80% of A-bomb plaintiffs had acute radiation symptoms: Kyodo poll

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

Index:



80% of A-bomb plaintiffs had acute radiation symptoms: Kyodo poll

Plutonium from Bikini tests collecting in sea near Japan

Japan to host int'l seminar on dismantling Russian nuke subs

Wash. Nuclear Power Plant Halts Operations

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80% of A-bomb plaintiffs had acute radiation symptoms: Kyodo poll



OSAKA, Aug. 1 (Kyodo) - Over 80 percent of the plaintiffs who have 

sued the government for recognition as atomic bomb illness sufferers 

experienced symptoms of acute radiation, regardless of their distance 

from the hypocenters in the 1945 U.S. attacks on Hiroshima and 

Nagasaki, according to a Kyodo News survey.



Kyodo contacted 146 survivors of the atomic bombings who have filed 

lawsuits, and 92 of them responded.



The survey also found three-quarters of the respondents, regardless 

of where they were during the attacks, entered areas near the 

hypocenters soon afterward and likely experienced multiple exposures 

to radiation such as from radioactive fallout.



The findings show the health ministry's standards for approving the 

recognition -- calculating estimated radiation based on the distance 

from the hypocenters in the initial period after the bombings -- may 

have failed to include those who fall ill from internal exposure such 

as inhaling radioactive substances.



The survey found that over 80 percent suffered from acute radiation 

illness symptoms such as loss of hair and vomiting soon after the 

U.S. attacks on the cities.



"External radiation exposure cannot explain the high rates of acute 

radiation illness suffered by those who entered areas close to the 

hypocenters from outside," said Shoji Sawada, professor emeritus at 

Nagoya University and an atomic bomb survivor himself.



"It is necessary (for the government) to consider the effects of 

inhaling radioactive dust in the areas," he said.



The symptoms are believed to result from being exposed to at least 1 

gray, the unit equivalent to 1 joule of radiation energy absorbed per 

kilogram of organ or tissue weight.



Among the respondents, 64 were in Hiroshima and 28 in Nagasaki, on 

which the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in August 1945. Their average age 

now is 72.4.



Forty-four of 54 respondents who were within 2 kilometers of the 

hypocenters and 28 of 33 who were farther away said they suffered the 

symptoms.



All five other respondents, who entered the two cities after the 

bombings, said they experienced the symptoms.



The majority of the respondents, or 77 percent, entered areas near 

the hypocenters to search for relatives or help in aid operations. As 

much as 43 percent said they were exposed to radioactive "black 

rain."



Sixty-four percent said their "health changed completely" after being 

exposed to the atomic bomb blasts, and 70 percent said they have been 

suffering from symptoms for over 40 years.



On why they sued, 84 percent said they "wanted the state to recognize 

that their illnesses were caused by the atomic bombings," much more 

than the 17 percent who said they did so to obtain the government's 

special medical allowance.



"The trials are prolonged and I feel that my life won't last long 

enough," a female respondent in her 80s said.



A man in his 70s wrote, "If I had died at that time, I wouldn't have 

had to worry about my health and could have lived peacefully in 

heaven."



Ninety percent of the respondents called the government's recognition 

criteria too strict. About 60 percent said they decided to sue 

because they were angry at the government and that they hope the 

suits will lead to the abolition of nuclear arms.



"Even now as I am about to die, I am still fighting in the lawsuit," 

said a male respondent in his 60s.



The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare defines atomic bomb 

survivors as those who were directly exposed to the atomic bombings 

in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and surrounding areas, as well as those who 

entered areas near the hypocenters within two weeks of the bombings.



Among such survivors, those recognized as suffering from illnesses 

resulting from atomic bomb radiation are eligible for a special 

medical allowance of 137,840 yen per month.



However, the ministry has only granted 2,270 of the 270,000 

survivors, or 0.82 percent, the allowances.



The survey was mailed to the 146 plaintiffs through the cooperation 

of various support groups for atomic bomb survivors and received 

valid responses from 92 people.

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Plutonium from Bikini tests collecting in sea near Japan



TOKYO, Aug. 1 (Kyodo) - Plutonium particles scattered by a series of 

nuclear tests in the Bikini Atoll in the 1950s have been accumulating 

in seas close to Japan, a research team said Saturday.



The research group of the National Institute of Radiological Science 

said the contamination level is too weak to immediately cause serious 

impact on people or the environment. But the group said its findings 

could provide useful data in a study on how radioactive fallout 

produced by past atmospheric nuclear tests flows throughout the 

world's oceans.



Plutonium pollution from the Bikini tests had never been confirmed in 

seas around Japan. The particles are believed to have been carried by 

ocean currents even after 50 years, and some of the plutonium sank 

into the sea and attached to dead planktons, according to the team.



"If we could figure out how such plutonium particles are flowing 

around the world, it would be useful at a time of a nuclear 

accident," said Masatoshi Yamada, the research team's leader.



Unlike underground testing, atmospheric nuclear tests release huge 

amounts of radioactive material, called "dead ash," into the air. In 

1963, Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States agreed to ban 

that type of nuclear testing. But France and China continued.

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Japan to host int'l seminar on dismantling Russian nuke subs



TOKYO, Aug. 1 (Kyodo) - The Japanese government and a U.S. think tank 

will jointly host a seminar in Tokyo to promote international 

cooperation on accelerating the dismantling of decommissioned Russian 

nuclear submarines with the participation of Russia, the United 

States and Australia, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.



The ministry will also call on Norway, Britain, South Korea and 

Canada to take part in the seminar, which aims at strengthening the 

countries' network to promote the dismantling of the subs, it said.



It will ask lawmakers as well as government officials of the 

participating countries to take part in the seminar, the ministry 

added.



The seminar will feature reports on the current state of the 

dismantling operation as well as an exchange of opinions on the 

future tasks in the operation.



Japan has been involved in the effort to dismantle decommissioned 

nuclear subs left around Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakstan after 

the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.



Tokyo has pledged a total of $200 million for the work -- $100 

million at a 1993 summit of the leaders of Group of Seven nations in 

Tokyo, and another $100 million at a 1999 G-7 summit in Cologne, 

Germany.



With the cooperation of Japan, the dismantling of a submarine in 

Vladivostok is expected to be completed this fall and the dismantling 

of another will start next year.



There are 50 such Russian subs to be dismantled in Europe and 40 in 

the Far East.

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Wash. Nuclear Power Plant Halts Operations



RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) - Washington state's only commercial nuclear 

power plant stopped operations Friday after an automatic shutdown 

system failed to work properly.



State emergency officials said there was no release of radiation and 

no danger to the public.



The reactor, which is operated by Energy Northwest, will remain out 

of service until crews determine what caused the problem, said Brad 

Peck, spokesman for the company.



The automatic shutdown system was triggered by an indication of high 

pressure, said Ken Clark, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. As part of the shutdown, all 185 control rods were 

supposed to insert into the reactor. But lights on a control panel 

indicated that two rods failed to insert, said Heather McMurdo, a 

spokeswoman for Energy Northwest.



Backup systems operated correctly after the rods, which control the 

reactor's operation, were inserted manually, she said. Operators kept 

the plant shut down as a precaution, McMurdo said.



The reactor is located on land leased from the U.S. Department of 

Energy within the boundaries of the Hanford nuclear reservation in 

south-central Washington state, but is a separate entity.



------------------------------------

Sandy Perle

Senior Vice President, Technical Operations

Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc.

3300 Hyland Avenue

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100  Extension 2306

Fax:(714) 668-3149



E-Mail: sperle@dosimetry.com

E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net



Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/

Global Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/



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