USS Ronald Reagan sailors report cancers after Fukushima rescue mission

[mitty14u2]

Source: aljazeera

Fifty-one crew members of the USS Ronald Reagan say they are suffering from a variety of cancers as a direct result of their involvement in Operation Tomodachi, a U.S. rescue mission in Fukushima after the nuclear disaster in March 2011. The affected sailors are suing Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), alleging that the utility mishandled the crisis and did not adequately warn the crew of the risk of participating in the earthquake relief efforts.

Crew members, many of whom are in their 20s, have been diagnosed with conditions including thyroid cancer, testicular cancer and leukemia. The Department of Defense says the Navy took "proactive measures" in order to "mitigate the levels of Fukushima-related contamination on U.S. Navy ships and aircraft” and that crew members were not exposed to dangerous radiation levels.

Charles Bonner, attorney for the sailors, says the radiation the USS Ronald Reagan crew was exposed to extended beyond the tasks of Operation Tomodachi. Deployed ships desalinate their own water, so crew members were unknowingly drinking, cooking with, and bathing in contaminated water due to the ship's close proximity to the disaster site, according to Bonner. The USS Reagan was ultimately informed of the contamination after a month of living approximately 10 miles offshore from the affected region.

Read more: http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/the-stream/the-stream-officialblog/2013/12/16/uss-reagan-sailorsreportcancersafterfukushimarescuemission.html

---

The Fukushima Nightmare Gets Worse: here.
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As the World Turns, When we think of great minds, we think Greek Philosophers, Italian Artists and even Iran they thought up the game of Chess, why do I bring this up?

The Oceans and Seas had Fresh clean Food, Brain Healthy Food, In the last few decades we have polluted every part of our world. From Nuclear Fallout to devastating the whole Niger Delta the Gulf of Mexico, the very existence of the planet the Ozone.

Now Japans Nuclear problem could circle the globe in your lifetime!


http://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/fukushima-nuclear-polluition-of-pacific-ocean/

[another_liberal]

1. The Japanese stock market is doing great!

So the fatcats don't give a damn.

[hog]

2. What am I missing?

Odd that a nuclear powered ship wouldn't be testing for radioactivity all the time.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

3. When I was in the nuclear Navy in the 90's (on a surface ship called a sub tender)

...they checked individual radiation levels all the time. If the Navy was going to Fukushima, you'd think they'd put even more precautions and checks than usual in place. This is kind of weird.

[bananas]

13. "On a whim, the friends decided to get checked for radiation."

From an article earlier this year:

He described at the press conference retrieving the American flag that had flown atop the carrier to give to the people of Japan as a ceremonial gesture. The wind, he recalled, caused the flag to flap around his body as he brought it down by rope. Only later did he realize the flag and the rope were probably highly contaminated with radiation.

After folding the flag, he went out to eat with his buddy. The two joked about growing extra fingers and toes, Enis said. Talk of a radiation leak had begun spreading onboard, despite being downplayed by officials. On a whim, the friends decided to get checked for radiation. His friend tested clean, but the geiger went crazy on Enis' hands.

"Instantly, we went from smiling to just being nervous and scared," Enis recalled. "No one told me at the time what was going on."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/11/fukushima-navy-health-problems_n_2855529.html

So he ate while his hands were still contaminated - meaning he likely ingested it.

They didn't follow procedures because TEPCO and Japan lied about just how bad it was.

And TEPCO keeps lying and covering up.

More discussion in the other thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1127&pid=59952

[bananas]

14. The navy isn't even keeping complete records for the sailors

From the Al Jazeera article:

<snip>

In a Reddit thread about the case, several sailors who participated in the rescue mission expressed concern that their involvement was not noted in their Navy medical records:

ankyle
What concerns me is that those of us who have transferred don't have anything marked in our medical records.
2 DAYS AGO

reddit
I did bring it up, during my last PHA and the doc asked "are you having symptoms?" and I haven't, and didn't, and so he wasn't overly concerned.
14 HOURS AGO

<snip>

[RobertEarl]

4. No one told them

Tepco: We should have told public this sooner… we failed to cool molten fuel after meltdowns began — Experts: Fukushima cesium release could be more than triple Chernobyl

enenews.com article ^^^^

The operator of the plant, Tepco, did not tell anyone that their nuclear plants had melted down. Melted down meaning overheated and burned through containment, meaning the nuclear radiation was now airborne.

The USS ship was mere miles from shore. So the ship got dosed by the radiation as it was carried by winds headed across the pacific. Winds that carried the radiation around the world.

And it has been pretty well hushed up by the PTB, so that no one gets scared. Alas, the truth is leaking out and even Tepco now admits what so many denied: Three cores melted down. And now they say they should have told us sooner?

[davidpdx]

5. That's fucked up

I'm sure those who tested positive for cancers are just the tip of the iceberg. Everyone else on that ship is going to have to have tests for the rest of their lives to see if cancer shows up.

[olddad56]

22. Agreed.

A few months ago, I got together with 7 friends for the Navy who I hadn't seen in about 45 years. We were in Naval Aviation and went back and forth between Japan and Vietnam. We all had exposure to a lot of chemicals in both places. Of the 7 guys, 4 had cancer and 2 had PTSD. I was the only one without a diagnosis. I know I have some PTSD, I'm still waiting on the cancer. Interstingly, the 2 with PTSD were getting disability from the VA. The 4 with cancer were all denied.

[davidpdx]

23. I hope the 4 that were denied are appealing

Make sure to have check-ups often and once you get a diagnosis start pushing for benefits. It's a damn shame we can't take care of our veterans. My grandfather was a vet and served in WWII.

[NutmegYankee]

6. I would expect the reverse osmosis process to remove the radiation.

Radioactive elements are rather large and should be caught by the filters.

[kristopher]

7. They were powering through a cloud of fallout.

And they were not using protocols for dealing with fallout.
No protective gear (including respirators).
No sealed environment for living and working outside of protective gear.

The idea that this is curable by a water filter is without substance.

That said, the comments following the article in the OP are a distraction that detract from the real issue here and should be deleted, IMO.

[NutmegYankee]

8. Well, if you are going to be so rude...

Try reading the fucking article. I was responding to this:

"Deployed ships desalinate their own water, so crew members were unknowingly drinking, cooking with, and bathing in contaminated water due to the ship's close proximity to the disaster site, according to Bonner

[kristopher]

10. I know that's in the article, so are a lot of other facts.

Here's a direct question: do you support the expansion of nuclear power?

[RobertEarl]

9. Ship's Captain is an idiot?

Just because Japan did not tell him what his ship was facing is no reason for him to have neglected the nuclear cloud which the ship was in.

Maybe he had orders from above? Orders that made his crew into a nuclear experiment? It had been years since the Navy had an opportunity to see what would happen to sailors under nuclear fallout and so the higher ups took advantage of the situation to experiment?

It makes no sense otherwise that the Captain did not take measures to protect his crew from fallout.

[kristopher]

11. Still flying that false flag?

Hindsight is 20/20. I doubt seriously there was a checklist available to cover such a unique situation and I also doubt they routinely monitor for radiation outside the reactor area unless there is a specific reason to do so. And, given what we know of the Japanese government's communications on the subject there wouldn't have been a reason.

[RobertEarl]

15. What false flag?

None of this makes any sense. Standing back looking at it, it seems that everyone was just plain stupid. It hardly seems possible that everyone was clueless.

[loveandlight]

16. truly, I doubt everyone was clueless

I think the Japanese government in collusion with the nuke plant operators were protecting themselves. I don't understand it, because just like this with the sailors, it comes out eventually. But some how in the moment, this is the response of government and business leaders. Just like with 9/11. They let people back into NYC before they should have, did not properly protect the first responders or the public, lied that it was safe. They knew better. I would ask any public official in these circumstances to go spend some time in the place where they tell others its safe, see how fast they make excuses not to go there. They knew. It's all about some sick sense of protecting themselves and keeping the truth from the public. Because the truth is really awful and scary.

[RobertEarl]

28. That's why they allow us to sue in court

If we could not sue, and be heard, they would just keep sticking us. Being sued sends a message that is loud and clear. It sometimes, as in this case, is the only way that the common people can ever be heard.

[freshwest]

19. I don't think of radioactivity in those terms. Can you explain this to me, please?

I am a long time out of college chemistry and microbiology classes. We had to calculate subatomic particles particularly in the latter and I don't see how they'd be eliminated by filtering. As I said, it's been a long time and I may not grasp your meaning. I'm not being argumentative, as the commonly available RO does indeed filter chemicals, but I'm not sure it is sufficient, or goes down to that level. Sincerely asking for you to give me a refresher. Not feeling that good these days, so keep it simple. TIA.

[NutmegYankee]

24. The filters are designed to only allow water molecules through

Other molecules, like salt, cannot pass through. Radioactive elements are generally large in size. The radioactivity is slowly making then degrade into smaller stable elements.

In civilian systems, the water produced is often so soft that the plant adds minerals back into the water for supply.

[Igel]

20. What little I can find on Nimitz-class carriers seems to say "no RO units."

Instead excess heat from the nuclear reaction just drive a steam/condensation desalination plant.

[NutmegYankee]

25. That's even cleaner.

[RobertEarl]

31. No. Not cleaner.

Distillation often results in metals making it through the process.
RO tends to better filter out the metals.

And what carries the deadly radiation are metals. Metals like cesium, plutonium and others.

[NutmegYankee]

32. You'll have to supply a link for that.

Distilled water is very clean at the process. You are condensing a gas back into liquid. The metal doesn't go into the gas. Now it will pick up metal as it gets supplied by pipe, but that won't be radioactive.

[RobertEarl]

33. Really?

You need a link to remind you that under heat and pressure metals also enter a gaseous state?

[NutmegYankee]

34. LOL. At a few thousand degrees they do

Water on the other hand... Just how hot do you think distillation is? Cesium has the second lowest boiling point of any metal (mercury is lowest) at 1240°F. And increasing pressure raises the boiling point. This would be why we have high altitude instructions for prepared food. The lower pressure causes the boiling point of water to drop. For instance, water boils at 212°F at sea level, but 202°F in Denver.

[RobertEarl]

37. Yep

Distillation plants are run at higher pressures. What, you think they do so at atmospheric pressure?

And then there is, of course the air intakes that are part of the process. Air which around the ship was irradiated. Not only the water had been contaminated, but it was contaminated via air deposition.

You made a claim that distillation was better than RO and I get that you are embarrassed that you didn't think it through well enough... just like the nuke scientists didn't think through nukes well enough.

[NutmegYankee]

38. LOL.

You may not realize how clueless and foolish that post sounded, but allow me to clearly state that I'm not even the slightest bit embarrassed. No reason to be. You clearly don't know the science and in fact have demonstrated a contempt for it.

[RobertEarl]

39. Nutmeg Yankee

Name of a nuclear plant, is it not?

So... you like them nukes? Even took on the name of one, eh?

Here ya go; Does the water used in nuclear plants steam cycles get irradiated? Why yes, it does!! This idea of yours that water can be purified of nuke contamination by distillation is not very smart. Otherwise nuke plants would just clean up their mess via distillation, and viola! They'd be a little safer. They are not.

[NutmegYankee]

40. FAIL

Name of a nuclear plant, is it not?

So... you like them nukes? Even took on the name of one, eh?

You're thinking of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station. Vermont is a state in northern New England. Nutmegger = nickname of a resident of Connecticut. My username means Connecticut Yankee. As in I'm a Connecticut Yankee. This state is a little south of Vermont.

Here ya go; Does the water used in nuclear plants steam cycles get irradiated? Why yes, it does!! This idea of yours that water can be purified of nuke contamination by distillation is not very smart. Otherwise nuke plants would just clean up their mess via distillation, and viola! They'd be a little safer. They are not.

Jesus H Christ, where to start with that pile... Distillation concentrates waste left behind when water has boiled off, leaving a heavy brine solution full of metals and other contaminants. For drinking systems, that is discharged back to sea. In a nuclear power plant, that would have to be handled as waste.

Now there are two types of reactors - BWR and PWR. BWR boils water into steam and uses that to drive turbines and then condenses it back to water and recycles it through the reactor. That water does get lightly radioactive due to contaminants from piping that have been bombarded with neutrons becoming radioactive and leaching into the water. (remember, it's very pure water, so metal wants to leach into it)

Now a PWR, which is far more common, keeps the primary coolant loop under very high pressure to raise the boiling point so that the water remains a liquid at temperatures well above 212℉. That water never gets boiled. However that water never touches the turbines as it goes into a shell and tube style heat exchanger and boils a secondary loop. So the turbines don't get contaminated.

The problem you have is you have mixed up your view on nuclear power with my simple discussion of water purification processes. You are exhibiting confirmation bias to simply reject any science that is contrary to the view you hold. That you incorrectly associated my user name with a nuke plant just demonstrates the epic level you had to go to in your mind to attempt to discredit my science discussion. It's the same approach a creationist takes when confronting a biologist.

[RobertEarl]

41. Sorry 'bout that

That conflating your name with a despicable nuclear plant.

A plant which is well known for leaking Tritium into the water thereabouts. Tritium which, btw, is very hard to remove. And is cancer causing.

The nuclear industry afaik, uses membrane (read: RO) filters to remove nuclear contaminants from the waters. If distillation was better that's what they'd use. So for you to say that distillation is a better filter than an RO, which this discussion was about, you'd be jazzing that up. But you aren't.

Besides the sailors probably got airborne contamination via deck work.

[NutmegYankee]

42. Airborne contamination could have been present.

I would have expected it to be noticed given that a nuclear vessel has monitors, but it's possible.

The reason RO is used over distillation in many industries it that distillation is very energy intensive. You have to boil all that water and still leave behind about 4 out of every 5 gallons, now with even more contaminants in it. RO gets the job done a lot cheaper.

[Bonobo]

44. Ha ha ha.

It's like coming out of the toilet with TP coming out of your pants.

[adirondacker]

53. Perhaps they were just using evaporaters to desalinate? nt

[Bonobo]

12. Cha-ching! nt

[RobertEarl]

17. Say what???

Your cha-ching seems as if you are claiming that these people, these US sailors, who have medical conditions due to radiation, are just doing this for the money?

You do know that they have medical logs and those will be closely examined in due course. So the idea that they may not be sick and are just in it to con and make money would be just plain dumb.

[Bonobo]

18. Many people that have doctor's records bring shady lawsuits.

When a lawyer tells you you will make millions if you just agree to sign on the dotted line, it is a very attractive thing.

As a side issue, why sue Japan? In the military, you agree to take risks. Do soldiers sue when they get shot at or IED'd?

If they feel they were lied to, why not sue the Navy (as stupid as that sounds).

Surely a nuclear vessel had the proper tools to determine the risk level.

It is shady.

[RobertEarl]

27. So you made up your mind?

These people are shady? These soldiers who risk their lives for the US may have been made sick because they went to help the Japanese work through their own nuke plant mistakes and all you can do is denigrate them?

In Truth, the Japanese should be offering to pay for all their medical problems as a thank you for coming to the rescue. Anything less is pure capitalism rum amok. Shame on Japan!!

[Bonobo]

29. Well the lawsuit was dismissed.

And experts think their story is shady, so I am not alone in this.

That facts do not change your mind speaks volumes about your preconceptions.

[RobertEarl]

30. My preconceptions?

You sit there and call our soldiers who are seeking recourse for their illnesses: 'Shady' shows where your mind is.

In America, we have a justice system. These people are seeking justice. You haven't even heard the case and you call them shady ahead of time?

[Bonobo]

35. The lawsuit was dismissed.

Not sure what else to tell you.

The radiation experts say it is suspicious. Because it is.

[RobertEarl]

36. Yes it was

It will be refiled and have 20 more sailors onboard.

The state of Japan can't be sued, but Tepco can.

May these poor sailors who did nothing more than try to help the Japanese people find justice. The Government of Japan should be hailing these sailors as heroes and offering to take care of their medical problems, and not even letting this go to court.

As for any expert who claims there is no radiation poisoning, they will have their day in court? And get paid for it, handsomely.

[bananas]

47. It was dismissed on jurisdiction, not on facts.

They are refiling, with more sailors who are sick.

[Bonobo]

48. Experts on the effects of radiation say that they should no longer be

exhibiting signs of acute radiation poisoning...suspicious.

Nor should they have developed cancers this quickly...also suspicious.

[FBaggins]

52. That's only because facts aren't involved at this stage.

They're going to have a problem if they re-file against Tepco alone... because the claims themselves aren't consistent.

The crux of their case is that Tepco's lies caused the sailors to go into harm's way - and therefore, the company is responsible for any damages.

The damages themselves are imaginary of course (few of the claimed illnesses are even plausibly connected to radiation - even at far higher doses)... but in this case it doesn't matter - because the claim simply isn't true. Nobody acted in a way that took on even imaginary risks because of Tepco's lies. The Navy wasn't relying on Japan's statements, they had their own data. They knew more about the radiation at sea than Tepco did, or even the parts of Japan's government that were making decisions.

If Japan had announced that there were three units in full meltdown and they were releasing heavily contaminated plumes that were expected to head out to sea... the Navy still would have sent in rescue teams for people in the water from the tsunami... and they still would have flown relief missions.

They don't just need to take the government of Japan out of the mix... they need to leave the USNavy and US govt out as well. They need (and are clearing trying) to directly tie Tepco to the actions of individual sailors. That petty officer XYZ relied on Tepco's lies in some action he took that put him at risk - an action that he wouldn't have taken without the lies. And they can't possibly do that... because it isn't remotely plausible. They acted because they were ordered to... they didn't have a choice.

[olddad56]

21. I'm wondering a couple of things...

First I'm wondering why they aren't suing the US Navy. Perhaps they can't because if they could millions of former military personal would be.

Secondly, I'm wondering what would happen if they actually sue and win. Couldn't countless Japanese citizens who have suffered the same fate also sue.

Just wondering. Don't know the answers.

My heart goes out to the sailors and their families.

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. kick (nt)

[anasv]

43. yet more hysteria

It's too early for cancers to show up from that. The ignorance and superstition about radiation is astounding, even in our party, where I'd expect a higher level of intelligence and information than in the other party.

[RobertEarl]

45. We have an expert here?

So many to choose from.... who to believe?

Are we to believe you know all the facts? That you know the doses these sailors received each day they were there?

And what about the radiation? There are several types. Which type were the sailors exposed too?

Your spew is pretty lame, actually. You offer no science, no facts, just a projection, really. A projection of you offering no intelligence, or information.

[Locrian]

51. dont worry - this never happens

http://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/the-atomic-sailors/2157927

Nahhh, never happens...... the Navy would never do that, uhmmm, wait....

[bananas]

46. TV: 70 Navy sailors in new Fukushima lawsuit - They rode right into plume, could be thousands more

Much more info in this locked thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014678320

[RobertEarl]

49. Thanks Bananas

I missed that thread....

Thanks, too, for keeping up with this mess. Don't you think DUers are better educated than most?

[mitty14u2]

50. Chernobyl's Aftermath: The Pompeii of the Nuclear Age

Chernobyl's Aftermath: The Pompeii of the Nuclear Age

2006 report

Today the exploded reactor, lined with steel plates and dwarfed by a towering smokestack, resembles a heavily armored steamship in dry dock. During the months following the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl, workers installed a protective mantle over the reactor consisting of 300,000 tons of concrete and 7,000 tons of steel. To this day, the mantle conceals a mélange of radioactive debris, including collapsed concrete girders, tons of radioactive dust and cone-shaped piles of reddish-brown radioactive lava.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), only 3 to 4 percent of the nuclear fuel used in the reactor escaped in the Chernobyl explosion. The G7 countries are calling for a new "sarcophagus" for the radioactive site, at a price tag of more than $1 billion, a project for which Western corporations are bidding.

Fifty-six dead or 50,000?

The IAEA's nuclear experts say that Chernobyl has claimed 56 lives to date -- 47 workers at the disaster site and nine children who have since died of thyroid cancer. In contrast, the Ukrainian National Council on Radiation Protection claims to have documented 34,499 deaths among rescue workers. The United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the number of Chernobyl workers who died from radiation exposure or committed suicide at 50,000 -- six years ago.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/chernobyl-s-aftermath-the-pompeii-of-the-nuclear-age-a-411684.html

Another Pompeii of the Nuclear Age, Japans Nuclear Meltdown is much worse being on a Island, radioactive lava and Contaminated water leaking into the ocean has a greater kill factor.