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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.
Japan’s Reaction to the Disaster
The Fukushima Disaster shocked Japan and the rest of the world. This was no minor incident and Japan had to immediately take measures to insure the safety of the people who lived in the Fukushima area. The Japanese government first ordered mandatory evacuation for anyone living within 12 miles of the Fukushima plant. Anyone living 12-18 miles within the plant should stay in their homes with the windows closed (shelter-in-place). The government decided to give anyone “in harms way” (Karam) a dose of potassium iodide in which the thyroid gland would absorb all the iodine. Thus, the body could not absorb any more from the radioactive isotope (I-131) since the gland cannot differentiate between the two. The officials also had to address the issue radiation could spread through the air and affect the livestock or water. For example, cows end up ingesting iodine fallen in the grass, which passes onto the milk and to humans.
Long Term Impact & Conditions
With Possibilities of Radiation affecting marine life, some countries ended up not importing seafood that came from Japan. The citizens who lived within close proximity to the plant were forced to evacuate. Unfortunately, many of the people were not allowed to return home because it is very likely that many of the homes in that area will not be rebuilt because radiation would still be able to harm them. John Ten Hoeve said that “The radiation release poisoned local water and food supplies and created a dead-zone of several hundred square kilometers around the site that may not be safe to inhabit for decades to centuries” (Ten Hoeve).
Although this particular disaster is over, there is a possibility that damaged reactors could pose a threat (Scientists). “...reactor 4 is so badly damaged that – if there’s another earthquake of 7 or above – the building could come down. And the probability of another earthquake of 7 or above in the next 3 years is over 95%” (Suzuki). If there is another earthquake, the reactor building would release more radiation, making the current situation worse. The radiation levels would be so bad that other countries may be affected as well (Scientists). This is why the Tokyo Electric Power Company has realized the plants decommissioning after addressing the various problems in the aftermath (Decommissioning Plan of Fukushima Nuclear Power)
The World’s Reaction To The Disaster
After the accident, many countries became hesitant about continuing to use and/or starting to use nuclear energy. Many countries thought it was not worth the risk; they closed down their existing nuclear plants and defeated plans of building new reactors. For example, Switzerland ended up shutting down all five of their reactors in March 2011, the month of the disaster at Fukushima, as well as other countries like Germany and Italy (International Reactions to the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster).
However, some countries such as China, France, India, and the United States, opposed such actions. They decided on launching a full safety investigation on their existing plants to prevent any future disasters (International). The European Union agreed to test all nuclear plants to see whether they could withstand possible natural disasters and terrorist attacks (International Reactions to the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster). The International Atomic Energy Agency “has called for strengthening nuclear safety, increasing emergency preparedness and improving radiation protection of people and the environment” (International).
International Scale for Nuclear Incidents