Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

 The Fukushima accident was an accident in 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi (“Number One”) nuclear
power plant in Japan. It is the second worst nuclear accident in the history of nuclear
power generation, behind the Chernobyl disaster.
 The facility, operated by the Tokyo Electric and Power Company (TEPCO), was made up of six
boiling-water reactors constructed between 1971 and 1979.
 TEPCO officials reported that tsunami waves generated by the main shock of the Japan earthquake
on March 11, 2011, damaged the backup generators at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Although all
three of the reactors that were operating were successfully shut down, the loss of power caused
cooling systems to fail in each of them within the first few days of the disaster. Rising
residual heat within each reactor’s core caused the fuel rods in reactors 1, 2, and 3 to overheat and
partially melt down, leading at times to the release of radiation. Melted material fell to the bottom of
the containment vessels in reactors 1 and 2 and bored sizable holes in the floor of each vessel—a fact
that emerged in late May. Those holes partially exposed the nuclear material in the cores. Explosions
resulting from the buildup of pressurized hydrogen gas occurred in the outer containment buildings
enclosing reactors 1 and 3 on March 12 and March 14, respectively.
 A third explosion occurred on March 15 in the building surrounding reactor 2. At that time the
explosion was thought to have damaged the containment vessel housing the fuel rods.
 In the days that followed, some 47,000 residents left their homes, many people in areas adjacent to
the 20-km evacuation warning zone also prepared to leave, and workers at the plant made several
attempts to cool the reactors using truck-mounted water cannons and water dropped from helicopters.
Those efforts met with some success, which temporarily slowed the release of radiation; however,
they were suspended several times after rising steam or smoke signaled an increased risk of radiation
exposure.
 Months later, radiation levels remained high in the evacuation zone, and government officials
remarked that the area might be uninhabitable for decades. However, they also announced that
radiation levels had declined enough in some towns located just beyond the original 20-km
evacuation warning zone that residents could return to their homes there. Although many areas
located within the 20-km evacuation warning zone and the expanded zone (an area called the
“difficult-to-return” zone) continued to remain off-limits due to high radiation levels, officials began
to allow limited activities (business activities and visitation but no lodging) in other previously
evacuated areas with moderately high radiation levels.
 There were public health consequences related to the response actions to the disaster, such as
evacuation and relocation of people. These measures were taken based on radiation safety
considerations and the massive damage to the infrastructure and facilities following the earthquake
and tsunami. These measures resulted in a wide range of social, economic, and public health
consequences. A sharp increase in mortality among elderly people who were put in temporary
housings has been reported, along with increased risk of non-communicable diseases, such
as diabetes and mental health problems. The lack of access to health care further contributed to
deterioration of health.
 Fukushima population is suffering from psycho-social and mental health impact following relocation,
ruptured social links of people who lost homes and employment, disconnected family ties and
stigmatization. A higher occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the evacuees
was assessed as compared to the general population of Japan. Psychological problems, such as
hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, and conduct disorders have been also reported among evacuated
Fukushima children.
References:

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster – Jennifer Straka (suffolk.edu)

 Bhopal disaster, chemical leak in 1984 in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh state, India. At the
time, it was called the worst industrial accident in history.
 On December 3, 1984, about 45 tons of the dangerous gas methyl isocyanate escaped from
an insecticide plant that was owned by the Indian subsidiary of the American firm Union Carbide
Corporation.
 The gas drifted over the densely populated neighbourhoods around the plant, killing thousands of
people immediately and creating a panic as tens of thousands of others attempted to flee Bhopal. The
final death toll was estimated to be between 15,000 and 20,000.
 Some half a million survivors suffered respiratory problems, eye irritation or blindness, and other
maladies resulting from exposure to the toxic gas; many were awarded compensation of a few
hundred dollars. Investigations later established that substandard operating and safety procedures at
the understaffed plant had led to the disaster. In 1998 the former factory site was turned over to the
state of Madhya Pradesh.
 In the early 21st century more than 400 tons of industrial wastes were still present on the site. Despite
continued protests and attempts at litigation, neither the Dow Chemical Company, which bought out
the Union Carbide Corporation in 2001, nor the Indian government had properly cleaned the site.
 Soil and water contamination in the area was blamed for chronic health problems and high instances
of birth defects in the area’s inhabitants. In 2004 the Indian Supreme Court ordered the state to
supply clean drinking water to the residents of Bhopal because of groundwater contamination. In
2010 several former executives of Union Carbide’s India subsidiary—all Indian citizens—were
convicted by a Bhopal court of negligence in the disaster.
 References:
Bhopal disaster | Causes, Effects, Facts, & History | Britannica

Bhopal gas tragedy: The struggle for justice continues : Peoples Dispatch

https://medium.com/@bestofflame/

The Railway Men: Web series on Netflix platform