“There are many residents like me who have been suddenly diagnosed with cancer…we need to stop the discharge of polluted water.”
As Japan prepares to begin releasing contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant this summer, a Japanese man who underwent cancer surgery and has been living in exile since the disaster has appealed to “stop the release of contaminated water.”
Greenpeace, which is currently fundraising for a study on the ecological impact of radioactive substances, published Mizue Kanno’s appeal on Feb. 22.
“I went to evacuate, but I couldn’t relax for a moment,” said Kanno, who has been living in displacement for 12 years since the Fukushima nuclear disaster and has been working to support lawsuits seeking accountability for the disaster.
“I had indescribable pain and a red rash on my skin. I had diarrhea as soon as I ate food, and the strange thing was that my stomach didn’t hurt at all,” he says, “and so did everyone else. People who were evacuated from the gym were cowering in the corners, vomiting, or holding their chests,” he recalls.
In 2016, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and underwent surgery.
“There are many residents who suddenly developed cancer like me. “We’ve been suing TEPCO and the Japanese government for damages for a long time, but the courts have not recognized the causal relationship between radiation exposure from the nuclear accident and the development of cancer.”
“In June of this year, the Japanese government will release radioactive contaminated water into the ocean. Action to stop the discharge is more urgent than ever.”
“Greenpeace is preparing a study on the effects of radioactive materials on marine ecosystems and humans.” “Proving that the Japanese government’s claims that the discharge of contaminated water into the ocean is harmless to our oceans is not true is something that someone needs to do right now, right now,” he added.
Mr. Kanno added, “Twelve years later, the effects of the accident are still being felt. If left unchecked, contaminated water will flow through tunnels under the sea and into the oceans that belong to all of us,” he said. “Radioactive material will float in the ocean, accumulate in seafood, and end up in the bodies of humans who eat it.”
“There is no bright future for nuclear power,” he concluded. Let’s not forget that 12 years on, one in four people who lived in Fukushima are still displaced and looking for a place to live.”
Greenpeace is raising money through March 31 for a study on the ecological effects of radioactive materials. “What makes this study unique is that it is the first scientific analysis of the risk of biological damage from radioactive materials in the face of contaminated water discharges,” Greenpeace said.
