A Rescue Squad Member Died from Renal Failure 3 Months After He Was Found with Internal Radiation Exposure

A woman in a public forum asked a question to the two panelists: Why did my friend die?

The event was held in Sapporo City on November 6, 2011.

Her friend was a member of the special rescue unit of the Fire Department (probably in Osaka) who was sent numerous times to the disaster-affected areas in Fukushima and Iwate for the rescue effort. In July, he was found with internal radiation exposure, but he had to continue working. His employer kept sending him and his colleagues to the disaster area even after the internal radiation exposure was found in them.

She says that they got sick and they had to quit. But that was after they were berated by their superior as "unpatriotic". Her friend died in 3 months after having been found with internal radiation exposure.

Good lord.

There were many, many untrained, ordinary citizens who went to Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate as volunteers for disaster relief. Now, Fukushima Prefecture is calling for citizen volunteers to come and decontaminate their heavily contaminated towns.

Translation and captioning by Tokyo Brown Tabby:

(Transcript)

On October 26, a friend of mine in Osaka passed away. He was a rescue squad member and had been sent to work in disaster-affected areas for a long time, such as Iwate or Fukushima.

In July, he was found to have been internally exposed to radiation. All his team members had been, too. But their mission didn't end. Rescue people are those who went through very hard training and have a strong will to do something for the sake of others. So they continued to carry out their mission, even though they knew they had been exposed to radiation.

Eventually they got sick and realized they couldn't continue their duties any more. All the team members including him quit the rescue squad. Before they quit, they had been condemned by their supervisors as unpatriotic.

In a little more than 3 months since his internal exposure was found in July, my friend vomited blood frequently and finally died of renal failure.

Those people who are in charge of debris disposal or something like that...Can't they do it safely? I just don't understand why people who serve us have to lose their lives like this. But we can't do it by ourselves, can we? What do you think? This is what I wanted to ask you.

Maybe difficult...Simply...you know, simply generating electricity exposes workers to radiation. They have to enter various places for maintenance work and all. Nuclear power makes up less than 30% of our whole electricity generation, sacrificing the health of such people. I wonder what it is for.

Why won't they abandon it when other methods can compensate for its absence? Even when such a terrible disaster occurred? After all, it's clear that they do nothing to take care of the aftermath. Nothing. Neither TEPCO nor the government.

That's why nuclear electricity is said to be cheap. Of course it's cheap, because they do nothing even when a worst-case scenario happens. Doing nothing costs nothing.

Doctor...excuse me, Dr. Sakiyama, is it difficult for those people who touch debris or other radioactive things to work safely?

(Use this wired microphone...)

You don't need to stand up, please remain seated.

Well, if they wore something like space suits, they might be protected. But then they wouldn't be able to move around to do the work.

It's not just a problem for people in charge of debris disposal, but also for workers at the site of Fukushima-1 plant. As you know, their exposure limit has been raised from the original 100 millisievert to 250. Without their efforts, nobody knows what will become of the plant. We depend upon them, heavily. And even when there is no accident, nuke plants are only made possible by their labor that involves radiation exposure. Dr. Koide often refers to it as "built on the structure of discrimination."

We have been wrong in letting it be this way for a long time. Now I'm really not sure what to do.

Dr. Sakiyama cunningly switched the subject to the Fukushima plant workers, but the issue here is not the plant workers. It's the rescue squad members, it's the volunteers, it's the residents, who have been exposed, willing or not, to radiation that could kill over time, and who are without any shred of safeguard for their health. If they die, it is because of "stress". But at least she candidly admits that she doesn't know what to do.

Dr. Hisako Sakiyama is a specialist in radiation exposure and ex-chief researcher at National Institute of Radiological Sciences.

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#Japan #Earthquake: US Marines to the Rescue

Asahi Shinbun (in Japanese; 9:29PM JST 3/27/2011) reports that the US Marines landed in a island off the coast of Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture:

The US Marines from Okinawa landed on Oshima, an island off the coast of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture on March 27, which lost their ferries in the tsunami and has been isolated from the mainland. They delivered boxes of relief goods, and equipments and vehicles necessary to restore electricity, using the LCU [Landing Craft Utility].

Early morning of March 27, 40 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit landed in Kesennuma Port in their LCUs from USS Essex (amphibious assault ship) parked outside the harbor. They loaded the goods, and headed for Oshima. On arriving in Oshima, they unloaded the goods with the help of the residents. They also brought the workers to to restore electricity, and electricity was being restored in part of the island. They also measured the radiation on the island.

When the March 11 earthquake hit, the 31st MEU was in Southeast Asia for a emergency rescue training, but headed back to Japan on hearing the news of the earthquake.

This is not the first rescue mission by USS Essex and the 31st MEU, either. They have been conducting the relief missions, which they dubbed "Operation Tomodachi ("Friends" in Japanese)", since March 20, without much fanfare in Japan.

Here's in their own words, from the 31st MEU website about the March 27 operation, by Lance Cpl. Garry J. Welch:

OSHIMA, Japan — Two U.S. Navy landing craft carrying Marines and Sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and Amphibious Squadron 11, as well as disaster relief supplies and Japanese electrical utility trucks, arrived in Oshima Island, March 27.

Oshima Island has been without running water and electricity since the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami ravaged the northeast coast of Japan, March 11.

“This island was supplied with water from a pipeline from mainland Japan,” said Kiichro Onodera, a local city worker. “After the earthquake, the tsunami destroyed the pump station. Since then, people have purified the water in the city pool and made it drinkable; that’s all we had.”

The Marines delivered nearly 2,000 gallons of water to the island today. Approximately 900 gallons were brought directly to a junior high school, which was being used as a shelter for 450 locals displaced by the disaster.

“This water will help supply over 3,000 people,” Onodera said. “People will now be able to shower, and do things they have not been able to do since the disaster happened.”

The Marines also delivered 1,738 meals ready to eat, 136 tarps, and 300 health and comfort kits to the Japan Self Defense Forces to distribute to those in need.

The health and comfort kits contain baby wipes, sun screen, toilet paper, soap, tooth paste and tooth brushes, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, eye drops, foot powder, razors, lip balm and tissues.

In addition to delivering humanitarian aid, the Marines and Sailors also transported local electrical utility vehicles from Kesennuma city to Oshima Island, to assist with restoring power to the isolated community.

The trucks were brought from the mainland port of Kessenuma nearby by a U.S. Navy landing craft because the bridge to the island was destroyed by the tsunami.

“This will help us to restore vital lifelines to Oshima from Kesennuma as soon as possible. Oshima island residents are suffering greatly,” said JSDF Maj. Shinya Takase, operations officer, 1st Division, 41st Infantry Regiment, in charge of disaster response in Kesennuma. “There is no electrical power at all. These vehicles will help them and help ease the situation. Japanese forces and Marines are doing very well in working through this together. At this moment, there is no other option to get these vehicles to Oshima. That is why we are so grateful for your help.”

With the landing craft transporting the vehicles, the vital infrastructure needed by the people of the island began to be repaired. By 5 p.m. today, the Marines of the 31st MEU received word that electricity had been restored for the first time in 16 days, due to their efforts in assisting the Japanese workers.

“We are extremely grateful for your cooperation and help,” Sasaki Masaetsu, maintenance manager in Kesennuma who rode an LCU to Oshima Island. “We now have a 400 kilowatt emergency generator, two bucket trucks, one crane, and a tools and materials truck, which arrived on your landing craft. We have 450 displaced people here on the island. These trucks will help us provide power for the displaced persons’ shelters, and the remaining homes, so they can have heat and light. It is an extreme honor to have the Marines here, we did not expect it, and we are so thankful.”

As happy as the Japanese were to receive the supplies, the Marines and Sailors of the 31st MEU were just as happy to lend a helping hand.

“To be able to come out here and do this was mind-blowing,” said Sgt. Kyle O. Mills, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear assessment and consequence management technician, 31st MEU. “We all saw the destruction on the news, but you just don’t know what it’s like until you are out here experiencing it firsthand, it was great to be able to do something to help these people.”

CBRN Marines were present during the operation as a precautionary measure to monitor radiation levels; ensuring there were no unexpected levels. In the event of any possible contamination; Marines were ready to decontaminate any equipment and personnel exposed.

“We took readings every half-hour to ensure it was safe,” said Mills. “For the entire operation the levels remained completely normal.”

As the day came to an end, and the Marines returned to the LCU’s, everyone who was involved knew they had made a difference.

“We came here to help our Japanese friends and support them in any way possible,” said 1st Lt. Robert Jankowski, the engineering platoon commander with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st MEU. “This operation was very successful, we were able to give help and disperse aid to the displaced. All the Marines did a great job.”

The 31st MEU’s involvement is part of a larger U.S. government response, after a 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Japan causing widespread damage. The 31st MEU is ready to support our Japanese partners and to provide assistance when called upon.

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