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| WHO Lies Refuted: Physicians’
Group |
“All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out.” - I. F. Stone In this new age of instant information, navigating the
pitfalls of overload (too much); uncertainty (lack of); misinformation
(poor quality); disinformation (intentional distortion, lies); is key
in determining the scope of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and assessing
immediate and long-term impacts on the international and Japanese public
health. Fortunately we have one of the first attempts from researchers
to set the record straight and calculate the death toll from the Fukushima
nuclear disaster. The report comes from the courageous men and women of
International Physicians for Preventing Nuclear War (IPPNW) who expose
the Big Lie being perpetrated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that
few ill health effects will occur. The continuing and endlessly repeated message from the
media based on WHO’s report is that health damage from the Fukushima nuclear
disaster is more psychological than actual (3). If you are worried about
radiation you are probably paranoid, and that victims “should smile often”
to reduce the negative health impacts of radiation. These depraved assertions
are indicative of the specious and insidious lengths WHO and their media
lackeys are prepared to go in order to obfuscate and cover-up what is
one of the most severe threats to human health in modern history. The methodology used for the WHO cancer projection risk report fails in a number of ways. Instead of attempting to build a few sample detailed profiles of exposure, they used highly generalized on paper estimates then applied them to entire populations. The WHO study is not based off of real world recorded exposure data in humans. It is instead very rough on paper estimates based off of government environmental radiation readings and food testing. The WHO study also threw out all data from the evacuation zone, where most people were actually exposed. Their study completely lacks this important data in their calculations (6).The WHO threw out or otherwise selectively omitted data from the very areas where people were most affected. This is fraudulent science at best if not flatly criminal in intent. As nuclear critic Paul Zimmerman has found in his lengthy investigation of the radiation industry, “a clever campaign of misinformation has succeeded in making malignant deeds appear benign.” It is typical of governments that “[f]ollowing a radiation release, [they] avoid adequate radiation monitoring” because it is costly and might alarm the public (p. 23; pp. 209 - 211) (7). There is little concern for the number of people contaminated as the Japanese government’s mishandling of the Fukushima tragedy has clearly shown (8). Physicians Who Do No Harm In contrast to WHO disinformation and what may only be described as pro-nuclear propaganda, a report from the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) has analyzed some of the available data from Japan and found “[t]he initial health consequences of the nuclear catastrophe are now, two years after the incident, scientifically verifiable” (9). Depending on which demographic group is included in the survey and the radiation level that is considered a risk, the IPPNW estimated that upwards to 136,872 cancer cases or serious illnesses, apparently not including precancerous tumors on children, could occur. Bear in mind that the IPPNW findings are conservative compared to some general estimates that put potential cancer incidences as high as a million (10; 11; 12). Differences in risk models tells the story. The IPPNW derive their estimate model from the European Committee on Radiation Risk (ECRR). The WHO derives their estimates from such agencies as the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). One of the ECRR’s founding members, Dr. Chris Busby, has offered an extensive and convincing critique as to why the WHO and their establishment methodology for radiation risk is outdated and inaccurate (13). Doctors For The People And Planet The IPPNW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 and “is a non-partisan federation of national medical groups in 63 countries, representing tens of thousands of doctors, medical students, other health workers, and concerned citizens who share the common goal of creating a more peaceful and secure world freed from the threat of nuclear annihilation...” (14). Obviously, this group consists of highly professional, courageous and conscientious individuals, most of whom have medical backgrounds and all of whom uphold the Hippocratic Oath admonition “first, do no harm.” IPPNW are opposed to the “nuclear annihilation” of life on planet Earth, which is being threatened on a daily basis by the psychopaths in criminal-controlled governments and militaries around the world. With a cool 100 trillion dollars in their pocket, we know that it is not only the powers-that-be that are behind our perpetual wars for perpetual peace, but a particular group of supremely evil individuals who employ the threat of the ultimate form of violence in order to maintain their wealth, power, enslavement of humanity and ongoing destruction of the biosphere (15; 16; 17). The Cult of Nuclearists is comprised of people of a common mentality. They embrace nuclear and radiological weapons as a reasonable element of warfare and statecraft and are responsible for maintaining these weapons in our midst. They have never made a serious effort to forge an international consensus to banish nuclear weapons. They venerate the power they wield, the threat they project, the advantage they possess over the less powerful. They have created a world that 99.999% of humanity abhor.... Our well-being is at the mercy of those with a genocidal mentality. In violation of our sensibilities and sense of decency, we have been forced to live our lives inextricably entangled in the intrigues of petty potentates who derive their right to dictate affairs from the brutality of the weapons they wield. The people of the earth have unfinished business with the Cult of Nuclearists (Op. cit., “Paul Zimmerman,” pp. 29 - 30).As laudable as the IPPNW’s work is, unfortunately their report, “Health consequences from Fukushima,” which relies considerably on Japanese Ministry of Health data, is very technical, translated from German, not very well written and disappointing in some respects. It is a very short report (four pages) and some important information is not clearly explained (Op. cit.). For example, why did they not consider the number of people who were doused with radiation from the initial accident but may have moved out of the Fukushima region? Also, they present figures for radiation in food that do not seem logical given food in Western Japan, where almost no radioactive fallout occurred is listed as radioactive. As the report states: Some of the quantitative results of this work are subject to uncertainty, as much of the original data has only been published in an imprecise form and certain calculations involved making further assumptions. Nevertheless, the IPPNW has deemed it necessary to present this quantitative estimate in order to make clear the true dimension of the nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima.Despite these shortcomings we should consider the IPPNW report as an important starting point for understanding the extent of health damages caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Much to their credit, this is the first attempt by independent researchers to analyze available empirical data according to the ECRR’s critical methodology, which is the reason the numbers of deaths that may occur is quite startling and in stark contrast to the mainstream discourse and disinformation campaign being waged. The IPPNW report is “based on publications in scientific journals on soil contamination in 47 prefectures in Japan.... Approximately 20% of the radioactive substances released into the atmosphere have led to the contamination of the landmass of Japan with 17,000 becquerels per square metre of cesium-137 and a comparable quantity of cesium-134.” In addition to the estimate that over a hundred thousand people could have serious if not fatal health affects, it is also reported that:
In addition to the above estimates it must not be forgotten that contrary to the propaganda that “no one died” specifically from the nuclear disaster (separate from deaths from the tidal wave), in fact, many people did. Professor Shimizu of Fukushima University has stated that “[i]t’s a lie to assert nobody died [due to the] Fukushima accident. Over 1,300 deaths are reported to be related to the disaster” because of the stress of evacuation (18). That evacuation was caused by the nuclear meltdown, not directly due to the tidal wave. But how many of these deaths may have in fact been radiation related? Something that was apparently not within the scope of the IPPNW’s report has been exposed by the former Japan Times Weekly Editor, Yoichi Shimatsu. Here Shimatsu referred to the issue of spiking death rates among elderly Fukushima evacuees: Pneumonia is nearly always the final cause of death among the elderly (in hospitals and institutions) and therefore is often mis-reported as the underlying or actual cause of mortality. Most Japanese hospitals did not measure or have adequate equipment for measuring radiation dosages (and lack the funds to pay for lab tests if the victims were not obviously wealthy and requested radiation exposure tests on blood) and so the effects of large radiation dosages following March 15 on respiratory and cardiac condition of patients remains unknown for lack of relevant data. The government and ministries of Health and Emergencies is guilty of negligence with probable consequences of failure to provide proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment of patients with high levels of radiation exposure. The Asahi Shimbun notes the higher death rate among evacuees but attributes it to exposure to cold, without detailed substantiation - as to whether those patients actually came down with flu prior to their pneumonia infection. As far as I know, there was no general or local outbreak of flu in 2011, meaning that exposure to the elements may have contributed to the death but was not necessarily the primary cause of death in most cases. A chart attached to the Asahi article shows that the rate of death, compared to previous year, remained somewhat higher for the remainder of 2011 (personal communication, 3/13; 19).Shimatsu also analyzed this aspect of the issue in an article posted at the Rense.com website (20). Game Changer The March 11, 2011 9.0 mega-quake changed Japan forever (21). Two years after the nuclear disaster there is an unending list of seemingly insurmountable technical challenges to be faced at the damaged reactors (22). The social and political upshot of the nuclear disaster is that the Japanese population has lost confidence in their government which with the glee of madmen continues to push forward with the resumption of nuclear business as usual. The vast majority of Japanese people are now opposed to the now obsolete nuclear power industry in any form and are rightfully very worried about the future nuclear direction of the country, but seem helpless to change the course of history. However, given that the pro-nuclear LDP party won an overwhelming victory in last December’s election, one might diagnose the Japanese electorate of having a kind of political schizophrenia, or perhaps it is simply a lack of viable choices offered to them in the political process. Simply Info reports that: While the government has been intent on restarting reactors, public opinion has shown a desire for just the opposite.
The environmental and human health impact
from the nuclear disaster has been complex and profoundly troubling, especially
for the victims, flora and fauna inhabiting the region of Fukushima (24).
The one inescapable certainty is that the deaths resulting from this man-made catastrophe will continue to impact and cause untold deaths, disease and mutations worldwide from radiation far into the future. Consequently, before this accident is repeated a second and a third time - as it surely will be if people fail to act - it is time for humanity to learn its lesson and put an end to nuclear power forever. * This article could not have been written without editorial support from my colleagues, Tony Boys, Robert S. Finnegan and Yoichi Shimatsu. Richard Wilcox holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from a social science, holistic perspective. He teaches at a number of universities in the Tokyo, Japan area. His articles on environmental topics including the Fukushima nuclear disaster are archived at http://wilcoxrb99.wordpress.com/ and are regularly published at Activist Post and Rense.com. His interviews with Jeff Rense are available at the website http://www.rense.com. References: 1. Managing Public Perceptions of Fukushima: First Emergency Response of the Nuclear Complex http://www.dianuke.org/managing-public-perceptions-of-fukushima-first-emergency-response-of-the-nuclear-complex/ 2. U.N. panel: Thyroid radiation doses in Fukushima infants within safe limits http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201302270037 3. Report: Fukushima's radiation damaged more souls than bodies http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/28/world/asia/japan-who-radiation 4. These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6 5. The New Communications Cartel http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Media/CommunCartel_Bagdikian.html 6. WHO Fukushima Report Methodology & Crisis Management Failure http://www.simplyinfo.org/?p=9824 7. Paul Zimmerman, A Primer in the Art of Deception: The Cult of Nuclearists, Uranium Weapons and Fraudulent Science (778 pgs., 2009). 8. Japan Held Nuclear Data, Leaving Evacuees in Peril http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/world/asia/09japan.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all&. 9. Nuclear catastrophe in Japan: Health consequences resulting from Fukushima http://www.ippnw.de/commonFiles/pdfs/Atomenergie/Fukushima/Health_consequences_Fukushima_en.pdf 10. Fukushima’s Nuclear Casualties http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/03/07/fukushimas-nuclear-casualties-2/ 11. Fukushima: Two Years Later http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/03/05/fukushima-two-years-later/ 12. Powerful Lies: The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster And The Radioactive Effects On Human Health http://www.activistpost.com/2013/02/powerful-lies-fukushima-nuclear.html 13. Chris Busby speaks in Tokyo, July 17, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB55WfOvuks 14. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Physicians_for_the_Prevention_of_Nuclear_War 15. The United States of Murder: A cancer on the world http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/03/10/292776/united-states-of-murder-cancer-on-world/ 16. Beavis & Butt-Head Meet The Predator Drone http://dailybail.com/home/beavis-butt-head-meet-the-predator-drone.html 17. Organized Jewry: destroyers of Western civilization http://www.john-friend.net/2012/12/organized-jewry-destroyers-of-western.html 18. “It’s a lie to assert nobody died for Fukushima accident” http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/03/professor-of-fukushima-university-its-a-lie-to-assert-nobody-died-for-fukushima-accident/ 19. Asahi: Death rate spikes among elderly Fukushima evacuees http://enenews.com/asahi-death-rate-spikes-among-elderly-fukushima-evacuees 20. Is Fukushima A Factor In Japan’s Record Deaths In 2011-12? http://rense.com/general95/isfuku.html 21. Humanity At The Height Of Folly: Nuclear Power And Earthquake Zones http://rense.com/general95/humanity.html 22. Fukushima Year 2; Part 1 http://www.simplyinfo.org/?p=9818 23. Fukushima Year 2; Part 2 Politics & Protest http://www.simplyinfo.org/?p=9877 24. Fukushima Year 2; Part 3 http://www.simplyinfo.org/?p=9904 |
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