A global call for international assistance for the crises at Fukushima Pax Christi International

That the Japanese and global media be permitted around-the-clock access

to accurate information throughout the entire process of removal of the spent

fuel rods so that the Japanese people and the international community can be

informed of any risks to their health.

A global call for international

assistance

for the crises at Fukushima

On 5 November 2013, the US Green Party,

together with many different organisations

http://archive.paxchristi.net/NEWSLETTER/2013-0447-en-gl-IS.pdf

including Pax Christi International, sent a petition to the United Nations asking for assistance in resolving the crises that followed the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima, in March

2011. The letter, addressed to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, stresses the importance of relegating the responsibility of the nuclear reactor to a better prepared engineering firm that is able to remove the contaminated water in a safer way with better security measures and better coverage for the Japanese people and the international community. Read the full

petition

here

http://archive.paxchristi.net/2013/2013-0408-en-gl-HS.pdf

A Global Call for International Assistance with the Crises at Fukushima

The crisis situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan is deteriorating

and threatens not only the survival of the population of Japan but could also

become a significant global disaster. We express our deepest sympathies to

the people of Japan for the tragic loss of life, habitat and infrastructure they

are continuing to suffer as a result of the triple disasters

–

earth quake, tsunami and nuclear, that began on March 11, 2011. The potential

for additional massive radiation releases now is cause for grave international

concern. The attention and resources of the international community must

be focused on Fukushima to resolve this crisis in the safest and most

transparent way.

Decommissioning of the entire Fukushima nuclear power plant will take

many decades;

however, there are two urgent situations that require international intervention.

First is contaminated water at the site and second, and more dangerous, is

the spent fuel rods , particularly those in Building Four. TEPCO has

not demonstrated the capacity to manage these problems nor

has it been forthcoming in a timely way about the magnitude of the

problems at Fukushima.

TEPCO delayed public admission about the problems with groundwater

that is flowing from the surrounding hills into the site. The water presents two

dilemmas: it undermines the structural integrity of the damaged reactor

buildings and it must be contained because it becomes contaminated when it

flows through the site. TEPCO is pumping the contaminated water into

temporary storage tanks, some of which are already leaking. Each day,

contaminated water leaks into the Pacific Ocean. The capacity to

physically hold this contaminated water on site is diminishing. TEPCO lacks an

effective long-term solution to this problem.

In November, 2013, TEPCO plans to begin removal of more than 1,300 spent

fuel rods located in the heavily-damaged Building 4. The rods are in

a pool that is 100 feet above the ground. The roof over this pool was destroyed

in the earthquake and tsunami two years ago and debris litters the pool which

further complicates removal of the rods. Under normal operation, these rods

were moved by computer-assisted cranes that knew their exact

location, but that equipment was destroyed. The rods must be

removed under manual control because of the debris and damage that

has displaced them.

This is a task that requires great skill and precision.

If a spent fuel rod breaks, gets too close to another rod or is exposed to the

air, there could be a massive release of radiation into the air.

According to Hiroaki Koide, assistant professor at Kyoto University

Research Reactor Institute

, “If you calculate the

amount of cesium 137 in the pool, the amount

is equivalent to 14,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs.” This

could badly contaminate the Northern Hemisphere.

Removal of the spent fuel rods is urgent because anot

her earthquake could also lead to the release of

radiation. However, it is imperative that this task be performed with the

greatest accuracy and

transparency. TEPCO vice presid

ent, Zengo Aizawa, admitted in

August, 2013 that “we need support, not

only from the Ja

panese government but from the

international community to do this job.”

The risks of these tasks are global and require assistance from the planet’s

best experts.Therefore, we,

the undersigned, call for the following actions to be taken immediately.



That the government of Japan transfer responsibility for the

Fukushima reactor site to an international engineering firm overseen by a

civil society panel and an international group of nuclear experts

independent from TEPCO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as

outlined in this open letter to theUnited Nations.

[See letter here:

http://www.nirs.org/fukushima/expert-ltr-bankimoon-09-2013.pdf ]

That the decommissioning process be done safely so that

workers at the Fukushima site are protected from exposure to

hazardous materials, are compensated fairly and are provided with

all necessary support given the tremendous risks that they are taking in this

disastrous situation.



That the Japanese and global media be permitted around-the-clock access

to accurate information throughout the entire process of removal of the spent

fuel rods so that the Japanese people and the international community can be

informed of any risks to their health.

In addition, we call for three days of global action focused on the crises at

Fukushima on November 9

through 11 to coincide with Armistice

Day and the 32

month anniversary of the disaster.

Signed,

Green Shadow Cabinet Sub

–

committee on Fukushima:

Jackie Cabasso, Secretary for Nuclear Affairs

Dr. Margaret Flowers, Green Shadow Cabinet, Secretary of Health

Bruce Gagnon, Green Shadow Cabinet, Secretary of

Space

Steven Leeper,

Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation

, adviser to the sub

–

committee

Dr. Jill Stein,

Green Shadow Cabinet, President

Harvey Wasserman, Green Shadow Cabinet, Secretary of Energy

Endorsing individuals and organizations:

December 5, 2013 - Posted by arclight2011part2 | Uncategorized

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