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Environment
Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior Begins Fukushima Coast Radiation Sampling
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Tokyo- (PanOrient News) Despite being denied permission to conduct radiation sampling within Japan’s 12 mile territorial waters, the Greenpeace flag ship, the Rainbow Warrior, today began testing for radioactive contamination to the south of the crisis-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, the group said in a statement.
The international environmental organisation will now focus on the testing that can be completed off the Ibaraki coast, and to the southern border of the evacuation zone. In the meantime, Greenpeace has appealed to the Japanese Prime Minster to personally intervene and grant permission marine testing programme inside the 12 mile limit.
“While the government is has denied us access within 12 miles of Japan’s coast, Greenpeace will do what it can to test for radioactivity in the ocean and marine life off Fukushima, which is being contaminated by constant leaking of radioactive water from the plant”, said Ike Teuling, Greenpeace radiation expert aboard the Rainbow Warrior.
“People are crying out for independent assessment of the level of contamination, and for clear unbiased advice concerning any potential health effects. That is what we came to do and that is what we will provide to the best of our ability”.
“The Japanese government can and should change its mind and allow us to carry out the much more detailed radioactive contamination assessment as outlined in our original request for permission," according to the statement.
Photo: Greenpeace conducts seaweed test. Photo courtesy of Greenpeace.
PanOrient News
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