Japan’s corporate nuclear catastrophe continues

As the radioactive contamination from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant spreads to Tokyo’s water supply, as well as milk and vegetables from numerous prefectures and fishing areas off Japan’s eastern coast, the Japanese government is moving to shield the plant’s owner, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), from liability: here.

Tokyo slammed the private operator responsible for running the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant today after two employees were exposed to radiation 10,000 times the normal level.

Japanese nuclear safety officials said Friday that they suspect that the reactor core at one unit of the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant may have breached, raising the possibility of more severe contamination to the environment: here.

Brian Moench MD, Truthout: “Administration spokespeople continuously claim ‘no threat’ from the radiation reaching the US from Japan, just as they did with oil hemorrhaging into the Gulf. Perhaps we should all whistle ‘Don’t worry, be happy’ in unison. A thorough review of the science, however, begs a second opinion. That the radiation is being released 5,000 miles away isn’t as comforting as it seems. The Japanese reactors hold about 1,000 times more radiation than the bombs dropped over Hiroshima”: here.

Chip Ward, TomDispatch: “When nuclear reactors blow, the first thing that melts down is the truth. Just as in the Chernobyl catastrophe almost 25 years ago when Soviet authorities denied the extent of radiation and downplayed the dire situation that was spiraling out of control, Japanese authorities spent the first week of the Fukushima crisis issuing conflicting and confusing reports. We were told that radiation levels were up, then down, then up, but nobody aside from those Japanese bureaucrats could verify the levels and few trusted their accuracy. The situation is under control, they told us, but workers are being evacuated. There is no danger of contamination, but stay inside and seal your doors”: here.

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