Dear Readers,
On the second anniversary of Fukushima, the Helen Caldicott Foundation and Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) are sponsoring a symposium in New York City on the medical and ecological consequences of that accident (full details below).
I interviewed the eminent Dr. Caldicott on why activists who want to close San Onofre Nuclear Waste Generating Station should pay particular attention to this symposium and, if possible, make the trek to Gotham rather than watch the symposium on the web.
"It would give them an enormous amount of information from a biological and medical perspective. It's a MEDICAL problem, not just now but for all future generations."
I asked Dr. Caldicott about the consequences of an accident at San Onofre. After noting that the data is already published in her books, she provided a graphic description:
"It depends if it's like Chernobyl -- high in the air -- or like Fukushima -- close to the ground. Many will suffer from acute radiation illness: Hair falling out, diarrhea, blood system breaking down. There are eight million people within a 50 mile radius of that plant. Many may die in the first two weeks following a release, depending on the size of the release. Following the acute deaths, there will be a large increase in complications to the immune system -- children are particularly vulnerable. Within five years you'll see a large increase in childhood cancer, and thyroid problems in children, as we've seen in Chernobyl and Fukushima. 15 years later, large increases in cancers of the bodily organs, also babies born with very severe deformities, and spontaneous abortions. Increases in cataracts. Premature aging of children and everyone else, increases in diabetes, heart attacks..." her voice drifts off, the list is too long to name them all.
"The land will be radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years, the food grown will be radioactive, so people will be eating radioactive food for thousands of years. The accident never ends, it's ongoing, there will be an increase in malignancies, and genetic disease, as the genes in the eggs and sperm are mutated, and those abnormalities are passed on for generations."
"I think it's very important to be there (at the symposium), to meet the scientists, ask them questions, talk to other people. The nuclear industry is even expected to attend; we're hoping we can teach them something."
Dr. Caldicott has more than 50 years of experience studying the medical effects of radiation. A Harvard-trained and practiced medical professional, her credentials are impeccable and she can describe the components of a nuclear bomb just as well as she can describe the horrific medical effects to humans from radiation -- a remarkable person, full of knowledge we all need to hear.
I encourage everyone to try to attend this important symposium next month, either in person or via a webcast that will be provided at no charge. This is a remarkable opportunity to hear from world-class experts!
Also, today at 2:00 pm PST in Vista California, Torgen Johnson and the author will be giving a presentation about San Onofre. Details appear below.
Also, if you haven't checked out the OC Weekly front-page article by Ned Madden about your humble and obedient servant, please do so! There are also some follow-up comments and blog posts by the author at the OC Weekly web site ( www.ocweekly.com ).
Lastly, a new movie about Fukushima called 3.11: Surviving Japan is premiering around the country around March 11. If they can presell enough tickets by March 4, it will play, in California, in San Diego, Laguna Niguel, North Hollywood and San Francisco.
The showtimes do not conflict with watching Caldicott's symposium on the web or even attending it in person (the movie is scheduled to play in New York City on March 12).
For more information about the movie, or to purchase tickets, please go to:
http://www.tugg.com/titles/311-surviving-japan?location=global&state=upcoming
Best wishes,
Ace Hoffman aka "Don Quixote"
Carlsbad, CA aka "La Mancha"
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Presentation on San Onofre in Vista:
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Sunday, Feb 24, 2013, 2-4pm, Transition North SD County will present a program on San Onofre Nuclear Waste Generating Station (SONWGS), featuring urban planner Torgen Johnson, Ace Hoffman, and Tom English, who will sing "What part of Fukushima do you not understand?" Vista Library, 700 Eucalyptus Ave, Vista.
For more information about San Onofre and/or the speakers, visit:
acehoffman.org - beyondnuclear.org - nirs.org - sanonofresafety.org - nukefree.org
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Symposium: The Medical and Ecological Consequences of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident, March 11-12, 2013
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Registration, a complete line-up of speakers, and more info is here. And if you absolutely can't get to New York City those days, the event will be livecast on the web.
3/11 NYC Symposium on medical & ecological impacts of the Fukushima nuclear accident to be held at the NY Academy of Medicine, New York City
March 11-12, 2013
Symposium on the medical and ecological impacts of the Fukushima nuclear accident to be held at the New York Academy of Medicine, New York City
http://nuclearfreeplanet.org/symposium.html
A two-day Symposium will be held at the New York Academy of Medicine, New York City, New York, US on March 11-12, 2013, the second anniversary of the Fukushima accident.
The Symposium will be addressed by international panel of leading medical and biological scientists, nuclear engineers, and policy experts who will make presentations on, and discuss, the bio-medical and ecological consequences of the Fukushima disaster.
The Symposium will be chaired by Donald Louria, MD, Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health of the University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey, US.
The symposium is a project of the Helen Caldicott Foundation and is open to the public.
Confirmed speakers to date and titles of their presentations:
The Presenters:
The event will be chaired by Donald Louria, MD: Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey.
Confirmed speakers include:
Dr. Tim Mousseau, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina Chernobyl, Fukushima and Other Hot Places, Biological Consequences
Ken Buesseler, Marine Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Consequences for the Ocean of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident
David Lochbaum, The Union of Concerned Scientists Another Unsurprising Surprise
Dr. Wladimir Wertelecki, President of the Board, OMNI-Net Ukraine Child Development Programs (current). Professor of Biomedical Anthropology (Adjunct) Graduate Program in Biomedical Anthropology, State University of New York at Binghamton, NY (2011-). Former Chair of the Department of Medical Genetics and Birth Defects, University of South Alabama, 1974-2010 - Congenital Malformations in Rivne Polossia and the Chernobyl Accident
Dr. Marek Niedziela, Professor of Pediatrics, Poznan (Poland) University of Medical Sciences Thyroid Pathology in Children with Particular Reference to Chernobyl and Fukushima
Dr. Alexy Yablokov, Russian Academy of Sciences Lessons from Chernobyl
Akio Matsumura, Founder of Global Forum for Parliamentary Leaders on Global Survival What did the World Learn from the Fukushima Accident?
Robert Alvarez, Senior Scholar, Institute for Policy Studies, formerly of DoE - Management of Spent Fuel Pools and Radioactive Waste
Arnie Gundersen, Nuclear Engineer, Fairewinds Associates What Did They Know and When Did They Know It?
Dr. David Brenner, Higgins Professor Radiation Biophysics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Mechanistic Models for Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Living Systems
Dr. Steven Wing, Associate Professor Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University North Carolina - Epidemiologic studies of radiation releases from nuclear facilities: Lessons past and present.
Steven Starr, Senior Scientist, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Clinical Laboratory Science Program Director, University of Missouri - The implications of the massive contamination of Japan with radioactive cesium
David Freeman, Engineer and Attorney, Former Chairman of TVA, Office of Science and Technology in charge of energy and the environment in the Johnson White House, and for 2 years under Nixon The Rise and Fall of Nuclear Power
Dr. Ian Fairlie, Radiation Biologist and Independent Consultant on Radiation Risks, Former Scientific Secretary to UK Government's Committee Examining Radiation Risks from Internal Emitters The Nuclear Disaster at Fukushima: Nuclear Source Terms, Initial Health Effects
Andrew S. Kanter, MD MPH FACMI, Immediate Past-President of Physicians for Social Responsibility Moderator, Health Effects Panel.
Dr. Hisako Sakiyama, Doctor of Medicine, Former Senior Researcher in National Institute Radiological Sciences, Member of Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigative Commission - Risk Assessment of Low Dose Radiation in Japan; What Became Clear to The National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission
Dr. Herbert Abrams, Stanford University, Emeritus Professor Radiology, Stanford University, Member Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation Committee National Academy Sciences (BEIR V11) - "The Hazards of Low-level Ionizing Radiation: Controversy and Evidence."
Kevin Kamps, Specialist in High Level Waste Management and Transportation, Beyond Nuclear Seventy Years of Radioactive Risks in Japan and America
Mary Olson, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Southeast - Gender Matters in the Atomic Age
Cindy Folkers, Radiation and Health Specialist, Beyond Nuclear - Post-Fukushima Food Monitoring
Hiroaki Koide, Master of Nuclear Engineering, Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KURRI), Specialist of Radiation Safety and Control.
Dr. Helen Caldicott, Founding President Physicians for Social Responsibility The Nuclear Age and Future Generations
To register or for further information about the Symposium, go to http://nuclearfreeplanet.org/symposium.html
or contact Mali Lightfoot, Executive Director of the Helen Caldicott Foundation at MaliLightfoot@gmail.com or telephone 001 617-650-5048.
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Contact information for the author of this newsletter:
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Ace Hoffman
Author, The Code Killers:
An Expose of the Nuclear Industry
Free download: acehoffman.org
Blog: acehoffman.blogspot.com
YouTube: youtube.com/user/AceHoffman
Carlsbad, CA
Email: ace [at] acehoffman.org
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