Here’s a rundown of some of nuclear infrastructure from more available to keep them alive and
the most recent earthquakes in the impending natural disasters, the healthy.
area: The Headquarters for Earthquake regulatory agency still thinks it is
Although much information
R e s e a r c h P r o m o t i o n w e b s i t e ’s better to provide nuclear energy to has already been withheld from the
evaluation of seismic activity shows p o w e r J a p a n t h a n t o l o o k f o r public, some news agencies are
that a 5.0 magnitude earthquake alternative solutions. The future truly is keeping a close eye on the nuclear
struck Namie, Japan near the crippled frightening.
plant and reporting their findings,
Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant on
B u t p e r h a p s e v e n m o r e however most are not the mainstream
Sept. 24, 2014 and then a 5.0 frightening than a potentially new western media outlets Americans turn
magnitude earthquake hit just an hour nuclear disaster is the way in which to for their news. One such nonlater only tens of kilometers away from the Japanese government is handling western media outlet, Al Jazeera, has
the first.7 On Aug. 29, 2014 there was the current one. Several media reports, done numerous reports on the
a 5.0 magnitude earthquake offshore including PBS Newshour and Reuters, disaster, with one online article
Fukushima prefecture and on Aug. 10, reported that Japan’s homeless were discussing some opposing views and
2014 there was a 6.1 magnitude
unanswered questions
earthquake offshore Aomori
concer ning the effects of
prefecture. On July 12, 2014 a
Fukushima radiation on human
7.0 magnitude earthquake
health. The article quotes
struck offshore Fukushima
University of South Carolina
prefecture, on October 26, 2013
biological sciences professor
a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit
Timothy Mousseau as saying
offshore Fukushima prefecture,
“Contrary to governmental
and on Sept. 20, 2013 a 5.9
reports there is now an
magnitude earthquake struck
abundance of information
Hamadori, Fukushima
demonstrating consequences p r e f e c t u r e . N i n e t y - fi v e
in other words, injury - to
earthquakes with a magnitude
individuals, populations,
4.0 or greater were reported in
species and ecosystem
Japan for the month of August
functions stemming from the
Storage tanks holding radioactive water at Fukushima Daichi nuclear
2014. The median number of
low dose radiation due to the
plant. Typhoons and heavy rainfall have caused the tanks to leak,
releasing high levels of strontium and tritium into the environment.
earthquakes with a magnitude
Cher nobyl and Fukushima
Photo credit: WikiMedia Commons.
4.0 or greater in Japan from
disasters.”10 Mousseau is a
1998 to 2007 is 73 per month.
member of the Chernobyl +
For the month of August 2014
Fukushima
Research Initiative.11
being recruited to clean contaminated
there were 22 more earthquakes in areas around the Fukushima plant,
Another non-western media
that range than the median for the w h i c h s h o w s t h e J a p a n e s e outlet, RT, reported Dec. 22, 2013 that
above years. The USGS measured the government has a lack of regard for a new leak at Fukushima reactor
M a rc h 1 1 , 2 0 1 1 G re a t To h o k u these individuals’ health and that it number 2 was found by TEPCO
Earthquake at a magnitude of 9.0. It isn’t concerned enough about the workers, with a record 1.9 million
was located 177 km east northeast of accident to provide the training and becquerels per liter of beta rayFukushima near the Honshu coast of e x p e r t i s e n e e d e d t o e n s u re a emitting radioactive substances
Japan. Japan is also prone to successful cleanup. Also, in late 2013, detected at the reactor.12 That leak,
typhoons and other natural disasters Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe which was just one among many, was
which tend to have a greater impact rushed a state secrecy bill into law reported to be heading for the ocean,
on coastal areas like Fukushima.8 which makes it illegal for insiders to where much of the radioactive
TEPCO owns 17 nuclear reactors, 10 discuss certain “national security” materials from the p