38
Disaster at Fukushima
By: Saloni Shah
What Caused the Fukushima Disaster?
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 hit East Japan. The earthquake
triggered a tsunami that flooded the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The reactors in the plant
were prepared for earthquakes so they automatically shut off when it hit, but they were vulnerable to the tsunami (Ten Hoeve). The power was lost and caused the reactors to overheat, which triggered the nuclear reactions. Aside from the main nuclear reactions, hydrogen gas was generated during these reactions and caused major explosions in reactor buildings 1-4 (Fukushima).
The Fukushima disaster is the largest nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and also the second nuclear accident in history to measure 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (The Situation at Fukushima). On this scale, 7 indicates that the accident was major. The only two accidents
documented to receive a 7 are Chernobyl and Fukushima.
What Are the Harmful Effects of Radiation?
The main concern with nuclear incidents is radiation. Many negative health effects are associated with exposure to radiation. They can be categorized into two groups: stochastic and non-stochastic. Stochastic effects (long-term) are linked with low levels of radiation while non-stochastic effects are associated with exposure to high levels of
radiation and become more
severe as radiation increases (Health Effects).
Exposure to radiation can harmfully affect any organism: “Once in the body — whether inhaled or absorbed through gills or other organs — radiation can make its way into the bloodstream, lungs, and bony structures, potentially causing death, cancer, or genetic damage” (Grossman). At the Fukushima plant, high levels of I-131 were identified. I-131 is a radioactive isotope of iodine that is unstable due to an excessive amount of neutrons. Frequent exposure can cause thyroid cancer or other thyroid diseases such as hypothyroidism and thyroid enlargement. “Radioactive iodine concentrates in the thyroid. The thyroid needs iodine to function normally, and cannot tell the difference between stable and radioactive isotopes” (Health). Another radioactive isotope identified is Cesium-137. Cesium behaves like potassium so muscles absorb caesium isotopes similarly (Makhijani). However, this intake can take a huge toll on health if excessive amounts are absorbed. Since the radiation affects local water (Ten Hoeve) and the Pacific Ocean (Grossman), the radiation would also end up affecting marine life, which would end up in the species that consumes them.
Image of the Fukashima Nuclear Site in 2013
Tsunami that intially triggered the disaster