Worrying Too Much About the Worse-Case Scenario is a Sign of Serious Mental Illness and Paranoia

I wonder if extreme paranoia can be linked to junk and processed foods?


I've said many times that things are bad enough at Fukushima and Tohoku after the 311 disaster for those poor folks, they don't need people spreading unfounded rumors. But recently the shrill voices of terror, gloom and doom have really gotten out of control with their reporting of "worse case scenarios" as being factual occurrences signed, sealed and delivered finished deals.

Worse-case scenario: Oil spill 

I just reported on one article I read at Sh*t Hits The Fan (SHTF) website that was chocked full of foaming at the mouth reporting about secret plans to evacuate Tokyo and how there was "no way to control the radiation" at Fukushima. Please refer to Sensationalism, Scare-Mongering and the Nanny State: 

There is still way too much sensationalism and frankly speaking piss poor writing going on about Fukushima. I found one of the worst examples I've seen in a long time today. This article's title is suitable for a gossip weekly magazine on some US supermarket check out counter along with the Hillary Clinton Adopts Alien Baby story. The title lays bare to the low quality of writing held within: It's Not Over: Government Plans for the Worst - Forced Evacuation of Tokyo. The article goes on stating that the nuclear problem is out of control, cannot be controlled and the Japanese government has plans to evacuate ten million people from Tokyo.

Worse-case scenario: Flesh Eating virus on your face

Interestingly enough, one guy wrote a comment to me that showed just how foolish and insane this subject makes people. He wrote how wrong I was and insisted that I, "Come out right now and admit that you (I) work for TEPCO!" and then actually wrote, "The radioactivity levels in Tokyo have spiked way higher than those in even Fukushima!"

I asked for proof of that claim and no proof was forthcoming or will be. It can't be.

Think about the nuttiness of that bizarre claim! Where did he get such an outrageous idea? That, "The radioactivity levels in Tokyo have spiked way higher than those in even Fukushima"!? Extraordinary! How could Fukushima be such a problem that it is claimed that it is a danger so bad that the radiation is going to end life on this planet as we know it, yet (he claims that) Tokyo has higher radiation levels already than Fukushima? How did this radiation get to Tokyo? Where did it come from? There are no nuclear power plants in Tokyo. Did the radiation jump over the mountains here or did it skip over? 

Or was it transported from Fukushima like James T. Kirk would be in Star Trek? ... Anyway....

"Beam me up, Scotty!"

The point is that there are a lot of nutty people running around. 


Whatever an organization like SHTF writes can be taken with a grain of salt as they are a company that makes their living selling survival gear and foodstuffs for the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI). They want people to buy their stuff. They sell fear... (And, they do a good job of it too!) 


Now, far be it from me to tell you that you shouldn't be prepared for all sorts of disasters, you definitely should. I think you need to have at least two months of food and water and as much gold and silver as you can get your hands on. I wrote about that in: Be Prepared! A Better Investment Than Gold?

Worse-case scenario: The sun won't explode in 5 billion years, 

it will only take 500,000 million years! 

So, on the point of being prepared for natural (or man-made) disasters or economic calamities up to a point, SHTF and I agree... But, unlike SHTF, I don't sell full body radioactivity armor or underground air and water filters, no guns and artillery pieces and ammo for use in the case of a nuclear holocaust.


Perhaps we will have one of those. 


I'm hoping that I can get away to New Zealand or South America before the time that happens. If not, I wonder what good is the quality of life if our entire environment is so radioactive that we have to wear protective suits all the time? Would anyone want to live that way? That's like being old and dying and kept alive by machines. That's not living. That's being alive and living in hell. 

Worse-case scenario: Alien Invasion

No matter what, if I'm lucky and smart enough, my wife and kids will be gone well before anything bad happens. Those arrangements were made way back in 2008 because I fear the economic turmoil I know that one is coming (and people think I over-react!)

But, how everyone handles a disaster and what's best for themselves and their families? That's a practical and philosophical question, perhaps, that I think everyone must have considered. If they haven't they should have. 


For now, I am of the thinking that things in Fukushima are bad enough as it is without people spreading irrational rumors. There are radioactive spent fuel pools in the United States that are ten times higher in radiation than Fukushima, Chernobyl and Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined and have no protection against natural disasters like earthquakes at all, yet you don't hear about them. You do, though, hear about "worse case scenarios" involving Fukushima, though, and "Nuclear Experts claiming that "an earthquake in the vicinity of Fukushima could spell the end of civilization as we know it." 


(Psst! Don't look now, but Japan has always had lots of earthquakes. In fact, we just had seven earthquakes in the area of Fukushima and, as far as I can see from my window, the earth and the rest of us are still here!)


Anyhow, even if there is another huge earthquake and it does cause so much damage that it ends civilization as we know it, what are you going to do about it? Huh? As the leader of the "Good Ol Boys" said to Jake in the Blues Brothers, "What are you going to do about it, huh, Stein? You're going to look pretty good eating corn on the cob with no f*cking teeth!" 

Are you going to run over to Fukushima and hold up collapsing structures like Atlas?

Worse-case scenario: Heavy manual labor and the pay is less than minimum wage

What are you going to do if we are hit by another killer asteroid that destroys life on earth as we know it? What are you going to do if nuclear war breaks out and that ends life on this earth as we know it? What are you going to do when the next ice-age hits? What are you going to do if the next bird flu really is a massive killer and wipes out you and your family? What are you going to do? What are all these Chicken Little's going to do?


Well, I have an idea, you can spend the rest of your life worrying about all sorts of things and stay hidden indoors or you can go outside and realize that danger is a part of life and always has been ("Don't leave the cave, Saber-Toothed tigers might eat you!") and live your short time on this earth to its fullest. 

Our society has a lot of mentally ill people running around. The mere fact that they wish to claim the end of the world and the end of our civilization (as if we have the power to stop earthquakes and natural disasters) due to man's folly (folly that will never end)... Is a true sign of this modern-day mental illness.


I've got my own quirks and mental problems too. We all do. But fearing the end of the world in a situation that is completely out of my control is not one of them. Ninety-nine percent of all deadly car accidents occur within 50 miles from home; Over three-hundred and fifty-three thousand people died from cancer in Japan in 2010 alone and that number is increasing annually; In 2010 cardio-vascular disease killed over 10.8 million people in Japan and the rate is going up! These are known killers. I know they are going to happen. I eat healthy and don't drink or smoke.


These people freaking out about Fukushima and the end of the world? I'll bet you half a donut that 99% of them eat junk and processed foods all the time... And they worry about the end of the world? Ha!


Do you think you or I should spend our time biting our nails and worrying about something that "might" happen in a "worse-case scenario"? I don't.

Be very worried... Indeed.

This is not to belittle a serious problem but I have a life to live and time to enjoy on this planet. I hope you feel the same way too. 


It's a wonderful weekend. Go out and enjoy it with your family and friends... Oh and try to stay away from paranoid people and junk food... They seem to hang in same circles...

Tokyo: Giant Radioactive Mutant Bed Bugs Spawned From Fukushima Disaster! Bed-Bugs Discovered the Size of Rats!

"Fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the size of cats" - "Future Legend" by David Bowie 

"Giant Mutant Bed Bugs!?" Ewww! I was shocked as I read the headlines... I think one of the most absolutely disgusting things in the world are Bed Bugs. Huge ones!? That's just sickening and makes my skin crawl... 

"Tokyo: Giant Radioactive Mutant Bed Bugs Spawned From Fukushima Disaster! Bed-Bugs Discovered the Size of Rats!" Scary... And misleading... This sort of headline is fitting for Japanese 1950s Science Fiction movies ala Mothra versus Godzilla or a Gigantor cartoon. And why not? The Fukushima disaster is a real disaster and it's certainly capturing the imaginations of people all around the world including advertising agencies, survival goods suppliers, political organizations and, of course, said science fiction writers.


Some of those science fiction writers - whether for publications, mass media or retailers - are doing all they can in cashing in on Fukushima... They are cashing in on it to sell their sensationalist scribblings, video reports or just plain to peddle goods.


That's what this post is about: Selling goods using misleading headlines... What used to be called "False Advertising." One of the most dispicable things about the world of advertising is misleading headlines; the old "bait and switch." 


This post has it all! It is about misleading headlines, bait and switch and disgusting Bed Bugs. 


This morning, over my coffee, I found one advertiser that has really gone too far. There is an ad on Yahoo that, in my book, insinuates something sinister going on related to Fukushima but it is nothing of the sort. Take a lookie at this ad:

This is the ad. Now, you tell me, with all the news about Fukushima, what does this image and the text suggest to you?

Some advertisers will stoop to any level in order cash in on other peoples misery and troubles and use scare tactics to sell product... Unfortunately, most people are too brain dead from too much TV that they fail to see it for what it is.


This advertiser has really gone too far. I've said many times that things are bad enough at Fukushima for those poor folks but recently, the shrill voices of terror, gloom and doom have really gotten out of control with their reporting of "worse case scenarios" as being signed, sealed and delivered finished deals. I wrote about that in Sensationalism, Scare-Mongering and the Nanny State.


The sensationalism really has dropped to tabloid level. Just like something you'd see at the check out like at your local super market, this madness has stooped to new lows. Here's a new bait and switch that gets folks in Tokyo and the world over who are panicking about Fukushima to click their banner because it looks like it portends to news about radiation...


On the top page of Yahoo Finance, the bait and switch ad appears on the right. It says, "New Plague in Tokyo. If you live in Tokyo, you'd better read this..."

In fact, these guys are really going for it, I see where their ad is a revoling ad along with a credit card company and also appears with a different image as this, "New Bug in Tokyo. If you live in Tokyo, you'd better read this..." 

The ads are by a probable fly-by-night company named Guru Media. This poor excuse for an advertising agency claims:


Guru Media International was founded by a team of marketing and advertising professional who understand that today’s world requires a customized suite of solutions to help companies succeed. (sic)


Bwa! Ha! Ha! Terrible! "...founded by a team of marketing and advertising professional"!? Really? Guys, there's supposed to be an "s" at the end of professional, as in "professionals."


Maybe professionals at marketing and advertising but not professionals at spelling, copy-writing or editing... And these clowns are getting contracts from someone? 


Wow! A lead in suggesting Fukushima radiation problems in Tokyo that take me to an ad for Bed Bug remedies in Minnesota? There really must be a sucker born every minute! (Pun intended!)


Anyway, back to the misleading banner ad. I live in Tokyo and when I saw it this morning, I clicked it. I clicked it because I thought, "What kind of nonsense is this now? Another company selling fear and survival gear?" But no! It's worse than that! I clicked the link and found... A full page ad selling products to fight Bed Bug infestations in the United States!


This ad has zero to do with Japan! It is an ad for products to fight the Bed Bug infestation that is spreading across the United States today. There's not one single mention of anything that has to do with Japan excepting the byline at the start that claims this "news" is from Tokyo (probably an algorythm that helps the advertisers decide where the results are best). When you click the banner, it takes you to this paid advertisement. Here's the ad at the top of the page:

It reads: 

Tokyo: Remember when "sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite" was just a cute bedtime expression that didn't mean anything? Well, those days are over. After 6 decades of living largely bed bug-free, the US is facing a national infestation.

In fact, the incidence of bed bug infestation has risen 500% in the last few years alone, and they're not just in dirty hotels - they're at the 5-star ones as well and swarming the public places you visit every day. Bed bugs are shutting down businesses and being found at your local movie theaters and clothing stores as they inch closer and closer to your home..

Nothing to dow with Japan at all... Now, that's some mighty fine bait and switch there! I'll bet they catch some pretty good sized fish with that too! Maybe this works for people nowadays. Maybe people are so drugged out or have such a problem with ADD or short attention spans that they've become like pigeons. You know, 1.5 seconds later they can't remember what they were doing.


What's the point of my rant? Well, I think it's pretty obvious that sensationalism sells. It sells newspapers and advertisers for TV and radio... Heck, selling by using fear and sensationalism isn't even hidden anymore. It is blatant and they have no reservations about using dishonest methods to make a buck.


You'd have hoped that, after all the lies of the mass media concerning Saddam Hussein, SARS, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, Global Warming, ad nauseum, that people advertising on the internet would be a bit more sophisticated along with the audience...


I guess I hope for too much. Alas....

-----

Now, I often complain in this blog and sometimes people take me to task for only complaining and not offering solutions. I stand guilty as charged! But not today! Today, I am going to put my money where my mouth is. Today I am going to show you just how a company can be honest and still do a great business. We don't need misleading sensationalism to sell a product where a need actually exists... Where a need does not exist, sensationalism is a good way to take advantage of suckers.


So, without further ado, may I show you folks a good way on how to sell product against Bed Bugs? First off, find a person with a need (Read: someone with Bed Bugs). Secondly, have them watch the following video. This is a 6 minute long Emmy Award winning documentary called,

WHEN BED BUGS ATTACK! 

Ewwwww!!!!! This gives me the chills every time I see it. Is that creepy, or what? Can there be anything more horrible than something that bites you will you're sleeping? The vampire Bed Bugs!... That there's an infestation of these creepies all over America just gives me one more good reason why I'm staying here in Japan all safe and snug as a bug in a rug in Tokyo...


Fukushima radiation? Compared to these bed bugs, I'll stay here and take my chances.

How Do Japan's Radiation Safety Standards Stack UP Against USA or Europe?

There has been much fuss concerning the plans to incinerate debris from the March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster. In spite of this, to date, only about 6% of the total debris has been incinerated. There seems to be much fear about burning this debris as many people think the debris is radioactive.

No matter how hard I search, I cannot find any verification on that subject either way though I have requested to one of the major TV news stations here in Tokyo to see if they could find that information. I suspect that most of this debris has little, if any radioactive isotopes present. But even a little is too much for most people - though please understand that zero radioactivity is a physical impossibility. For more on that please refer to: Radiation and Reason - the Impact of Science on a Culture of Fear. That being said, it is completely understandable that people fear this plan to incinerate the debris in their neighborhoods far away from the disaster zone. Logically, as with smoking cigarettes (which do contain radiation when burned themselves), it can't do people any good to be inhaling any extra fumes from burning refuse if they don't have to... Extra radiation or not!

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

This burning of the debris has sparked a major controversy in Japan. Many people are against the plan of disposal and the majority seem ambivalent... The only people for the plan seem to be politicians.


One guy asked about a comparison of the safety standards between Japan and the west when it comes to radioactivity. Well, folks, hate to break this to you if you are a foreigner, but Japan's safety standards are far and away much stricter than the west.


From Japan Communications Foundation, I found this information for you:

Japan’s Safety Standards Stricter than IAEA and EU Requirements*

Human beings in every corner of the globe are exposed to radiation from space, from the ground, and from the food they consume. Medical devices like CT scanners and X-ray machines use radiation to diagnose medical conditions. The International Commission on Radiological Protection has set 1 millisievert as the upper limit for annual radiological exposure, not including radiation from natural sources and medical devices.

Radiation is more dangerous if a person is exposed to a large dose all at once, which increases the risk of cancer and other diseases. Ill-effects start to appear after exposure to radiation levels of around 100 millisieverts; and exposure to 7,000 millisieverts or more is invariably fatal.

In Japan, the normal upper limit for radiation exposure for workers at nuclear power stations is 100 millisieverts, but this was raised to 250 millisieverts following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Workers are issued with a radiation dose monitoring notebook in which to record their levels of exposure, the results of health checkups, and other information. Workers are not allowed to enter a radiation management zone such as the areas around a nuclear power station without this book.

There are two types of radiation exposure: external radiation exposure through contact on the body, and internal radiation exposure caused by ingestion of radioactive foods or liquids. Internal radiation exposure is of particular concern because until the radioactive substance disappears or is expelled, it will continue to expose the person to radiation.

In order to prevent internal radiation exposure, the Japanese government has stipulated provisional regulation values for radioactivity levels in food products. These ensure safety by preventing radioactive food and drinking water from entering the food chain. The regulations are extremely strict to ensure that radiation exposure will not approach the harmful level of 100 millisieverts even if the vegetables, milk, or other items in question are consumed every day for a year. Japan’s safety standards are even stricter than those set by the International Atomic Energy Agency or by EU countries in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster.

Shipments of spinach and other vegetables were halted when radiation levels exceeding these standards were detected on March 21. Most of the radiation was from radioactive iodine, which has a half life of just eight days. By the end of April, the ban on shipments had been lifted from all agricultural products from Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, and Chiba Prefectures. 

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

This may come as a surprise to most westerners that rules on the safe level of radiation in Japan are much stricter and far lower than the west, but it makes sense if you consider the history of this country and its government. The twin atomic bombings at the end of World War Two have had a great effect on the Japanese psyche and since Japan has a parliamentary government with many political parties, it is often a compromise with left-leaning or socialist parties that majority parties need to have to create a coalition government. 

*From Japan Communications Foundation is a subsidiary of Jiji Press a news wire service established in 1945.

Fear and Loathing in Japan: "Most Tokyoites Wearing Respirator Masks Against Fukushima Radiation!" - Simple Historical Guide to Japanese Face Masks

In a quick follow up to yesterday's post about the totally unfounded, foaming at the mouth, stark raving mad rant about how the Japanese government has "secret plans to evacuate 'the 10 million people living in Tokyo'" due to Fukushima fallout - uh, psst! Don't look now, but there's at least 35 million people in Tokyo. (Please refer to Sensationalism, Scare Mongering and the Nanny State) I found this very interesting letter from some guy ranting about nuke fears in Tokyo that just goes to show how completely maniac and irrational people are when it comes to fear of the unknown (radiation and nuclear power). Well, I think it has to do with the fear of the unknown as all that sort of thing seems to make people so slobbering crazy. 

You know like, "Who knows what fears lie in the hearts of men? The shadow knows!"

Here is a totally hilarious and comical letter from some guy that I found yesterday. This really reminds me of something that an absolutely clueless dork would write about Japan: Get a laugh out of this:

"I just returned from a 9 day business trip to Tokyo Japan and most people in Tokyo are wearing respirator masks outdoors. They are very nervous and scared, and rightfully so. I was able to bring with me a thumb size miniature Geiger Counter, a bottle of KI03, and 2 masks for good measure. The Japanese government has made it illegal for Japanese to purchase Geiger Counters for personal use claiming they are made in the U.S. and are inaccurate. Now there is a steaming pile of freshly laid B.S.! I also brought my own freeze dried food and water. I’m not taking any chances, it is serious business over there."

Great. Just great. I wonder if this is real or just the imagination of Gomer or Goober fresh off the boat from bumf*ck Iowa? This can't be real, can it? For one, I just checked on Amazon Japan and they have dozens of Geiger counters on sale... You need me to buy one for you?

Scene at Narita. Customs Officer: "Is this your luggage, sir?"

Hillbilly: "Yes, sir. The Igloo cooler with the duct tape... That's mine!"  

To change the subject for a moment, when I was a liasion between foreigners and Japanese for a Japanese company in 1984, there was this guy that they had hired from the mid-west of the United States. He had been in Japan for only two months or so but we had to send him back to the USA because he had fallen into serious clinical depression. He couldn't function at all. Poor guy. One day he came to see me and admitted that Tokyo wasn't what he expected at all and he wanted to cancel his contract and go home. What did he expect Tokyo to be, pray tell? He told me that he had thought that in Japan that there would be samurai and geisha running around and when he came to Tokyo and everyone was wearing business suits and it was a big city "Like New York city with Chinese people" (his words, not mine) he couldn't handle it. Unbelievable, yeah? True story!


But I digress...


Look at that nonsense that guy wrote. Hard to believe that such a clueless person could be sent to Japan for "a business trip" which makes this letter very suspect. This guy is totally silly or he is hawking goods... Or, maybe he is a great science fiction writer and comic book genius like my friend Andrew at It's a Wonderful Rife!

Well, I'm not sure about people being scared and nervous in Tokyo. It sure seems to me that the average person here is completely oblivious to the dangers that lurk around the corner. But the claim about, "Most people are wearing respirator masks outdoors" is laughable.


No, they are not.  Let me demonstrate for you. They say a picture speaks a thousand words. 


This is a respirator:

This is a mask:

Now, I admit, there probably are people wearing respirators in Tokyo THIS VERY MOMENT (they work for the fire department and are trying to put out a fire). But I haven't seen any "regular people" doing so - and trust that most people don't wear respirators. Dumb-foreign-letter-writing-visitor-to-Japan doesn't know the difference between a mask and a respirator. Hasn't the guy ever been to a dentist? (Uh, judging from the teeth of the guy in the green shirt at the top - maybe not.)


Many, far from "most," Tokyoite Japanese are wearing masks. Why? Many people always do. They wear them so that they don't spread diseases or catch colds. This time of year there are a very many people wearing these things because it's spring. Interestingly, and a possible candidate for the next Ripley's Believe it or Not! Spring is also the time flowers bloom and weeds grow!!!... And, incredibly that means hay fever season! (Oohs and ahhs here, please)...


Off the subject again! One time I had a Japanese ask me if they had hay fever in other countries like America so don't think that it's only the Americans who have license to be absolutely clueless!


Take my wife, please! She has terrible hay-fever. This time of year she wears a mask all the time - even inside of the house. I wrote about that once in Spring in Japan. I've also written about dumb foreigners here in Stupid Foreigners in Japan - 97% of the Bad Apples Spoil it for the Rest of the 3% - When in Japan, Do As the Japanese Do In Spite of Yourself. That's who this article is for, actually... Dumb foreigners... 


This article does have redeeming and, I suspect, interesting content: It's the history of masks in Japan. The Japanese have been wearing these things for over a hundred years folks. I must admit that even I, in my supreme greatness - and as a half Japanese kid with a Japanese mom, was taken back by how many people wear these masks in places like Tokyo when I first arrived here (I thought they looked like bank robbers!) 


So, on that note, without further ado, may I present the Simple Historical Guide to Japanese Face Masks?


History of "the Mask":

Though masks were introduced from outside of Japan in the 1870's, actual production of these sorts of masks began in Japan in 1912 in the Taisho period. Masks were made for industrial use. They were cloth with a brass mesh. This brass mesh would rust which called into question the durability of the product. They didn't become popular amongst the general public until 1919.

In 1919, the masks began to be used by the general public due to the 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic. Due to this epidemic overseas, the use of the masks in Japan by the general public boomed. Manufacturers could not keep up with demand (this still happens sometimes).

In 1923, the masks became indelibly a part of Japan after the Great Kanto Earthquake that devastated Tokyo and the subsequent fires, and tsunami, left over 182,000 people dead and another 40,000 missing. This caused a great fear of diseases and, as said, these masks then became a part of Japanese life forever. Soon after, a smart businessman named Takeshi Uchiyama made a patent for the "Soo mask" and became the number one seller of masks in Japan. Hooray for the free market!

An industry is born:


In 1933 and 1934 Influenza ravaged Japan and the world again. Once again, with the illness came a boom in mask use. As the years went by, the technology and designs of these masks became more and more advanced and, in 1948, the design using a single wire to bend to fit one's face was made and it's been basically the standard that is in use until this very day. 

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

Boxes of cold remedies from the past. You can see that, in some pictures, the insinuation is that the cold medicines will allow one to remove the masks. 

Now, as everyone knows, the Japanese are world famous for cleanliness. You can see it in their streets and in the city. Even public bathrooms in Japan are much cleaner in general than what you see in the west. Many of the home toilets automatically flush or rinse one's derriere. There's even ones that open and close the covers and seats for you.


In public restrooms, women will often rinse off the knobs of the washlets for the next person. This doesn't disinfect them, of course, but it shows a courtesy that is uniquely Japanese. 

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

You'll often see Japanese wearing masks on trains and in the office as they do that as a matter of courtesy to other people too; they don't want to spread, nor catch colds... Every year, from about March to May and again from September to November and again during flu season, you will see a boom in people wearing these masks... And, during those times, masks might sell out... Especially if the mass media is spreading fear as in the case of the H1N1 flu that was supposed to kills millions of Japanese but wound up killing one old lady in Kyushu.


So when you come to Japan, Mr. or Mrs, Foreigner and you see Japanese people wearing masks, fear not! They most likely aren't doing it because of radioactive fallout or because they are about to knockoff a bank... It's probably not quite that exciting. They are wearing those masks because they have a runny nose, a cough or they don't want some old geezer on the train sneezing at them... The Japanese wear masks because they want to or have a need to; it's considered polite, proper courtesy and considerate to others. Thank god that many manufacturers offer many types and the sufficient amount to meet the consumer demand of the Japanese public.


If you do worry about nuclear fallout from Fukushima when you visit Tokyo then may I suggest not coming here at all or, if you must, at least get some rabies shots before you arrive. We already have a big enough problem with rabid, foaming at the mouth people as it is.

Much historical reference taken from www.mask.co.jp - Thanks!

Radiation and Reason - the Impact of Science on a Culture of Fear

Are you worried about radiation from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plants? Are you confused about conflicting news reports? Do you wish you had some better information so that you can judge what's best for you and your family?


Well, the only way to do that is to educate yourself.


A good friend sends me the link to the Radiation and Reason website by professor Wade Allison. Professor Allison is Emeritus Professor of Physics at Oxford University and author of the book Radiation and Reason - the Impact of Science on a Culture of Fear. 

The book has been getting excellent reviews and after reading, I thought that you, dear reader, might find this quite interesting. But first, the things that initially caught my eye were some of the reviews:

“Even if you disagree with where Allison takes his arguments, a large part of the book is a good accessible review of the science of radiation and its biological effects. This in itself makes it a potentially valuable read for activists interested in nuclear and environmental issues.” - Peace News, July/August 2010

"Why I'm becoming a pro-nuke nut..... I'd like to urge readers to check out two even more provocative analysts of the risks of nuclear energy..... The other scholar challenging my nuclear views is Wade Allison.... I do think that these and similar views should be included in the conversation we're having about how to solve our energy problems. These are desperate times, and we must consider all alternatives available to us—including nuclear energy, which just a few months ago I fervently opposed.” - John Horgan, Scientific American 23 August 2010

On that note, I'd like to reprint the final chapter of the book here for you to read to help you draw your own conclusions about the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Professor Wade Allison

Chapter 11 Summary of Conclusions

Risks to health associated with ionising radiation have been

overestimated by a wide margin. This conclusion has been

reached bringing together three sources of scientific information:

firstly a century of clinical experience of radiotherapy; secondly

the current knowledge of radiobiology based on laboratory

studies; thirdly the analysis of the long-term health records of

large populations of people exposed to radiation, either as a

single (acute) dose or as a continuing (chronic) one. The result is

that new safety levels for human radiation exposures are

suggested: 100 millisievert in a single dose; 100 millisievert in

total in any month; 5,000 millisievert as a total whole-of-life

exposure. These figures are conservative, and may be debatable

within factors of two, but not ten.

There are three reasons why existing radiation safety standards

have been set at levels that are typically a thousand times more

cautious: firstly the association in the public mind of radiation

with the dangers of nuclear weapons; secondly the advice of

authorities, set up with a narrow remit to minimise public

exposure to radiation and to satisfy the public aspiration for

safety and reassurance; thirdly the lack of available firm

scientific evidence and understanding in earlier decades. During

the Cold War era there were good political reasons not to

minimise the health legacy of a nuclear war, but this association

is now engrained in the general consciousness. In their physical

destructive power nuclear weapons are especially dangerous.

But, when the initial blast with its flash of ionising radiation and

heat has gone, the residual radioactivity and fallout have a much

smaller impact on human health than was supposed in the past.

The underlying idea that a radiation dose, however small, leaves

an indelible mark on health is not supportable. The evidence that

workers exposed to radiation have 15–20% lower mortality from

cancer before age 85 suggests that low doses of radiation might

be beneficial.

New dangers are now evident. These are more global and

threatening than any local nuclear incident, and arise from

changes in the Earth's atmosphere, triggered by the continuing

use of fossil fuels. Although many initiatives are possible in

response, the only large-scale solution is a major switch to

nuclear power for electricity generation and the supply of

additional fresh water. For this to happen rapidly, cheaply and

without disruption, the public perception of ionising radiation

needs to be turned around, and substantial changes in regulations

and working practices, based on new safety levels, determined

afresh. For the future, improved biological understanding may be

able to justify relaxing safety levels still further, and legislation

and working practices should be drawn up, allowing for this

possibility. Such a relaxation of safety levels by factors of about

a thousand means that current concerns, such as waste,

decommissioning, radiation health, terrorism and costs, can be

seen in a better light.

This is a most positive conclusion. But are we able and ready to

reconsider our views, and then act fast enough to lessen the

impending change in climate?

Epilogue: Fukushima

Instability and self destruction

There is a legend in English folklore about Canute, a wise king

of England and Scandinavia (1016-1035). His flattering courtiers

told him that he was 'So great, he could command the tides of the

sea to go back'. But he knew his own limitations -- even if his

courtiers did not -- so he had his throne carried to the seashore

and sat on it as the tide came in, commanding the waves to

advance no further. When they did not, he had made his point

that, though the deeds of kings might appear great in the minds

of men, they were as nothing in the face of nature. As with the

sea, so with radiation; it is nature and science that determine the

effect of radiation and its safety, not political authority. Just

following safety regulations is no substitute for achieving some

understanding.

On 11 March 2011 a magnitude-9 earthquake struck the northeast

coast of Japan and generated a tsunami that completely

devastated a wide coastal area. The death toll was 15,247 with

8,593 missing (as at 27 May) and over 100,000 properties were

completely destroyed [62]. All eleven nuclear reactors at four

nuclear power plants in the region that were operating at the time

of the earthquake immediately shut down exactly as designed. In

the aftermath of the subsequent tsunami three nuclear reactors at

the Fukushima Daiichi plant destroyed themselves and released

radioactive material into the environment. The accident was

declared to be 'severity 7', the maximum on the nuclear accident

scale, the same as Chernobyl -- but Chernobyl was quite

different; its reactor was not shut down, there was no

containment structure to inhibit the spread of radioactivity and

the entire reactor core was exposed to the open air with a

graphite fire that burned and contributed further heat to 'boil off'

and send all volatile material high into the atmosphere.

So what happened to these reactors at Fukushima? The description 'shut down' means that the neutron flux was reduced

to zero and all nuclear fission ceased. Although there was never

any risk of a nuclear fission explosion -- a nuclear bomb -- heat

continued to be produced by radioactive decay, initially at 7% of

full reactor power and falling to 1/2% within a day. This 'decay

heat' is a feature of every fission reactor, as described in Fig. 22,

and the Fukushima reactors were provided with many ways to

disperse this heat without releasing radioactivity into the

environment. At the time of the accident the tsunami deprived

the reactors of power -- connections to the electrical utility were

severed, emergency diesel generators were flooded and back-up

batteries were exhausted after a few hours. As a result the

cooling systems failed and the reactor cores became too hot and

started to melt. In addition the pressure in the reactor

containment vessels rose beyond their design strength. To

prevent complete rupture it was necessary to reduce this pressure

by venting steam including some volatile radioactive material,

largely iodine and caesium. The released gas also included some

hydrogen which exploded (chemically) in the air, blowing the

roof off the outermost cladding of the buildings and hurling some

contaminated debris around the plant and its neighbourhood.

However, it would seem that these explosions did not involve

any further release of activity as they were external to the

primary containment vessel.

Of the dispersed radioactive elements, iodine-131 is known to be

dangerous because it causes thyroid cancer if ingested by

children who have not taken prophylactic iodine tablets. In Japan

these tablets were made available, unlike at Chernobyl (see

chapter 6). Since the activity of iodine-131 halves every eight

days following cessation of nuclear fission, there was no iodine

in the spent fuel ponds. Nevertheless the cooling of these storage

ponds and their potential radioactive discharges have been an

additional focus of attention. Radioactive caesium -- particularly

caesium-137 which has a half-life of 30 years -- was released in

significant quantities both at Fukushima and at Chernobyl.

Outside the plant at Chernobyl there were no fatalities that can

be attributed to radioactivity (other than iodine) and therefore

Instability and self destruction none attributable to caesium. 

Indeed it is a curious fact that at

Fukushima, in spite of the intense media interest in the radiation,

while the tsunami killed thousands, the radiation killed none, and

is unlikely to do so in the future. [After six weeks 30 workers

had received a radiation dose between 100 and 250 milli-sievert

[63]. At Hiroshima and Nagasaki 41 people contracted radiation induced

cancer in 50 years out of 5949 who received a dose in

this range -- that is 1 in 150 (Table 5). At Chernobyl no

emergency worker who received less than 2,000 milli-sievert

died from Acute Radiation Syndrome (Fig. 9b).]

The powerful self destruction of the reactors at Fukushima has

made arresting media headlines that have been closely followed

by predictable promises of increased safety by the authorities.

Modern reactor designs include more safety features than those

at Fukushima and spending many millions of dollars on

protecting a reactor against self destruction has always been a

major element of its design and construction. But the record

shows that human lives are far less at risk in nuclear than in

conventional accidents -- at Windscale (0), Three Mile Island (0),

Chernobyl (50) or Fukushima (0) than at Piper Alpha (167),

Bhopal (3,800) or the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (11). The

distinction would seem to be the simple legacy of fear associated

with nuclear radiation. Distance is no barrier to alarm and fear;

press reports of traces of activity from Fukushima detected as far

away as Scotland, often failed to note the miniscule level found.

Such reports sometimes have serious consequences; following

Chernobyl, statistics for births in Greece published in the

medical literature showed evidence for nearly 2,000 extra

induced abortions attributed to the perceived threat [64]. Instead

of spending large sums on appeasing fears by isolating people

from radiation yet further in the name of safety, resources should

be spent on real public education about nuclear radiation and its

benefits for mankind.

Within days of the accident at Fukushima the media had

exhausted their ability to described the size of the radiation

threat, so spread panic rather than information. As a result many

people fled Tokyo by plane and train. The cause was the fear that

nuclear radiation engenders, rather than any knowledge of the

radiation effect itself. Over-cautious radiation safety limits,

enshrined in regulation in Japan as elsewhere, caused apparently

incomprehensible information to be given by the authorities. For

example, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the

electric utility company responsible for Fukushima, said that in

the week of the 4 April it had released 10,400 tons of slightly

contaminated water into the sea and that, although this contained

100 times the legal limit for iodine-131, this level would be safe,

and that eating fish and seaweed caught near the plant every day

for a year would add some 0.6 mSv to the dose above natural

background [63]. These statements are probably true but their

apparent mutual contradiction is a source for understandable

alarm. This contradiction would not have occurred if the legal

limits had been set to match a level As High As Relatively Safe

(AHARS) instead of As Low As Reasonably Achievable

(ALARA), a difference of a factor of 1000 or so.

However the story is not yet over and the task of containing the

fuel and keeping it cool continues. Water, so essential to the

cooling task, has become contaminated and must be filtered.

Even with the use of robots the management of these tasks is

daunting. Although the current position [4 June 2011] may not

improve for some months yet, it is worth noting that at

Chernobyl the fuel was open to the sky at high temperature so

that the fate of the cooling water became irrelevant.

Much attention has been given to pointing a finger at who is to

blame for the accident at Fukushima. For many TEPCO is seen

as the villain. But I argue that this is unreasonable; those who

live in Japan accept a very unstable geological environment. In

the tsunami other buildings and plant were swept away

completely, but the Fukushima Daiichi plant survived. It seems

that the nuclear plant was able to withstand an earthquake well

beyond its design and with a few changes it would have

withstood the tsunami too, for instance, a better site, a higher sea

wall and protected diesel generators. Indeed the other reactors in

Japan did so with little or no damage. With hindsight it is easy to

find measures that could have been taken, but why should

nuclear safety be treated as exceptional? Nobody died from

failure of nuclear safety but they died in tens of thousands from

failure of general protection against the effect of a tsunami, about

which there is far less comment [66]. This blame game arises

from a preference to pin responsibility on someone rather than to

sit down and think carefully about what happened -- and whether

a nuclear radiation incident is worse than a tsunami. In more

stable parts of the world these natural forces represent no hazard

to a nuclear plant in any event. However, irrational fear and a

loss of trust in fellow human beings and the organisations for

which they are responsible show the presence of instabilities in

society, just as earthquakes show geologically unstable regions.

International reactions to Fukushima have indicated that many

countries suffer from such instability, whether through

inadequate public education, uninformed political leadership or a

lack of readiness among individuals to learn about the science

that affects their lives. In every community a few members of

society should find out and others should trust them. Mutual trust

is essential for human survival and there is no reason to treat

nuclear radiation safety as a special case.

Explanation or appeasement

A lack of public information and over-cautious radiation

regulations, mis-interpreted as danger levels, caused widespread

despair and misery at Chernobyl where the enforced evacuation

at short notice of the local agricultural population to distant and

unfamiliar accommodation was responsible for serious social

damage; the consequences of this dislocation have been

emphasised in recent reports [12]. The nuclear accident

highlighted the fractures inherent in Soviet society and when

Gorbachev reflected on the disaster it was the socio-economic

earthquake of the end of the Soviet era that he saw. Abroad, the

over-cautious regulations based on appeasing public opinion

caused serious economic damage, as admitted, for instance, in

the press by the authorities in Sweden in 2002 [28].

At Fukushima too there has been damage to families,

communities and the economy caused by the evacuation on top

of the destruction and death from the tsunami. The exposure

level (20 milli-sievert per year) used to define the evacuation

zone is too low and large numbers of people have been evacuated

who should not have been displaced. The criterion for such

invasive socio-economic surgery should be set relatively high,

perhaps up to 100 milli-sievert per month, which is still some

200 times smaller than the monthly dose rate received by the

healthy tissue of patients on a course of cancer therapy.

Evidently concerns for human health based on ALARA are out of

balance with concerns for human health applied in clinical

medicine. At Fukushima, as at Chernobyl, the principal threat to

health has come from fear, uncertainty and enforced evacuation,

not from radiation. In Japan official caution about radiation has

damaged many lives and generated extra socio-economic cost,

misery, recrimination and loss of trust in authorities.

We need better public explanation and realistic safety standards.

Currently these are set on the advice of the International

Committee for Radiological Protection (ICRP) “based on (i) the

current understanding of the science of radiation exposures and

effects and (ii) value judgements. These value judgements take

into account societal expectations, ethics, and experience” [65].

In the past ICRP has followed opinion rather than leading it, a

mistaken approach given the state of popular understanding of

radiation derived from the primitive picture left by last century's

political propaganda. After Chernobyl the chairman of ICRP

admitted that the approach of extra caution had failed (see final

pages of chapter 6). The ICRP has been urged to revise its

approach by academic national reviews [21,22] and others [41].

Accordingly, it should now show some leadership; safety levels

should be revised in the light of modern radiobiology and

supported with programmes of public re-education -- some in the

community are quite bright and welcome reasoned explanation.

The new levels should be as high as is relatively safe (AHARS)

rather than as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). For their

sakes we need to educate young people for the dangers of the

21st century, not shackle them with the misunderstandings of the

20th. In a world of other dangers -- earthquakes, global warming,

economic collapse, shortages of jobs, power, food and water --

the expensive pursuit of the lowest possible radiation levels is in

the best interest of no one.

Thanks to Timo Budow