In a few months, the devastating effects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster will officially taint America’s reputation.
Radiation traces have been found in the Japanese food chain, according to the Centre for Research on Globalization, and by April radiation will be freely flowing onto the shores of California beaches.
Maybe the only result is that fishermen will lose jobs and the demand for chicken will rise. It’s all microeconomics, really. But the funny thing about microeconomics is that a change in one thing affects something else, which will affect something else, and so forth.
This circular pattern has the power to change more than just the supply and demand of fish and will inevitably alter the entire market.
Of course, all this information is just now circulating through the media because it’s finally a time-sensitive threat. Our government can’t ignore it anymore.
Since 2011, they have turned a blind eye to the situation, as if hiding under a blanket of stupidity will make the nuclear monster go away. I hate to break it to everyone, but this unwanted monster is here to stay.
The public should be demanding answers from Japan and the U.S. government so we can halt the obliviousness before it ruins lives.
Because we are so far away from the tsunami that wrecked the nuclear power plant and forced so many into homelessness and poverty, it’s hard to grasp the seriousness of the situation. Our physical distance makes Fukushima seem like an irrelevant fable and the failure of good media reporting has created a mental distance to add to the unjustified ignorance.
To think that the ongoing state of crisis in Japan does not affect us here in America, and even Louisiana, is an accurate example of American negligence.
Only now, as the threat of radiation poisoning and radioactive rain swells, has our media begun to report on the effect Fukushima will have on our country.
To make matters worse, our government has shielded us just as much as the Japanese government does. That says a lot considering we are supposed to have a government that keeps us in the loop on potentially life-threatening matters.
We rely on journalists to distribute unbiased information, but other than the few sources that have shown some concern for the Fukushima plant, media outlets have failed us.
Now, it may be too late.
If such drastic results have already affected our coast, it won’t be much longer before the dangers spread closer to home. I don’t want to be left blindly waiting for a possible slow death by radiation. At least let me know about it first.
And while we don’t necessarily dive into the water as often as Californians, the chemicals and radiation are sure to take a toll on our fishing and offshore work when it spreads. Not to mention the radioactive rain that has plagued Japan and already circulated to the coast.
Rates of thyroid cancer, among other types, have increased in children since Fukushima, according to the Japan Times. Their government has kept citizens in almost complete darkness and is now forced to face the results of a disaster that will haunt generations.
They can’t neglect the truth because they fear a panic outbreak. There should be a sense of panic among the people. I’m panicking because there isn’t a panic.
So now the news-sponsored countdown to our own radiation disaster begins, although it has been in action for the past three years. Come April, the government better have a plan on how to handle what will undoubtedly change the state of American health.
Annette Sommers is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Dublin, Calif.