Fukushima parents dish the dirt in protest over radiation levels

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

Furious parents in Fukushima have delivered a bag of radioactive playground earth to education officials in protest at moves to weaken nuclear safety standards in schools.

Children can now be exposed to 20 times more radiation than was previously permissible. The new regulations have prompted outcry. A senior adviser resigned and the prime minister, Naoto Kan, was criticised by politicians from his own party.

Ministers have defended the increase in the acceptable safety level from 1 to 20 millisieverts per year as a necessary measure to guarantee the education of hundreds of thousands of children in Fukushima prefecture, location of the nuclear plant that suffered a partial meltdown and several explosions after the earthquake and tsunami on 11 March.

It is estimated that 75% of Fukushima's schools may have radiation levels above the old safety level of 1 millisievert. The local authorities in Koriyama have tried to ease the problem by digging up the top layer of soil in school and day centre playgrounds, but residents near the proposed dump site have objected.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/parents-revolt-radiation-levels

[Eric J in MN]

1. Nuclear energy is clean.

Nuclear energy is cheap.

Or not.

[CoffeeCat]

2. Raising the "acceptable level" was DASTARDLY...

Seriously. Is that not something you'd see some evil monster do in
a cartoon, "Yes, I see that the radiation levels are high in the soil!
Let's raise the 'acceptable radiation level' from 1 to 20. There! You're
safe now, kiddies!"

What the hell?

I am constantly blown away by the disgusting decisions and actions that
have come out of this disaster.

Do these asswipes really think they're going to get away with this? Do
they not understand that scores of children will get thyroid cancer and
leukemia?

The truth will come out sooner or later--but I guess protecting their asses
for a few more years--is tantamount to the lives of innocent children.

I don't think ANY subject matter has disgusted me more than this one. It's one
mind-blowing atrocity after another!

[nc4bo]

3. +1. Governments acting like governments. nt

[marions ghost]

4. good

I hope they keep objecting. Those parents are not stupid, I don't think.