An Ordeal Without Precedent
The nuclear crisis in Japan has escalated with what appears to be a partial melt down of nuclear fuel rods in reactor number two at the Fucashima nuclear plant. The level of radioactivity of samples taken from water leaking from the reactor has been found to be twenty million times higher than the normal level.
Coupled with a suspected core breach in reactor number three which is fuelled by a mix of uranium and plutonium, there are serious grounds for concern. The area of sea close to the reactor has already been found to contain radioactive iodine 10,000 times the normal level, and 1,200 times higher than the legal safety limit.
Due to high levels of radiation, eleven types of vegetables including spinach, together with locally produced milk, have been declared unfit for consumption, whilst tap water in Tokyo was recently declared unsafe for infants to drink. America amongst other countries has already banned the import of food items from Japan. It now appears that local fish and seaweed will also be added to the list of contaminated foods.
Radioactive iodine has a half life of eight days such that contamination in the sea could be neutralized within a matter of days, but radioactive cesium is eighty times more radioactive, and has a half life of thirty years. Should seepage of plutonium occur from reactor number three into the sea the consequences would be unimaginable, and would likely impact upon the people of Japan for many generations to come. Radioactivity in the air around the plant was recently found to be four times the legal limit.
This cataclysmic event has had repercussions around the world, and many governments are now reviewing their own energy policies. Last week in Germany 200,000 attended a demonstration to oppose the use of nuclear power in their own country. Nuclear power stations have become a major political issue in Germany, and this issue has been instrumental in determining the outcome of Germany’s recently held election.
Indonesia is also reviewing its decision to build its first nuclear plant. Being located as it is upon the ‘Ring of Fire’, Indonesia is particularly prone to earthquakes and tsunamis, and with the prevailing winds being north easterly, it is the Philippines which would most likely be the recipient of any nuclear fallout in the event of a similar incident occurring.
The economic cost to Japan has been considerable, and financial markets have reacted sharply around the world. Shares in the Tokyo Electric Power Company which owns the stricken plant have fallen by 70% since the accident occurred. This power company is the world’s fourth largest and supplies most of Japan’s electrical needs.
Toyota has recently reopened two of its plants, whilst fourteen more remain closed. Nissan is also struggling, since 500 factories supplying parts to its plants remain closed. Honda’s foreign plants are fast running out of parts, with 12% of these being supplied from Japan. It has been estimated that Japan’s auto industry is losing $200 million a day.
Difficulties are also being experienced in the dispatch of supplies from the ports which also suffered extensive damage during the tsunami. The supply of electricity is limited, whilst road transport has also been disrupted.
28,000 people have now been declared dead or missing, with many more mourning for the loss of loved ones who died. Others are without homes or a means by which to earn a living, food is in short supply, and hospitals are still struggling to cope. To compound matters, most of the aid agencies who had originally offered their help have now withdrawn their offers in view of the radioactive environment, and the impact that this might have on their worker’s health.
People of Japan, our thoughts are with you as you struggle with your ordeal. You are in our prayers, and our hearts cry out for you. /TE
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