*[Enwl-eng] [press-release] World Health Organisation downplayshealth impacts of Fukushima nuclear disaster

[ENWLine]

Amsterdam, February 28, 2013 -- Greenpeace today criticised the World
Health Organisation for releasing a flawed new report that hides crucial
information on the health impacts of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

"The WHO report shamelessly downplays the impact of early radioactive
releases from the Fukushima disaster on people inside the 20 km
evacuation zone who were not able to leave the area quickly," said Dr.
Rianne Teule, Greenpeace International nuclear radiation expert. ??

"The WHO should have estimated the radiation exposure of these people to
give a more accurate picture of the potential long-term impacts of
Fukushima. The WHO report is clearly a political statement to protect
the nuclear industry and not a scientific one with people's health in mind."

The people inside the 20 km zone have possibly been exposed to
significant radiation doses of hundreds of mSv, according to the work of
German nuclear expert Oda Becker. She used modelling based on the data
from Fukushima plant operator TEPCO on radioactive releases to calculate
potential doses for people 10, 15, 20 and 40 km from the reactors.

The WHO report and its PR spin shockingly downplay the likelihood that
thousands of people are at risk of cancer from the Fukushima disaster.
They hide the cancer impacts by emphasising small percentage increases
in cancers. Those small percentages actually translate into thousands of
people being at risk.

??"The WHO's flawed report leaves its job half done," said Teule. "The
WHO and other organisations must stop downplaying and hiding the impact
of the Fukushima disaster and call for more emphasis on protecting the
millions of people still living in contaminated areas."

The WHO only releases reports on the impact of radiation releases on a
population with the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

/Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts
to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the
environment, and to promote peace.
/
*Contacts:?*
Dr. Rianne Teule, Greenpeace International radiation expert,
rianne...@greenpeace.org, +31 6 2883 3207
?Aaron Gray-Block, Greenpeace International media relations,
aaron.gr...@greenpeace.org, +31 6 4616 2026?
Greenpeace International Press Desk Hotline, Amsterdam +31 20 7182470

*Notes:*
?Link to Oda Becker document:?
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/briefings/nuclear/2013/2012_OdaBecker.pdf

Greenpeace's "Lessons from Fukushima" report can be viewed at:
http://bit.ly/Ax62jy


From: "Aaron Gray-Block" <aaron.gr...@greenpeace.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2013 4:25 PM
Subject: [press-release] World Health Organisation downplays health impacts
of Fukushima nuclear disaster




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