Fukushima Daiichi: It May Be Too Late Unless the Military Steps In

[caseymoz]

57. It depends if you believe TEPCO or not.

Throughout the first few months of this crisis, they behaved like BP in the Gulf. They continually understated the seriousness of it, and Japanese government followed suit.

Okay, maybe they're born-again honest. They've learned the error of their ways and that prior lying was the old TEPCO and government. Now have stopped fibbing, and you can take their word for it that the rods are cool.

I hope, however, you can see the problem here. For information our primary source are authorities who are unreliable. That gives competing and reviewing sources of information more credibility than them. If people are still taking them at their word and presume they must have things under control, that's definitely a sign of paralysis. Like, "Of course they wouldn't lie about this . . . now."

I didn't mean absolutely "everyone," I meant everyone by mean average. Mostly the reduction in life expectancy is from a miniscule elevation in the worldwide rate of cancers. It might not be a month, it might be a few weeks. Nevertheless, anything that puts radioactive, toxic substances in circulation on the earth, no matter what vector spreads them (air, water, food), is going to have at least a slight, general, negative effect.

It's similar to the fact that frequent-flyer miles expose you to more cosmic radiation. And in fact, it's considered an occupational hazard in the airline industry.

I want to say, disasters like this are probably undetectable in their effect general effect on mortality, unless they can't be brought under control and/or keep happening.

You believe TEPCO and the Japanese government. Frankly, they've been the weakest link in this disaster all along.