Japan Nuclear Reactor Crisis

As events in Japan continue to unfold, PSR is deeply concerned about the public health threat posed by the damaged nuclear reactors.  We want to brief you on PSR’s response to this crisis and ask for your assistance in communicating accurate scientific and medical information to the media and the public that will emphasize the seriousness of the situation.  As medical and public health experts and citizens concerned about this issue, you can be especially effective messengers.  

Key points to emphasize in all communications:

• Accidents are inevitable with technology as complex as nuclear reactors.
• According to the National Academy of Sciences, any exposure to radiation increases a person’s risk of cancer.
• Commercial nuclear reactors contain 1000 times as much radioactivity as was released by the Hiroshima bomb, which if released from a nuclear reactor can cause short term and long term illness and death.
• The recent tragic accident reminds us that this level of risk is unacceptable, especially when safer, renewable options are available.

Resources:

• Listen to the March 12 press conference with nuclear experts, including PSR’s Dr. Ira Helfand (.mp3)
• Radiation and Public Health (.pdf)

As a first step, please send a letter to the editor or use the above key points and the linked resources to craft your own letter, contribute a blog post or call in to talk shows discussing this issue.

Since the crisis broke in Japan, PSR has made its experts available to the media, we have briefed our board members, chapter leaders and staff on our actions in the aftermath of this crisis.  Now, we need all of our members to be involved.