A few weeks ago, a friend of mine gave me a ride to take care of some errands. While we were making our rounds, he received a call from his business partner. He’s involved in a small car rental business; and his partner summoned him to the used tire shop. At this point, my business was completed so I decided to tag along.
We arrived at the shop to find a full 40ft. container being offloaded of used tires and rims. The word on the street was this shop has the best deals in town. For used tires they looked in pretty good condition. I assumed most used tires in the Federation were imported from Florida. No shortage of cars in that State and shipping would probably be fast and cheap. I also noticed a lot of brands I wasn’t familiar with. I observed a gentleman marshaling the fellows offloading the merchandise and approached him with a question. I asked “Sir, where do you bring your tires in from?” His response was quick. “Japan” said the man. At that point my heart jumped a beat. I once again looked up at the container being offloaded. Chills of horror went down my spine as I watched the workers and customers rummage through the piles of dusty used tires that once upon a time travelled the highways and byways of that great nation to the east. The horror intensified as I recalled that I too just closely inspected a few wheels that came off that container. Some may ask why such emotions would stir up when conducting such simple acts. Under normal circumstances they wouldn’t; but over two and a half years ago an event occurred in Japan that for years to come will make many circumstances far from normal.
On March 11th, 2011 Japan suffered a serious tragedy. An earthquake occurred off Japans coast resulting in a Tsunami wave hitting its eastern coastlines. This Tsunami hit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power station causing partial or full meltdown of three of its reactors, as well as major damage to buildings storing highly radioactive materials. There are a lot of details surrounding this disaster, but most will not be covered here. A simple internet search will provide a wealth of knowledge into this disaster. What I would like to discuss is how it’s affecting the Federation and the potential for a serious public health problem.
It is highly doubtful that Trade between Japan and the Federation will stop. A used car and car parts pipeline from Japan has been established here and it isn’t going to end anytime soon. The question is; what is the Federation doing to identify and negate the effects from this disaster. Those reactor explosions caused vast amounts of cesium 137, strontium 90, and plutonium to be released into the air. These materials are highly radioactive with half-lives ranging from 90 days to 24 000 years. One almost invisible “hot” particle of these materials once absorbed in the body can cause havoc to human health. Japan is in a serious crisis right now. Such a crisis that organized crime has been brought on to aid with the situation. Was the Mob brought on for their nuclear expertise or their willingness to break laws, cut corners and intimidate workers?
What can we do here in the Federation to stifle this unseen agent of death emerging from the east? We can’t stop the 400 000 plus tons/day of radioactive water (95 million gallons per year) that have been spewing into the Pacific Ocean for the past two and a half years. A look at conservative ocean current patterns suggest the entire Pacific will be contaminated by Fukushima within 3 years. What about the other oceans? They are all interconnected. We can’t stop the radioactive particles that were released in the air from raining down on us. We have no weather modification program to rain it out before it reaches us. Fortunately, in my opinion the greatest causes for potential contamination can be identified. We must begin screening goods coming from that region. Arnie Gundersen from Fairewinds, (An Atomic energy think tank and consulting firm) tested air filters from cars in parts of Japan (including non-contaminated zones) and found high levels of radioactivity. This was also found when testing the shoes from children. We have a lot of used tires and air filters from Japan over here. In Many cases mechanics re-use these filters by blowing out the dust. What measures are being taken to protect the public? We can’t rely on outside agencies to protect us on this matter. The Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters’ Association claims all vehicles are checked for radiation and must meet a 0.3usv/hr. or less emission rating but I again would like to remind you that organized crime is in the mix. Reports are already coming out with radioactive metals being recycled for other products such as kitchen knives, and aftermarket car bumpers. Does the Federation have a Geiger counter that can detect and measure radioactive isotopes? One of these devices in the hands of a customs agent can potentially save the Federation from a public health nightmare.
I call on the Federations’ Ministry of Health to look at this matter seriously. In what I believe is an attempt to prolong nuclear energy as a viable source, the worlds’ mainstream media outlets are not covering this crisis as they should. Much of the worlds’ public is unaware of the gravity of this matter. Clean-up at Fukushima will take decades to complete. The clean-up itself can spark another meltdown with catastrophic global consequences. Spread the word and let us get proactive.
