March, 23 2011, 04:05pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
Chernobyl Experts: Fukushima Could be Worse
WASHINGTON
Several experts on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster (which took place 25 years ago on April 26) are in the U.S. and currently available for a limited number of interviews.
ALEXEY V. YABLOKOV, JANETTE D. SHERMAN, MD
Yablokov is senior co-author and Sherman is consulting editor of Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment, published by the New York Academy of Sciences in 2009. The book is the most in-depth study of the Chernobyl disaster. They said today: "It is possible for the Fukushima nuclear problem to be much worse then Chernobyl for the following reasons: There was about 30 tons of nuclear fuel at Chernobyl, while there is close to 60 tons at Fukushima. There is the additional [factor] of MOX fuel at Fukushima. There are many more people at Fukushima and a much more dense population in that part of Japan. We still don't know the final outcome." They warn that the risks of contamination to much of the northern hemisphere is still real.
Yablokov is a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dr. Sherman, a specialist in internal medicine and toxicology who is based in the U.S., wrote the piece "Chernobyl, 25 Years Later" a week before the recent disaster in Japan. Her other books include Life's Delicate Balance: Causes and Prevention of Breast Cancer.
NATALIYA MANZUROVA
Manzurova is one of the few survivors involved directly in the liquidation process at Chernobyl. In a recent interview, she said her advice to people in Japan was "Run away as quickly as possible. Don't wait. Save yourself and don't rely on the government because the government lies. They don't want you to know the truth because the nuclear industry is so powerful." https://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/22/chernobyl-cleanup-survivors-message-...
NATALIA MIRONOVA
Mironova is founder of the Movement for Nuclear Safety and was one of the first organizers to press for government openness on pre-Chernobyl nuclear catastrophes. Through her work in the regional parliament, she made public information on the 500,000 victims affected by the activities of the first plutonium production in Russia and on the catastrophes in the Mayak plutonium production plant.
TATIANA MUCHAMEDYAROVA
Muchamedyarova has a member of the Movement for Nuclear Safety since 1992, she has worked with Russian and foreign journalists to cover the fate of the victims of radiation exposure. She took part in U.S.-Russia negotiations on nuclear issues and participated in international conferences against atomic bombs in Japan to draw attention to the victims of nuclear production.
Manzurova, Mironova and Muchamedyarova are featured in a recent segment on New England Cable News, as they just visited Vermont, where the Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently backed a license extension of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor, which, like the Fukushima facility, is a GE Mark 1 reactor.
Interviews with the above experts and analysts can be arranged via the group Beyond Nuclear, which is organizing a speaking tour: Cindy Folkers, Linda Gunter
Full Beyond Nuclear news release
The Russian analysts will be speaking at a press conference at the The National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Friday at 9:30 a.m.; contact: Friends of the Earth, Kelly Trout
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
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