Radiation information: Why the secrecy?

April 19, 2014

EDITORIAL: Fukushima and the world benefit from full disclosure of radiation information

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/editorial/AJ201404190033 

What should policymakers think about the effects of exposure to low levels of radiation in areas affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster?

The fact that there is an insufficient amount of established scientific knowledge about the effects of low-dose radiation makes it all the more important for the government to offer detailed explanations and disclose all relevant information when it adopts policy measures to deal with the problem.

The government recently released the findings from a survey it conducted to assess the relation between dose estimates based on air dose rates and actual individual radiation doses at various locations in Fukushima Prefecture.  

The survey was aimed at obtaining data about radiation doses under circumstances that are similar to actual living conditions, instead of mechanical estimates, in evacuated areas where it is difficult to take actual measurements due to high levels of radiation.

The survey results clearly indicate a strong correlation between data obtained with measuring equipment shaped like the human body and integral individual doses estimated from air dose rates.

Residents in evacuated areas face the decision of whether or not to return to their homes when the evacuation order for their communities is lifted. They are keen to know the actual dose of radiation they would receive when they return to their towns and villages rather than the air dose level.

As the government will consider lifting evacuation orders for specific areas, establishing a reliable formula for estimating actual individual radiation doses is vital for residents in deciding whether or not to return to their communities. The survey is a welcome first step in the effort.

However, the government carried out the survey without announcing it, raising suspicions that it had been hiding the information because the results were undesirable.

The decision to do the survey was made last summer. But the government didn’t disclose any information about it during meetings on the return of evacuees to their homes held with the Nuclear Regulation Authority, nor in meetings with residents of the city of Tamura to discuss the lifting of the evacuation order for a district in the city.

Why the secrecy?

Explaining its failure to inform the public about the survey, the government says it took time to ensure that its formula for making estimates was scientifically correct. The government also says it didn’t plan to publish any interim report on the survey.

But there is strong public distrust of the government’s stance toward disclosure of information concerning the devastating nuclear accident. This is partly due to the chaotic state of affairs during evacuations caused by poor information disclosure.

If the survey was designed to provide useful information for evacuees, the government should have made it widely known that it was conducting the survey. It also should have disclosed information on a timely basis about progress and prospects even before all the data had been accumulated.

There is a global trend toward greater disclosure of data held by governments, with due care to protect individual information, for the purpose of developing better policies.

Data about the Fukushima meltdowns is among the most valuable information held by Japan, and it should be shared publicly with the rest of the world.

Not much is known about the effects of exposure to low-dose radiation. It is also true that there are various views and opinions about such exposure itself.

Under the guiding principle of putting priority on the interests of residents, the government should spare no effort to ensure that important knowledge and information about the disaster--reviewed and assessed by experts both at home and abroad--will be shared by the entire public.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 19