The lesson of Japan’s tragedy
AFTER LANGUISHING for years in economic torpor, a one-two punch has brought Japan to its knees. This unfortunate country has felt the sting of nuclear power in both war and peace.
How do we assess the damage today? Somehow measuring the impact in dollars seems inadequate--too heartless and clinical. Everyone with warm blood in their veins has surely registered some compassion at this point.
Those feeling a bit of misplaced comfort because their country was spared any obvious damage are reminded that this particular incident will have ramifications that will last for many years around the world, and that no one will be completely free of the consequences.
Is there a lesson to be learned from this accident?
In the classroom of experience, we have a great deal to learn and relearn. Years ago, physicists told us that nuclear energy was possible and engineers have demonstrated that electrical power can be generated with some reliability.
Humanity's appetite for power and weapons has resulted in the Earth being dotted with nuclear power plants and enrichment facilities. In our struggle to attain energy independence and military superiority, we in the U.S. have extended the risk of nuclear contamination to many parts of our own country. These risks may easily become a disaster, since our current ability to predict the whims of nature can be dwarfed by its fury.
A science lesson for consumers of energy that is easily misunderstood or forgotten is that radioactive materials cannot, under any feasible conditions, be rendered benign. Once made, either on purpose or by accident, we are stuck with them until they lose most of their radioactivity, which may take tens of thousands of years. We cannot hurry the process.
Contact with these materials during this time could bring overwhelming risks to health, especially to children. With this kind of long-lasting risk, we have to challenge current energy policies that encourage both nuclear power and military weapons programs.
Now would be an excellent time for citizens concerned about a sustainable future, free from the health risks of radioactivity and the political responsibility for nuclear weaponry to contact their representatives and insist that they create and vote for policies that will end nuclear programs for both power and weaponry.
The Earth has already experienced too much destruction and political instability due to these nuclear programs and we can all wonder where the next accident might happen. It could be much closer to home.
George Damasevitz, Johnson City, N.Y.
