MY SAY: More to it than meets the eye
Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abd Razak
MY SAY
The Edge Malaysia - 18-04-2011
A month has passed since the deadly earthquake and tsunami hit northeast Japan, yet the nightmarish radioactive leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant — the severity of which has reached the highest level — continue to haunt not only the Japanese population, but also the rest of the world.
Recent discussions to expand the evacuation radius from current limits have resulted in heightened anxiety that the tragedy will not be resolved anytime soon. In fact, the magnitude 7.4 tremors that occurred barely four weeks after the fateful day further reminded us of the danger that lurks.
"When will all this end?" was the question posed by the mayor of the nearby Kawamata, echoing that of most others around the globe.
With all eyes focused on Japan, few noticed that nearly 800 Spaniards reportedly will have to undergo health checks to ensure that they have not been affected by the radioactive material that leaked from the nuclear plant of Asco I in northeast Spain last November. Some 580 people are said to have been examined, fortunately without any apparent evidence of ill health.
The nuclear plant, located near Tarragona, has been sanctioned for "inadequate control of radioactive material" after the leak that occurred during refuelling. According to the environmental group Greenpeace, the leak was one of the most serious related to nuclear energy in Spain.
What is even more alarming is that the country's Nuclear Safety Council is accusing the plant, owned by energy company Endesa, of having downplayed the seriousness of the leak when it informed the watchdog about it some five months later in April.
In fact, the 40 pupils who visited the plant early this month have been asked to undergo health checks.
Worrying after-the-event news like this frequently arouses questions about the "safety" of using nuclear energy. In the case of Japan, a US embassy cable obtained by WikiLeaks (reported by the UK's Daily Telegraph on March 15) quotes an unnamed expert who expressed concern in December 2008 about guidance on how to protect nuclear power stations from earthquakes.
The document allegedly states that the expert, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) official, "explained that safety guides for seismic safety have only been revised three times in the last 35 years and that IAEA is now re-examining them".
"Also, the presenter noted that recent earthquakes had exceeded the design basis of some nuclear plants and that this is a serious problem that is now driving seismic safety work."
Meanwhile, another cable to Washington reported local concerns that new-generation Japanese power stations that recycle nuclear fuel were jeopardising safety.
The cable cites a Japanese court ruling on the possibility of exposure to radiation should a plant in western Japan be hit by an earthquake because of outdated building specifications intended to withstand a magnitude of only 6.5 on the Richter scale. The Japanese government is said to have opposed the court ruling as disclosed in the cable.
It would seem, on closer scrutiny, that there is more to it than meets the eye when it comes to the use of nuclear power, inadvertently or otherwise. These "dirty" events are often hidden and remain convenient "secrets" waiting to be exposed. By that time, it is already after the fact and the damage is done.
One such lingering "secret" is based on the work of Ernest J Sternglass, an emeritus professor at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the Radiation and Public Health Project. In his book, aptly titled Secret Fallout and published three decades ago in 1981, he reveals a scenario that is more relevant today.
Best known for his research on the health risks of low-level radiation from atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons and from nuclear power plants, he convincingly details several correlations between low level fallout and infant mortality. His book shows that excess infant mortality occurred downwind of nuclear testing and of nuclear plants, even decades later.
In other words, it is difficult not to be enraged once all these facts are revealed, given the high human cost involved. Sternglass' expose will send shivers down the spine of those who are still not worried about nuclear radiation.
While we are fixated on the world's worst disasters due to isolated technological failures such as those listed on Greenpeace's calendar of nuclear accidents http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/ nukes/chernob/rep02.html), let us not forget that on a more regular basis, low level radiation is causing human suffering, if not death, unbeknownst to us. This is largely ignored simply because there is no big bang to draw the world's attention.
Having said that, it is our duty to ensure that we understand thoroughly what nuclear power is all about so that it does not turn out to be a "murderous" decision due to our failure to protect the lives of generations to come.
* The writer is the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia. He can be contacted at vc@usm.my
MY SAY
The Edge Malaysia - 18-04-2011
A month has passed since the deadly earthquake and tsunami hit northeast Japan, yet the nightmarish radioactive leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant — the severity of which has reached the highest level — continue to haunt not only the Japanese population, but also the rest of the world.
Recent discussions to expand the evacuation radius from current limits have resulted in heightened anxiety that the tragedy will not be resolved anytime soon. In fact, the magnitude 7.4 tremors that occurred barely four weeks after the fateful day further reminded us of the danger that lurks.
"When will all this end?" was the question posed by the mayor of the nearby Kawamata, echoing that of most others around the globe.
With all eyes focused on Japan, few noticed that nearly 800 Spaniards reportedly will have to undergo health checks to ensure that they have not been affected by the radioactive material that leaked from the nuclear plant of Asco I in northeast Spain last November. Some 580 people are said to have been examined, fortunately without any apparent evidence of ill health.
The nuclear plant, located near Tarragona, has been sanctioned for "inadequate control of radioactive material" after the leak that occurred during refuelling. According to the environmental group Greenpeace, the leak was one of the most serious related to nuclear energy in Spain.
What is even more alarming is that the country's Nuclear Safety Council is accusing the plant, owned by energy company Endesa, of having downplayed the seriousness of the leak when it informed the watchdog about it some five months later in April.
In fact, the 40 pupils who visited the plant early this month have been asked to undergo health checks.
Worrying after-the-event news like this frequently arouses questions about the "safety" of using nuclear energy. In the case of Japan, a US embassy cable obtained by WikiLeaks (reported by the UK's Daily Telegraph on March 15) quotes an unnamed expert who expressed concern in December 2008 about guidance on how to protect nuclear power stations from earthquakes.
The document allegedly states that the expert, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) official, "explained that safety guides for seismic safety have only been revised three times in the last 35 years and that IAEA is now re-examining them".
"Also, the presenter noted that recent earthquakes had exceeded the design basis of some nuclear plants and that this is a serious problem that is now driving seismic safety work."
Meanwhile, another cable to Washington reported local concerns that new-generation Japanese power stations that recycle nuclear fuel were jeopardising safety.
The cable cites a Japanese court ruling on the possibility of exposure to radiation should a plant in western Japan be hit by an earthquake because of outdated building specifications intended to withstand a magnitude of only 6.5 on the Richter scale. The Japanese government is said to have opposed the court ruling as disclosed in the cable.
It would seem, on closer scrutiny, that there is more to it than meets the eye when it comes to the use of nuclear power, inadvertently or otherwise. These "dirty" events are often hidden and remain convenient "secrets" waiting to be exposed. By that time, it is already after the fact and the damage is done.
One such lingering "secret" is based on the work of Ernest J Sternglass, an emeritus professor at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the Radiation and Public Health Project. In his book, aptly titled Secret Fallout and published three decades ago in 1981, he reveals a scenario that is more relevant today.
Best known for his research on the health risks of low-level radiation from atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons and from nuclear power plants, he convincingly details several correlations between low level fallout and infant mortality. His book shows that excess infant mortality occurred downwind of nuclear testing and of nuclear plants, even decades later.
In other words, it is difficult not to be enraged once all these facts are revealed, given the high human cost involved. Sternglass' expose will send shivers down the spine of those who are still not worried about nuclear radiation.
While we are fixated on the world's worst disasters due to isolated technological failures such as those listed on Greenpeace's calendar of nuclear accidents http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/ nukes/chernob/rep02.html), let us not forget that on a more regular basis, low level radiation is causing human suffering, if not death, unbeknownst to us. This is largely ignored simply because there is no big bang to draw the world's attention.
Having said that, it is our duty to ensure that we understand thoroughly what nuclear power is all about so that it does not turn out to be a "murderous" decision due to our failure to protect the lives of generations to come.
* The writer is the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia. He can be contacted at vc@usm.my