Tokyo Residents Live in Fear of “Hot Spots”

September 20, 2011

Posted by greenman3610
Filed in News and Announcements

3 Comments »

3 Responses to “Tokyo Residents Live in Fear of “Hot Spots””

otter17 Says:

September 20, 2011 at 11:49 pm
Sad. I’m ok with nuclear power as it stands, but we should be working to get away from it.

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Alex Simmonds Says:

September 20, 2011 at 11:59 pm
Yes, there are people living in fear, but what is causing this fear?

What are the actual levels of radiation at these hotspots? An expert is shown who claims the risks are psychological, and this is presented as ‘downplaying the risk’ – on what basis?

It is claimed that experts have conflicting opinions – seriously, what proportion of experienced researchers in radiation pathophysiology, supported by independent institutions rather than lobby groups, would disagree with what Toru Kikuchi says? If any disagree, how much would they disagree?

And what is this research that now shows that a minuscule fraction of 20mSv “can cause severe illness or cancer”, and what do the people who are familiar with this research make of it?

Fukushima: Is anyone known to have been killed or taken seriously ill as a result of this nuclear disaster? No.

Is there ANY significant evidence that the levels of radiation received by ANY of the people of Japan who haven’t been in the plant itself are detrimental to health? No.

A couple of dozen of the workers who worked in the plant itself have received doses that are known to correspond to fractions of a per cent increased lifetime risk of cancer. Fractions of a per cent.

The levels in Tokyo are so small in comparison to this, it’s almost absurd.

This kind of report is trash journalism, and causes a lot of harm. I understand that the people doing it believe they are performing a public service, but I wish they would ask and listen to independent experienced researchers in the field before making these sensationalist pieces, to get a little perspective and see if any of it stands up. The reporters must KNOW they are out of their depth with this subject. And this is a serious matter.

It’s so sad that so many people feel so strongly that they refuse to listen to any expert who doesn’t say what they’ve chosen to believe.

I REALLY wish they’d actually use some imagination to see what kind of effect it will have if more and more well-meaning but under-qualified broadcasters are telling 35 million people that their life is under constant significant invisible threat.

It seems to me to be a callous and horrific thing to do to a worried people. They deserve so much better.

Please think carefully before posting videos like this.

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exasperatedradscientist Says:

September 21, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Your videos on climate change are great, but I don’t see why you keep posting utter garbage when it comes to nuclear power (two words: Arnie Gundersen). I now have coffee on my screen after watching the part of this video where they claimed the little girl was suffering from radiation poisoning.

Al Jazeera does some great work, but for some reason, their Fukushima coverage has been a veritable who’s who of kooks and shills. The creative process behind them seems to be to get the worst alarmists they can find and present their fringe hypotheses as accepted science – when it is in fact at the level of, say, “vaccines cause autism”.

And people believe it. Very few people are knowledgeable enough to realize what’s solid science, what’s fringe, and what’s patently absurd.

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