Measure to Deal with Leaks of Radiation Harmful to the Environment
Arnab Datta
Measure to deal with leaks of radiation harmful to the environment
General Overview of the topic/UN perspective
Ever since the Japan earthquake and tsunami, a nuclear power plant got a leak and harmful radioactive materials got released into the environment. There have been traces of radioactive materials in China, Switzerland, and the USA. This one way radiation spreads. It is in the water cycle. The ocean has radiation, and then you are watering your crops with water that has been radiated. Now your food has traces of radiation in it and you are eating it.
Major Parties Involved and Their view
USA- “Radiation levels are extremely high.” There has been a scan on milk in the US and it appears to have some traces of radiation. The US has banned all imports from Japan. Citizens buy anti-radiation pills.
China- Many Chinese went to the grocery stores to buy iodized salt hoping to ward of radiation with it.
Russia- The whole country is buying radiation aids hoping not to get radiation sickness. You can tell from these answers that everyone is worried about getting sick from the radiation leak.
Key Terms
Radiation: the emission of energy as subatomic particles.
Nuclear Energy: atomic energy, the energy released by nuclear reaction.
Nuclear Reaction: A change in the nucleus of an atom that results as an energetic particle.
Radioactive: Emitting the emission of ionizing radiation or particles.
Timeline of Events
March 11 2011: The day the triple disaster hit Japan. Leak in the reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was found and thousands of radioactive materials were released in the sky.
March 16 2011: US’ first reaction on radiation crisis.
21 March 2011: UN had first meeting about crisis.
1 April 2011: they found small traces of radiation in the milk.
April 2011: Start drowning nuclear plant in salt water to cool reactors.
End of 2011: Japan has radiation crisis under control (not fully).
UN’s involvement
On March 21st 2011, the UN held its first meeting about the Japan crisis. 10 days after the triple disaster hit the country. All of the countries that are in the UN attended the meeting and so did the Head of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency.) Here is what the Head of IAEA, Mr. Amato, said:
- “High levels of contamination measured near the plant and the concerns of millions of people in Japan, neighboring countries and further afield about possible dangers to human health, environmental contamination and risks to foodstuffs.”
The IAEA is monitoring the radiation site and sending information back to the headquarters at Vienna. The UN has not yet come up with a resolution, yet.
Possible Solutions
Japan could keep on trying to cool the reactors, by dumping water over it, or they could encase the reactor in many layers of quick drying cement. They would have to make sure there are no leaks in the cement. Instead of using cement, they could use just about anything that is air tight. If this sort of triple disaster happens again, then Japan could put the reactors away from the ocean so that a tsunami doesn’t reach them. They should make them protected very well so that an earthquake doesn’t attack them as well.