Leaked Japanese Report Details 'Worst-Case' Nuclear Scenario

The Japanese government predicted a worst-case scenario at the height of its nuclear crisis last year warning that tens of millions of people, including Tokyo residents, might need to evacuate the region to avoid contamination.

But fearing widespread panic, authorities kept the analysis secret.

The 15-page warning was compiled by experts and presented to then-prime minister Naoto Kan two weeks after the March 11 earthquake and tsunamis that triggered nuclear-reactor meltdowns at a power plant northeast of Tokyo and forced 80,000 nearby residents to flee. The twin disasters left 20,000 people dead or missing.

After Mr. Kan received the report on March 25, he and other Japanese officials publicly insisted there was no need to prepare for wide-scale evacuations.

The Associated Press quotes Cabinet minister Goshi Hosono as saying the scenario was "based on hypothesis, and even in the event of such a development, we were told that residents would have enough time to evacuate."

The report, leaked recently to the Associated Press, detailed several ways the nuclear crisis could escalate, including reactor explosions, complete core meltdowns and structural failures preventing water pools from cooling spent nuclear fuel.

The authors are quoted as saying "we can not rule out further developments that may lead to an unpredictable situation" at the plant, if the meltdowns spiral out of control and radiation levels spike. In that case, the authors said evacuations should be ordered within a 170-kilometer radius, with voluntary evacuations provided for everyone living within 250 kilometers and beyond.

The largest proposed evacuation area would have included Tokyo and its suburbs, with a population of 35-million residents.

Japanese regulators and politicians have come under heated criticism for how they disseminated information in the hours and days after disaster struck. Officials initially denied that plant reactors had melted down, and have since been accused of minimizing the health risks of radiation exposure.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Leaked-Japanese-Report-Details-Worst-Case-Nuclear-Scenario---138048973.html

8 radiation sickness signs

Due to nuclear assaults on the environment and life on it, humans are increasingly susceptible to irradiation poisoning them. Little information is being broadcasted about radiation sickness and its eight main signs. People who have been radiated often, therefore, attribute their new conditions to other than the actual cause, radiation.

The eight most common signs of radiation are:

1. Nausea and vomiting are typical early symptoms of radiation sickness. The higher the dose of irradiation, the faster they appear and the worse the overall prognosis. Irradiation is the process by which an item is exposed to radiation.

If vomiting begins one hour after irradiation, death is probable. Very often, people who suffered radiation exposure first feel awful, but then improve. As a rule, however, more severe symptoms occur in a few hours, days or even weeks.

2. Nose bleeding often occurs with radiation sickness. Blood of the throat, bleeding gums or blood from the rectum are also signs that radiation has impacted the body. Bleeding bruises occur, sometimes hematemesis. The bleeding is caused by the radiation reducing the number of platelets that clot blood in the body.

3. Diarrhea, sometimes bloody: Burning, or "hits" are common. "Hits” along the body’s cells that rapidly reproduce, including in the digestive tract cells. Irradiation causes irritation of the digestive organs that can cause diarrhea, sometimes bloody diarrhea.

4. Severe sunburn appearance: Skin exposed to radiation can become red and covered with blisters as though strongly sunburned. In some cases, ulcers appear and in others, the skin may climb in round pattern.

5. Hair loss: One of the most common signs of radiation poisoning is hair loss, as cancer survivors note soon after radiation treatment. Radiation damages hair follicles so people being radiated usually oblyseet two or three weeks. In some cases, the hair loss is irreparable.

6. Fatigue and exhaustion: Radiation sickness causes weakness that feels similar to the flu and is often mistaken for "having the flu." Decreasing the number of red blood cells results in anemia and increased risk of fainting.

7. Mouth sores: Radiation sickness causes ulcers on lips or and in the mouth. Similar ulcers occur inside the esophagus, stomach and intestines.

8. Infection susceptibility: Radiation acts on white blood cells responsible for resisting infections, so people become more susceptible to viruses, bacteria and fungal diseases.

http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/eight-horrid-radiation-sickness-signs