Editorial: On Japan’s nuclear crisis

By Johns Hopkins News-Letter Editorial Board

The Editorial Board has observed the ongoing tragedy in Japan with the utmost concern. Not only have the Japanese just gone through both the worst earthquake in their nation’s history and a massive and deadly tsunami, but they are now also in the midst of the worst nuclear crisis since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. We are alarmed by the fact that Japanese authorities seem to be understating the damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and the many dangers that it poses.

Tokyo Electric and the Japanese Government have claimed that there is still enough water in the pool at Reactor 4 to hold spent fuel rods and keep them cool. However, the chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission has claimed that this is not the case and that the fuel rods are releasing radiation into the atmosphere.

Considering a 2005 report from the National Academies of Science that any level of radiation, however small, can cause cancer, this is especially alarming. Even worse, another U.S. official has claimed that if drastic action is not taken in the next 24 to 48 hours, Japan will have a situation that will be “deadly for decades.” Even so, bringing the situation under control would be a “suicide mission” according to the official.

While some are still talking of the “potential” for a nuclear meltdown, U.S. Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu, a Nobel Laureate in Physics, has stated that there already is a “partial meltdown” at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Japanese authorities have told people to evacuate 12 miles from the plant, while the U.S government has advised American citizens and ordered American military personnel to stay at least 50 miles from the plant.

Considering the danger this situation poses to not only the Japanese people but to everyone in the region, the Japanese government has a duty to be honest about the extent of the crisis.

It is hardly surprising that Japan is downplaying the damage, as the nation is heavily invested in nuclear energy. Less than a year ago the United States government deliberately downplayed the damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, damage that will most likely continue to hurt the Gulf for decades.

Japan was aware of how dangerous earthquakes can be – and how they can cause nuclear crises. Cables released by Wikileaks show that in late 2008 the International Atomic Energy Agency warned the Japanese government about the threat that a major earthquake could pose to its nuclear plants. In response, the Japanese built an emergency response center at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, but the center was only prepared to withstand a 7.0 magnitude quake. The recent earthquake has been upgraded to a magnitude of 9.0. Considering the history of major earthquakes suffered by Japan, this was not enough.

Regardless of the actions taken after this tragedy, The News-Letter sends its best wishes to those affected by the earthquake, both at Hopkins and abroad.

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