How long fukushima

While she notes that scientific research on the issue remains underfunded and incomplete, there is evidence suggesting that women may also be more susceptible to cancers caused by radiation than men. On the other hand, in the same way that climate scientists admit that an individual typhoon or hurricane cannot be attributed to the effects of climate change, there is no means to determine whether individual cases of cancer in Fukushima or elsewhere are directly caused by radiation exposure.

The effect can only be measured statistically by, for example, comparing the number of cancer cases per , people in a place like Fukushima with a different part of Japan. Many activists claim that the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company TEPCO really have no interest in funding and conducting such health impact studies in Fukushima because the answers that they receive could be politically inconvenient for an energy policy that continues to favour nuclear power.

Ten years after the disaster, life has returned pretty much to normal in many parts of Fukushima Prefecture. In some of the inland cities such as Fukushima city or Koriyama, there are few if any visible signs that the nuclear accident ever occurred.

Emiko Fujioka, the secretary-general of the Fukushima Beacon for Global Citizens Network, says that these days it is mainly only the evacuees from the former radiation exclusion zones who still think about it frequently. In the absence of scientific guidance from the government authorities, communities long ago divided between those who fear the radiation contamination and those who dismiss the risk — sometimes seeing their own neighbours or family members as unduly alarmist.

In a somewhat similar fashion to the current COVID pandemic, local opinion tends to diverge between those who are horrified by the potential health risks and those who are angry at the possible economic damage that could be done to the community by those who continue to highlight the dangers.

Minamisoma returnees keen to rebuild lives after lifting of evacuation order for first time since nuclear disaster. By Michael Penn. Published On 9 Mar But deep inside the plant, danger still lurks.

Journalists from The Associated Press recently visited the plant to document progress in its cleanup on the 10th anniversary of the meltdowns and the challenges that lie ahead. After a magnitude 9. About tons of melted nuclear fuel remain inside the three damaged reactors, and its removal is a daunting task that officials say will take years. Separate efforts to remove spent fuel from cooling pools inside the reactor buildings were hampered by high radiation and debris and have been delayed for up to five years.

The melted cores in Units 1, 2 and 3 mostly fell to the bottom of their primary containment vessels, some penetrating and mixing with the concrete foundation, making removal extremely difficult. Remote-controlled robots with cameras have provided only a limited view of the melted fuel in areas still too dangerous for humans to go. Since the disaster, contaminated cooling water has constantly escaped from the damaged primary containment vessels into the reactor building basements, where it mixes with groundwater that seeps in.

The water is pumped up and treated. Part is recycled as cooling water, with the remainder stored in 1, huge tanks crowding the plant. Early in the crisis, highly contaminated water that leaked from damaged basements and maintenance ditches escaped into the ocean, but the main leakage points have been closed, TEPCO says. The report it prepared last year mentioned evaporation as a less desirable option.

According to a preliminary estimate, gradual releases of water will take about 30 years but will be completed before the plant is fully decommissioned. Japan will abide by international rules for a release, obtain support from the International Atomic Energy Agency and others, and ensure disclosure of data and transparency to gain an understanding of the international community, the report said.

China and South Korea have raised serious concerns about the discharge of the water and its potential impact.

The government has said it will do the utmost to support local fisheries, and the report said TEPCO would compensate for damages if they occur despite those efforts. Kajiyama is set to visit Fukushima on Tuesday afternoon to meet with local town and fisheries officials to explain the decision. He said he will continue to make efforts to gain their understanding over the next two years. Skip Navigation. Key Points.