IPPNW urges Gov't to take action on radiation

August 31,2012

Doctor group urges radiation action

Kyodo

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120831a6.html

A globally renowned antinuclear group has implored the government to take urgent and comprehensive steps to limit annual radiation exposure from the Fukushima nuclear crisis to less than 1 millisievert.

The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, will officially submit a set of recommendations to the government in the near future.

The IPPNW's proposals will state that residents in areas contaminated with fallout from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant should be allowed full access to data about radiation levels, and that a system be set up to register all those who may have been exposed to annual radiation of 1 millisievert or more.

Victims of the nuclear disaster also should receive greater assistance to minimize their radiation exposure, and the government should provide them with health, housing, employment and educational assistance — as well as compensation — in a fair and consistent manner if they choose to relocate from irradiated areas, the IPPNW will stress.

Also, given the susceptibility of children to longterm radiation, "It's certainly appropriate that priority be given to them and also to pregnant women," Tilman Ruff, a representative for the group, told a news conference in Tokyo.

Ruff also accused government agencies and senior officials alike of propagating information amid the crisis that did not reflect international opinions, as well as the notion that annual exposure below 100 millisieverts poses no immediate health threat.

The proposals also express fears about the workers engaged in cleanup efforts at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and those who will participate in decommissioning its reactors — a process expected to take decades.