Japan Crisis: The Children of Minamisoma City

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.discovery.com/human/japan-crisis-the-children-of-minamisoma-city-110518.html

Analysis by Ian O'Neill
Wed May 18, 2011 01:17 PM ET

<snip>The city of Minamisoma was not only devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, but it is now battling a silent threat that is potentially fatal: exposure to the radiation that continues to be released following the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

During the two weeks we spent in the city last month, residents said to us time and time again that they didn't know who to believe regarding the potential effects of exposure to the abnormally high levels of radiation. It seems that each politician, government scientist and local spokesperson offers different opinions on the possible adverse affects on the city's residents.

And amidst the chaos and confusion, we learned something unbelievable: the children who remained in the zone just 20-30 kilometers from the damaged nuclear power plant were heading back to school.

Never mind that the zone that these children live in is under orders to stay indoors away from the radioactive particles floating in the air, and that they have been warned about the high levels of radioactive iodine in the rain. We were also shocked to learn that the levels of radiation found in the playground at the school the children would be attending 32 km from the nuclear power plant were not significantly lower than the levels of radiation measured outside the children's homes that were only 22 km away.

[AndyTiedye]

1. The Japanse Handling of Fukushima

is making the Soviet handling of Chernobyl seem like the very model of responsible governance by comparison. :wtf: :hide: :nuke: