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"Japanese scientists are suspicious of official data"

Teresa Moreno is a researcher at the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research of Spain’s National Research Council located in Barcelona. Currently, she is carrying out research at the University of Kumamoto in southern Japan, where she arrived two days after the tsunami devastated in country. An expert on air quality, Moreno explains how she sees the situation in Japan

DAVID SEGARRA | APRIL 8TH, 2011

What is the current situation in Fukushima?
It seems that TEPCO, the company that runs the Fukushima nuclear power plant, has eliminated the possibility of a catastrophic fusion meltdown. But there is still a major emergency in connection with the leak of radioactive water into the sea, and this could get worse. The area around the reactors (say, about 50 miles, no one knows exactly how big the area is for certain) will remain contaminated for many years.

What type of radioactive contamination has occurred so far?
There are many radioactive substances involved, like in the Chernobyl disaster, of which the ones causing the most concern are iodine-131, cesium-131 ??and strontium-90. But Chernobyl used fuel rods of uranium-235, while the plant in Japan uses MOX (mixed plutonium and reprocessed nuclear waste), which is potentially much more toxic. Inhalation of plutonium particles is very dangerous, although these materials are heavy and do not remain airborne far away from the plant.

How can we evaluate the effects of radioactivity on the population?
One can imagine this tragedy as an explosion in slow motion, sending shock waves further and further out and affecting more and more people. At first, attention focused on the acute radiation received by workers at the plant. Then, as the scale of the disaster became increasingly clear, the local population was evacuated from the immediate area in order to minimize the inhalation of radioactive particles and gases and the consumption of contaminated food.

Those people must be having a horrible experience.
Yes, they have suffered terribly. With the tsunami, many people lost family members, their livelihood, their home, and have had to endure bitter cold and shortages of food, water and heating.

But the problem does not stop there ...
No, of course not. Then came the growing realization that the radioactive contamination of food and water would be a big problem. People in Tokyo were warned against drinking tap water, and milk and vegetables in the northeast of Japan have been withdrawn from market.

Now the main concern is contaminated sea water and fish And now, what are Japan’s main concerns?
Now the main concern is contaminated sea water and therefore fish and seafood, especially fish at the top of the food chain, like tuna. When you see the amount of fish and seafood eaten by the Japanese, you understand that the impact of pollution on marine life off the coast of Japan will be enormous.

How is the radioactivity currently spreading?
Radioactive air pollution caused by the Fukushima disaster has been traced throughout the world, although the levels are not high enough to cause great concern for human health. Iodine has a half-life of only eight days and is quickly diluted. Probably more important are the levels of contamination of cesium-127 and strontium-90, which have half-lives of about 30 years. We know that some of the fish we eat, like tuna and swordfish, are already contaminated with heavy metals such as mercury. Now we have to control the amounts of radioactive materials that these organisms bio-accumulate.

On a more personal level, how are you experiencing the situation?
I have to admit that the first thing I do every morning is turn on the computer to read news from different countries to get a better view, and also look at the radiation levels in the air and water taken by the Japanese government for each region.

Fukushima is a bit far from you, right?
We are in the city of Kumamoto (Kyushu) over a thousand miles southwest from Fukushima, and considering the prevailing direction of the air currents, it seems that radiation levels in are higher in California than here.

How do you see the situation in the streets and the attitudes of the population?
The situation in the street is incredibly normal. In addition to Kumamoto , I have visited other cities (all south of Tokyo), and the atmosphere is the organized chaos of every day. I've only been here three weeks, not enough time to understand the behavior of the Japanese, but my first impression is one of a people who are very uncommunicative. It is difficult to know what they think or feel, and they are very respectful. My impression is that in this area people have not had their lives directly affected, but they are watching the news all the time. Talking to colleagues here, I notice that there is a huge sense of loss and amazement at what has happened in his country, but they do not show it publicly.

Radiation levels in the air are higher in California than in southern JapanDo you think the Japanese are well-informed?
On the news programs of the small number of Japan’s free television channels, the issue of the earthquake-tsunami- nuclear power plant is the only news, with the exception of the weather and sports. The news is more focused on the problems of the tsunami survivors than the radiation leak, which is completely understandable considering the magnitude of the disaster. I have heard comments from Japanese colleagues complaining about the lack of information about the radiation leak, and the slowness with which it is being released to the public. This is coupled with the local elections this month, which is surely affecting the government’s action and decisions.

How is the scientific community reacting?
I think the Japanese scientific community is disappointed with the attitude of the company that owns the nuclear plant, but especially with the government's slowness to act. There is a distrust of the official data being released, and therefore they think that the situation must be worse than the authorities are admitting.

The scientific community is disappointed with the attitude of the owner of the plant What do Japanese geologists think?
I work surrounded by geologists and the impression they have is that it was unlikely that an earthquake of this magnitude would occur. But it was possible, and in this context, it seems that security measures were inadequate at the Fukushima plant. For example, the newspaper Japan Times recently published an interview where geologists say that the protection against possible tsunamis was clearly inadequate: emergency engines for reactor 1 at the plant were not even protected by walls, so they were completely exposed to the force of the sea.

Do you think the Japanese are going to question the use of nuclear energy?
So far, I have not read any comments about the need to use alternative energy sources or the closure of nuclear plants in the country.

By the way, what are you doing in Japan?
I am at Kumamoto University on a short-stay research grant from the Generalitat of Catalonia. My stay is for seven weeks, beginning March 13 (two days after the earthquake) and ending on May 3. I'm staying at the residence of the university for foreign students and researchers, a 20-minute walk each morning to the School of Earth Sciences, and 20 minutes by bus to the city center. During the week I go to the university every day, but the building is closed on the weekends so I take the opportunity to visit other sites, or go shopping at the local supermarket, where everything is in Japanese. You cannot imagine how difficult it is to buy detergent without a design on the package as a clue.

What are you researching in Japan?
I am carrying out air quality measurements in collaboration with Prof. Tomoko Kojima. We are taking tests for 30 days in southern Japan, a region which at this time of the year receives air masses arriving from the Gobi desert loaded with minerals. Besides these events, which are somewhat similar to the arrival of air masses from the Sahara to the Iberian Peninsula, the air quality in Japan is strongly influenced by episodes of metalliferous pollution particles and sulfates from industry in China.

Do you already have results?
In the three weeks that we have tested, in addition to two 3.5-scale earthquakes, we have already seen episodes of air pollution from local sources and several episodes rich in sulfates from China. And it seems that soon will have a massive intrusion of dust from the Gobi Desert. Contrary to what normally occurs, the winds will come from the East, so they may show traces of radioactive isotopes such as I-131 from Fukushima. Finally, there are three active volcanoes in Kyushu, south-east from where I live, and winds are predicted from that direction soon, so we will also sample volcanic dust. Without a doubt, we are collecting samples that will be very special, but always remember the Chinese curse May you live in interesting times.

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tony 04/05/2011
I have been offered a 6 mths contract to perform on a lake cruise south of tokyo , i am interested in going but is it safe , is there any radiation reports for the southern sector of Japan ?

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