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Senior Citizens Lining Up to Tackle Fukushima
Some have compared them to kamikazes, but the more than 200 elderly volunteers who want clean up the Fukushima power station say they are just being practical. 72-year-old retired engineer Yasuteru Yamada says: "I am 72 and on average I probably have 13 to 15 years left to live. Even if I were exposed to radiation, cancer could take 20 or 30 years or longer to develop. Therefore us older ones have less chance of getting cancer." So far the government is hesitant to let the volunteers into the power station but Yamada and the others have been lobbying for the right to aid in the clean up. He says: "At this moment I can say that I am talking with many key government and Tepco people. But I am sorry I can't say any more at this moment. It is on the way but it is a very, very sensitive issue politically."
I wonder if there is a population here in the States that would be willing to take a compelling risk like this.
Kamikazes? More like heroes (but then again, that all definition depends on whether you're in the air or on the ground).
Prime Minister re-elected in landslide victory getting all robot votes.
This is a tremendous show of character and pragmatism. I don't think that I'd have the courage to offer myself. I'm very impressed.
"I am 72 and on average I probably have 13 to 15 years left to live. Even if I were exposed to radiation, cancer could take 20 or 30 years or longer to develop. Therefore us older ones have less chance of getting cancer."
Isn't the "time to cancer" a function of both exposure AND age? It would seem sensible that the senior citizens' cells are already damaged by old age, so exposure to radiation would have a head start as opposed to a 20 year old.
IANARH (I am not anything relevant here) so I'm really curious about this question.
Most people will probably just see a huge Corporation taking advantage if these people are allowed to do what they plan on doing, but I have to say that I'm impressed.
Practically sacrificing for the greater good is an admirable attribute. I have to thank these Japanese Seniors for restoring my faith in humanity.
Older people have lower rates of celldivision, and thus probably have a lower chance on cancer (for the same dose).
Back in the day, President Carter was part of a clean up crew for a nuclear accident. At that time it was because he had the security clearance needed because he was in the Navy, in addition to knowing about reactors.
The point that these retired worker make about lower cancer risk is a good one. If there are Japanese speaking retired nuclear workers around the world, getting them to step in would make a lot of sense. There may even be room for non-Japanese speakers as a part of a crew with a translator.
Actually, the original proposer makes the statement that they are not like Kamikaze because they are coming back. They are not going there to die. http://yosukeyanase.blogspot.com/2011/05/veteran-engineers-call-for-volunteers.html
So it's quite possible that all the talk of kamikaze in response to this is directly from his words... Or that he was responding to that talk already.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
How many ways are there for people in their 70's to make a such large and meaningful contribution to their society? It would really be a great legacy to leave behind.
In Japan they take care of their old.
In the US we have a political faction hell bent on denying elderly people access to the very programs they funded with tax money their entire lives.
The way one of them views this is: "Our generation which has, consciously or unconsciously, approved the construction of the Fukushima nuclear power plants and enjoyed the benefits of the vast supply of electricity ... should be the first to join the Skilled Veteran Corps," said Yasuteru Yamada, the 72-year-old retired engineer who created the group. http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/japanese-senior-citizens-volunteer-to-work-in-fukushima-plant-ncxdc-052511
You might call him a nuclear zealot, but it is true that the younger people won't get any benefit from the Fukushima plant, only poison and sickness and perhaps death.
this only continues to prop up the disproven evil Capitalist "privatize the profits, socialize the risks" mindset.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
In the first world perhaps. Plenty of places the old don't really have much at all.
Good on you, mate. I'm too young yet and haven't had my kids yet either, but some day I hope to follow your example for positive attitude.
There are robots running about presently. Japan has some construction oriented bots of their own, and iRobot has provided some of theirs. However, their capabilities are limited in spite of the perception given by the iRobot marketing department.
Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once
Stories of the "heroism" of the workers at the plant have confounded Americans, it seems.
While I am sure there is plenty of actual heroism going on, I start to think part of it is just a matter of being level-headed about it.
It reminds me of the idea that to the uneducated, science seems like magic. Similarly, it seems that belief in science to the uneducated seems heroic.
These citizens should be applauded, not for their heroism - for in reality they are risking nothing - but for their willingness to conclude that they are risking nothing, and therefore can save others and improve their world with knowledge and intelligence instead of give in to fear and commercially driven FUD at the detriment of society.
News Flash from Japan: Brave, Brave souls make smart decisions based on facts instead of media FUD! Pictures (You Gotta see these pictures!) at 11!
Nuclear engineers, most of them, have been supporting a deadly industry which will inevitable harm people.
That's true of almost every industry you could care to mention. A coal burning power plant will release more radiation every year than a normally operating nuclear plant will in its lifetime.
Speaking of coal, all the minerals we depend upon for our way of life are provided to us by miners. They do dangerous work deep underground and, no matter how safe we make it, some of them will die. Our entire way of life is built on their blood; our lives are indebted to theirs.
You might then ask,what the point of industry is then if it's so dangerous and deadly? Well, it builds us a civilisation that is largely free of the constraints of a life built on subsistence agriculture. It's less deadly but still not perfect, just better in some ways.
Nick