How convenient.  It was just revealed that the dosimeters of over 3,000 workers at Fukushima Daiichi were deliberately shielded with lead in the first three weeks following the accident, so that they would not record excessive exposures to radiation.  Nothing like making absolutely certain that the facts don’t get in the way of your PR line!

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Though the situation at Fukushima remains largely unchanged and unresolved, nuclear power brokers are  trying desperately to regain their footing in the small but economically powerful nation of Japan.  

This one is for all the marbles.

If the Japanese people succeed in securing a nuclear-free future for themselves, how long will it be before other populations demand the same from their governments?  Germany has already handed in its notice.  

This could spell disaster for an industry which is built on the fragile economic illusion that nuclear power is both essential and inexpensive.  Both of these illusions will be laid bare by a complete withdrawal of Japan from the nuclear club.

It’s no wonder the industry is pulling out all the stops in its PR effort to make folks believe there is no there there.

In a badly flawed feature article that was inversely reminiscent of the fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” The Wall Street Journal attempted to convince its investor readership that radiation is essentially harmless and there would be no need to evacuate populations in the event of future Fukushima-style accidents.

If you believe that one, could I interest you in a nice bridge property?

But did the Fukushima disaster truly represent the worst case scenario; or did it rather represent almost the best case scenario, in light of the number of reactors in northern Japan that came perilously close to disaster themselves on that same day?

While the  debate over the future of nuclear roils Japanese society, take a few minutes to reflect on what might have happened to that country, had the worst case scenario played out.  

In the newest video release from Fairewinds Associates, Arnie Gundersen explains how other reactor sites were in peril from the same tsunami waves and fatal design flaws that brought Fukushima to its knees that day; and he explains why a higher level of alert status (“Level 8”) with associated protocols  should be created to apply to accidents at sites where multiple reactors operate in close proximity.