Fukushima Radiation Contaminated EVERYONE on Earth – But How Much?

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in the Fukushima prefecture of Japan was hit by first a massive earthquake, then a devastating tsunami, on March 11, 2011. It was immediately recognized as one of the worst nuclear accidents in world history, alongside Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. According to a team of scientists, the radiation spewed by the crippled plant affected every person on earth. But don’t panic – you got only about a single X-ray’s worth. [1]

To be sure, the less radiation you have over your lifetime, the better. There is no “good” nuclear radiation. Still, considering how touch-and-go the situation has been and continues to be (fire crews finally extinguished a 12-days-long wildfire in Fukushima’s no-go zone, sparking fresh radiation fears), you and I are pretty fortunate to have gotten away with so little damage.

According to the results of a global survey of the disaster’s effects, conducted by a team of scientists from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, the average person received about 0.5 millisieverts of radiation from the accident. Those who lived in the immediate vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi plant received about 1 to 5 millisieverts. Radiation sickness develops at approximately 1,000 millisieverts. [2]

Thousands upon thousands of people died as a result of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami; but, shockingly, no one died as a direct result of the explosion in Reactor No. 1 and meltdown that occurred in a total of three of the plant’s reactors.

The main source of the radiation was the radioactive element cesium-137.

Nikolas Evangeliou, a member of the research team, said:

“More than 80 per cent of the radiation was deposited in the ocean and poles, so I think the global population got the least exposure. What I found was that we got one extra S-ray each.” [2]

On average, Americans get about 6.2 millisieverts per year, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Committee. The majority of that radiation comes from natural background radiation, or naturally occurring sources such as radon in the air and in cosmic rays. The rest comes from medical procedures, industrial sources, and other man-made sources. [1]

There is debate as to whether there has been a Fukushima-related increase in cases of thyroid cancer. It’s possible many of those cases are the result of over-diagnosis spurred by fears in the aftermath of the crisis.

It’s also possible that authorities are covering up the truth. The 3.11 Children’s Fund for Thyroid Cancer, a support group for children with thyroid cancer, discovered after auditing medical bills that a 4-year-old underwent thyroid surgery at a state-run university. The school claimed it had never treated anyone under 5 for thyroid cancer.

The damage done to plants and other animals is more visible to the naked eye, however. Evangeliou says increased levels of radiation around Fukushima have been linked to declines in bird populations there between 2011 and 2014. [2]

He warns:

“There have also been reports of declines in other species such as insects and some mammals.” [2]

Sources:

[1] Raw Story

[2] New Scientist

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

Chinese, Germans Bidding To Turn Abandoned Nuclear Wasteland Of Chernobyl Into Solar Farm

For 30 years the 1,000 square miles surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia have lay largely inhabited and remains one of the most radioactively contaminated areas in the world.  But that"s all about to change if a group of German and Chinese investors have their way about it.  According to Ukraine"s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Ostap Semerak, 39 separate entities have applied for permission to install 2 gigawatts worth solar panels on the land that would otherwise lie unutilized for centuries to come.  Per Bloomberg:

Chinese and Germans are among dozens of investors taking Ukraine up on its offer to turn the grounds of one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters into a massive solar park.

Thirteen international investors are among the 39 groups seeking Ukraine permission to install about 2 gigawatts of solar panels inside the radioactive exclusion zone surrounding the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant, according to Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Ostap Semerak. Two gigawatts is almost the capacity of two modern nuclear reactors, although atomic power unlike solar works day and night.

“We have received requests from businesses that are interested in renting land for building solar power stations,” Semerak said in a phone interview from Kiev. “We are not looking to profit from land use, we are looking to profit from investment.”

Of course, the effort to attract the new investors required a modest 85% rent reduction and guaranteed rates through 2030 to subsidize the solar farms which are otherwise not cost competive.

Chinese companies GCL System Integration Technology Co Ltd. and China National Complete Engineering Corp said in November that they plan to build a 1 gigawatt solar project on the site in several stages. A German renewables developer has applied to install 500 megawatts, Semerak said, declining to name the firm. The remaining project proposals are for plants that are about 20 megawatts in size.

Companies “have requested between 20 hectares and 1,000 hectares for projects,” Semerak said. In a push for foreign investment, Ukraine has lowered the rent charged for state property by 85 percent, he said.

The country set up a feed-in-tariff system running through 2030 that offers a fixed price which is reduced annually. Projects that sign on in 2017 will receive 17 euro cents (18 U.S. cents) a kilowatt.

That said, there is one minor issue which could disrupt the otherwise genius plan, if we understand it correctly, which is that the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development has waffled on providing financing and said loans will be contingent on "environmental due diligence."  Seriously?

The lingering radiation at Chernobyl is a concern of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, which is considering whether to finance the solar projects. Loans will be contingent on environmental due diligence, according to spokesman Anton Usov. The projects would have to be safe to install and operate and also be commercially viable to receive funding, he said.

“For any project above 10 megawatts in size, you would need someone on-site almost every day,” said Pietro Radoia, solar analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “The bigger the project, the more daily small issues come up that have to be dealt with.”

After seeing some pretty ridiculous "environmental" concerns derail large M&A projects in the U.S., we would love to see the consulting report that approves this deal.