After a sever earthquake caused a tsunami to sweet across Japan, two of the countries nuclear power plants were severely damaged and started what is now called The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster. Shortly after the accident Japanese officials released an assessment that rated the damage as a Level 4 using the International Nuclear Event scale or INES. Some international groups strongly questioned this analysis and suspected the damage was more severe than the government was admitting. Under pressure from these outside groups and as more details became public the final assessment of the disaster named it as a level 7 accident on the INES.

The negative impact this disaster has had on the people of Japan are still being calculated but some scientists are reporting that the levels of iodine 131 and cesium 137 released by the plants could be compared to the levels found after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Already Japanese officials banned the sale of food that was being grown within a 50 Kilometer radius of the plants. The government has also recommended that parents or caregivers should not use tap water when they are preparing food for children or infants. If is often very tough to analyze the exact impact a disaster of this nature had on and area or population until years after the fact. Exposure to low levels of radiation can often show no immediate signs but can cause long term health problems, especially for children.

The workers at the Fukushima and Daiichi nuclear plants are among those most affected by the accident. On March 25th two cases of radiation burns were reported by workers at the plants. After tests were performed at the hospital and questions were asked it was determined that the workers had been exposed to radiation while working in Unit 3. The area at the time was flooded and the workers were standing in contaminated water. While their injuries were not immediately life threatening it is hard to determine what if any long term affects may be caused by the exposure. Several other workers and people who resided near the plant have been treated for possible exposure.

While this disaster is indeed terrible and dose compel many to compare it to the disaster in Chernobyl there have been a few improvements since the previous disaster in 1986 that are helping to make the clean up a little less dangerous and much more effective. A new product called Decon Gelto, referred to by many people as “blue goo” is a major part of the clean up effort taking place across the affected areas in Japan. The previous methods used for radioactive cleanup had many short falls. After past nuclear disasters the simple method of scrubbing everything down with soap and water was our biggest defense. This not only required clean up crews to be exposed to high levels of radiation but also produced a large amount of contaminated water that was hard to contain. The new “blue goo” can be poured onto any surface and left for a short time. The gelatinous material forms a film that picks up and encapsulates any radiation and then can easily be peeled away taking all contaminants with it. The solid nature of the material is much easier to contain and dispose of than water.

Find out more about insurance for hurricane damage at the Beacon Hill blog and see how Beacon Hill Associates can help you.

Find out more about insurance for hurricane damage at the Beacon Hill blog http://www.b-h-a.com/blog.aspx and see how Beacon Hill Associates can help you http://www.b-h-a.com/Home.aspx.

Author Bio: Find out more about insurance for hurricane damage at the Beacon Hill blog and see how Beacon Hill Associates can help you.

Category: Advice
Keywords: Environment, Business, Industry, Insurance, Accident