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South Korea express concern about food from Fukushima as Tokyo 2020 Chef de Mission Seminar begins

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August 20, 2019

The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) has written to Tokyo 2020 organisers to express concern about food from Fukushima being served at the Games.

Organisers confirmed to Reuters that a letter on the issue had been sent on the opening day of the Tokyo 2020 Chef de Mission Seminar.

Fukushima was struck by one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit Japan in 2011, when a devastating earthquake and tsunami caused an accident at a nuclear power plant.

Around 16,000 people lost their lives in the tragedy.

Both Tokyo 2020 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have been keen to promote the Games as a tool which could help with the region’s recovery.

Baseball and softball matches will be staged there and Fukushima prefecture will also host the start of the Japanese leg of the Torch Relay.

Produce from Fukushima has been served at official events, including IOC Coordination Commissions, but the KSOC said they are worried about contamination.

Their letter comes at a period of increasing tension between Japan and South Korea.

“Within our planning framework we will respond to them accordingly,” said Toru Kobayash, Tokyo 2020’s director of NOC services, to Reuters.

“We have said that we will respond to them properly. 

“We have had no further questions [from South Korea].”

A trade war has developed between the two countries with South Korea also angry about reported Japanese plans to dump “toxic” water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean.

Some voices have even called for a Korean boycott of the Games with the nations further clashing over the appearance of disputed islands on an official Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay map.

The map on the official website includes the Liancourt Rocks, which are governed by South Korea but claimed by Japan.

South Korea calls the islands Dokdo but in Japan they are known as Takeshima, and both countries claim historical ties.

They lie in the Sea of Japan in between the two countries and are valuable due to rich fishing waters and natural gas deposits.

Elsewhere, concerns over sweltering conditions were discussed on day one of the Seminar at the Hotel New Otani.

Rising heat has developed into a major concern before Tokyo 2020 with more than 50 deaths in July as temperatures in Japan approached 40 degrees celsius.

Athletes have also struggled in the weather at the test events, including rowers suffering heatstroke at the World Junior Championships at the Sea Forest Waterway.

The triathlon event was shortened because of the humid conditions while cooling measures were tested at the beach volleyball.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are due to open on July 24 next year.

Among the measures being considered to combat the problem is allowing fans to bring their own bottled water into venues under certain conditions, which had previously been banned at past editions of the Olympic Games due to security and sponsorship reasons.

Misting sprays, air-conditioned tents and special road coatings are other plans put forward by organisers, as well as moving some events to earlier in the day. 

Dutch Chef de Mission Pieter van den Hoogenband, who faced the media on behalf of attending National Olympic Committees (NOCs), said he was impressed with how organisers were handling the issue.

“Of course we know there are some heat issues but overall, for all the different teams, these are the circumstances and we have to deal with it,” the triple Olympic champion said to Reuters.

“Top athletes know that they have to perform in any circumstances.

“Because of the test events, we get a lot of information and a lot of data and the way the Organising Committee is taking all that data to make it even more perfect…

“I was impressed with the way they handled things.”

Organisers have also pledged to install triple-layer screens in Tokyo Bay to combat bacteria in the water.

It comes after the discovery of E.coli which forced the cancellation of the swimming leg at the Paratriathlon test event.

The three-day Seminar continues tomorrow with every NOC invited to attend.

Representatives from the IOC and the Association of National Olympic Committees are also present.

A full progress update has been promised as well as a venue tour. 

https://www.insidethegames.biz/index.php/articles/1083697/fukushima-food-tokyo-2020

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August 22, 2019 Posted by | fukushima 2019 | , , , , | Leave a comment

Fukushima radioactive contamination: Children nosebleed while asleep and also in daytime, especially after playing in the sand!

Soil contamination survey: 80% of schools have amazing figures!!
The government and Fukushima prefecture do not measure the soil contamination, and lifted the evacuation order one after another, as “external radiation dose has come down to less than 20 mSv/year.” Besides that, Fukushima prefecture closed off in March 2017 the free housing support for voluntary evacuees. “Voluntary evacuees” are evacuees who are evacuating from areas outside the evacuation order zone. The exact number is not grasped and it is estimated to be about 17 thousand people.
For voluntary evacuees, there is no mental reparation from TEPCO, which is paid to forced refugees, 100,000 yen (～1000 $) per month, so only the free provision of housing is a lifeline. Many people will not be able to continue the evacuation life if this is cut off.
Sakamoto says, “The prefecture officials repeatedly said at the briefing session for borrowed housing termination,” We do not know about contamination of the soil, because there are people living in Fukushima. ” But this contamination situation of soil extraordinary. We, the residents in Fukushima, cannot protect ourselves if our prefecture does not clarify the details of soil contamination.”
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In Fukushima prefecture, accurate information was not given to residents after the accident. Some people evacuated in the direction of radioactive plum, and many stayed outdoors for a long time in order to get water and food.
Sakamoto’s second daughter was healthy until the nuclear accident, but for some time after the accident, she suffered from symptoms such as nosebleeds, diarrhea and anemia.
“There are so many people who regret that they allowed their children exposed at that time. We hear that the staff of Fukushima Medical University took iodine, which was not given to residents. We never want children to be exposed. “(Sakamoto)
 
The government and the Fukushima prefecture evaluate the safety only by external radiation dose. Mr. Kono of the citizen environment research institute also alarms the danger of the evaluation.
“Since radioactive material that fell on the ground enters the soil with the passage of time, the radiation dose of the space is shielded by the soil. But it will not be eliminated from the ground and radioactive substances attached to the fine particles soar up and move. Decontaminated ground will be contaminated again and you may suck in and have internal exposure. In fact you do an exact soil survey and decontaminate the place where people live as many times as you can. If the prefecture can not decontaminate, it should give the right to emigrate to people who want to move. It is presumed to be because they do not want to reveal the seriousness of pollution that the government and prefecture do not investigate soil contamination in detail. “
 
Medical Doctor Ushiyama, clinical professor of Shimane University, and in charge of medical departments at Sagami Hospital, who visits medical sites in Chernobyl often, also said, “To judge safety only by radiation dose in space ignores the risk of internal radiation exposure when radioactive substances are taken into the body. “
 
In fact, Mr. Sawada (Fukushima-city) who found that cesium was detected from the urine of her child and she is exposed to internal radiation said:
“I was pregnant when a nuclear accident took place 5 years ago. and I evacuated to Yamagata with my 2-year-old daughter. I gave birth at Yamagata and was struggling to raise children by myself. However, since her eldest daughter became emotionally unstable and wanted to return home, I returned home in January 2014. In Fukushima city, the eldest daughter came to take a nosebleed after playing sand. Nosebleed in asleep and in daytime, and my second daughter also took nosebleed after playing outside.
Now that her eldest daughter became first grade in primary school and she does not play sand, it’s gone … …. “
Mr. Sawada says that if children have nosebleed from now on, they will think about evacuation again.
 
Mr. Endo (Minamisoma city) also talks like this.
“Radioactive dust is terrible because heavy duty trucks carrying decontamination soil and gravel frequently comes and goes back and forth around the school. Her son who goes to the nursery school is picked up by car, but her elder brother goes to
school by bicycle. I worry that my son will inhale the radioactive dust … ”
 
According to a survey group, soil contamination was 449,000 Bq / square meteron the school road in Minamisoma where Mr. Endo lives (around Ishigami 2nd elementary school) . In Fukushima city where Sawada lives, 480,000 Bq / square meter (around Fukushima Daiichi Junior High School) was detected. Ushiyama mentioned that Both the contamination is the value corresponding to the “move rights area” in Belarus ‘(Chernobyl).
 
“Even a trace amount of radioactive substances taken into the body continue to emit radiation irradiate the organs within the body until it is discharged. It いｓl be difficult to get out　when the radioactive substance enters the lungs. I heard from a Belarusian doctor that there is a possibility that bladder cancer increased by excretion of radioactive substance in the urine. The accumulation in genital organs is also concerned about the influence on the next generation. , It has also been reported that the abnormality worsened if insects are grown with bait contaminated with radioactive materials. “
 
Mothers are exhausted ｂｙ the irresponsible constitution of the government and the prefecture and the social pressures that force to consider “Don’t worry, Fukushima accident never happened, everything is all right.”
Terumi Kataoka who told me the story that removed the slide says.
“Aizu is believed to have little pollution, but it depends on the location.In Aizu Wakamatsu City, the mayor has declared the safety declaration earlier so it is not even decontaminated.If you want the mayor to decontaminate previously If we asked, “Although tourists are returning, if we decontaminate now, both original and child will be lost” was rejected ”

December 19, 2017 Posted by | Fukushima 2017 | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Forest fire in the exclusion zone in Fukushima: Why monitoring the radiation dose is not enough for radioprotection

It was announced that the forest fire in Namie was reduced on May 6. Today, on May 7, we still do not have confirmation of the fire’s extinction. Meanwhile, surfing on the internet, we have noticed that many people were looking for radiation dose information, and relied on it for radioprotection.

Since we also received several questions and comments, we have decided to publish additional comments of M.Yoichi Ozawa of “Fukuichi (Fukushima Daiichi) Area Environmental Radiation Monitoring Project”, seen below.

In order to protect yourself from radiation, you must take into account both the radiation dose and the contamination. In the case of the radiation dose, you can imagine something like fixed paint. It requires radioprotection measures against external exposure. For example, in a high-dose place, you control the amount of exposure by staying a shorter period of time. The dose is expressed by units like Sv/h.

Contamination is like a floating powder, which can enter the body by breathing, eating and drinking, and cause internal irradiation. The radioprotection requires equipment such as clothes and masks. Contamination is taken into account in terms of the surface contamination density and the concentration of radioactive substances in the air.

The surface contamination density is the radioactivity per unit area, where radioactive materials are deposited or absorbed on the surface of the material. It is expressed by units such as Bq/cm2 and Bq/m2.

The concentration of radioactive material in the air is expressed by units such as Bq/cm3 or Bq/m3.

The following is a table in the radioprotection training textbook used in the crippled TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The radioprotection is staged according to the classified areas. The lines in the table show the radiation dose, whereas the columns show contamination (in terms of the surface contamination density and the concentration of radioactive substances in the air). The combination gives 12 areas from 1A to 3D areas, and the radioprotection measures for workers are adapted accordingly.
For example, in the D areas workers are provided with a full mask and an oxygen cylinder.

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Similarly, in the regions affected by the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, we must consider the means of radioprotection by taking into account both the radiation dose and contamination.

In the case of environmental contamination, the air contamination density changes according to conditions such as fire, wind, and rain. Therefore, to protect ourselves, we need to monitor continuously not only during but also after the fire.

Furthermore, it has to be noted that monitoring post and air dust sampling show only gamma rays represented by cesium 137. Strontium 90 and plutonium 239 which emit beta and alpha rays that are most damaging in cases of internal irradiation are not measured. Aside from the question of the amount, these are certainly floating, and the risk of internal exposure cannot be ignored.

Please refer to the contamination map of the areas where the evacuation orders were lifted from last year to this year.
In light of this map and the TEPCO manual, you can see that there are many places in the area where you can return, and where you should wear heavy equipment with a full mask if you were a worker in a nuclear power plant.

The scandalous deficiency of the health scheme in Fukushima

Incredible contamination in Namie, Fukushima

New data show massive radiation levels in Odaka, Minamisoma

In such an environment, ordinary people without a manual, nor professional radioprotection training are allowed to return, including babies and pregnant women.

In addition, whereas the workers are protected by the radiation protection standards shown in the table, in the context of minimization of the accident, residents are exposed to highly radio-contaminated environments without equipment.

If you think about it, it just does not make sense.

https://fukushima311voices.wordpress.com/2017/05/07/forest-fire-in-the-exclusion-zone-in-fukushima-why-monitoring-the-radiation-dose-is-not-enough-for-radioprotection/

 

 

May 17, 2017 Posted by | Fukushima 2017 | , , , | Leave a comment

Videos of the 6th Citizen-Scientist International Symposium on Radiation Protection October 7 – October 10, 2016

Videos of the symposium to be watched at:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/csrp-en

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From the Reality of Chernobyl and Fukushima

Date: Friday, October 7 – Monday, October 10, 2016
Venue: Main Hall, Fukushima Gender　Equality Centre 1-196-1 Kakunai, Nihonmatsu, Fukushima, 964-0904

The Citizen-Scientist International Symposium on Radiation Protection (CSRP), a politically, financially, ideologically and religiously independent non-profit organization, has been committed to keeping to minimum the damages on health and environment caused by the Tokyo Electric Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March 11, 2011.

CSRP has been inviting administrative officials, researchers, NGOs, member experts of governmental inquiry commissions and international organizations working on radiation protection, etc. Since around the 3rd CSRP, this approach has started to bear fruit, because scientists and other stakeholders with different positions and paradigms began to share the same table of discussion, thus gradually making possible constructive exchange of views.

In the course of this approach, however, we began to encounter a new challenge that may concern the premise of the CSRP; the deeper we got into scientific discussion, the higher the hurdle for participation got for the general public, especially for younger generations. Also, the diversity of voices were to be alienated from pointed scientific discussions that are decisive for the decision-making of the radiation protection of the general public. This lead us to some interrogations : “Isn’t ‘science’ given too much importance in decision-making?”; “Is ‘science’ the only way for citizens to bring today’s situation under their power?”

While always continuing to examine new scientific findings with respect to health, environmental and social impacts of low-dose exposure, we added the theme of “Between Art and Science” to the 5th symposium last year, exposed various art works inspired by nuclear power and nuclear disasters, and organized a panel discussion with artists and scientists. This was the CSRP’s new attempt to question “science” and “scientificity” with a view to reexamining the relationships between science, art and philosophy before and after the modernity. The 6th CSRP of this year, held in the city of Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Pref., will collaborate with the Institute of Regional Creation by Arts, the University of Fukushima, to cosponsor the Fukushima Biennale 2016. We hope this new attempt will bring new visions to the participants.

As a place to learn and make full use of new findings exploring the effects of low-dose radiation exposure accumulating day by day, and to think together about the rights of people facing the consequences of the nuclear accident and about what epidemiology and public health should do in order to minimize the damage, we open the 6th Citizen-Scientist International Symposium on Radiation Protection.

 

October 11, 2016 Posted by | Fukushima 2016 | , , | Leave a comment