogues a multitude of errors and willful negligence that left the Fukushima plant unprepared for the events of March 11. And it examines serious deficiencies in the response to the accident by TEPCO, regulators and the government.
 PAGE 19  [Excerpted]
 "Approximately 150,000 people were evacuated in response to the accident. An estimated 167 workers were exposed to more than 100 millisieverts of radiation while dealing with the accident.

It is estimated that as much as 1,800 square kilometers of land in Fukushima Prefecture has now been contaminated by a cumulative radiation dose of 5 millisieverts or higher per year. 

Insufficient evacuation planning led to many residents receiving unnecessary radiation exposure. 

Others were forced to move multiple times, resulting in increased stress and health risks—including deaths among seriously ill patients. The government must move to analyze the state of the residents’ lives.
 

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