– U.S. team’s mission is to help SDF (Daily Yomiuri):
(April 4) — The primary task of a visiting U.S. nuclear emergency response team will be to help the Self-Defense Forces with operations related to the ongoing nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture, such as decontaminating residents and providing information to assist the SDF’s medical activities.
According to sources, the U.S. team will also prepare for unexpected contingencies, such as a large-scale radiation leak from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
About 10 members of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Chemical Biological Incident Response Force arrived at U.S. Yokota Air Base in Tokyo on Saturday as an advance party. They arrived on a U.S. transport plane from Maryland.
They will be joined by two similar units scheduled to arrive Sunday and Monday. In total, the response force will deploy 155 personnel to Japan.
The team comprises six squads, with specialties such as detecting extremely dangerous levels of radiation, search-and-rescue operations in areas contaminated by radiation and decontaminating people exposed to radiation.
The team will work from U.S. military bases in the Kanto region, under the command of Yokota Air Base’s Joint Support Force.
Currently, the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Central Nuclear Biological Chemical Weapon Defense Unit, which is tasked with dealing with terrorist attacks using nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, is conducting decontamination and other activities in response to the Fukushima crisis. The U.S. team is expected to provide backup to the SDF in emergency situations.
A government source said the dispatch of the U.S. team reflects the U.S. government’s growing concern over the situation at the Fukushima plant.
Large scale leak unexpected contingency? More denials of actuality…it is happening now…
It has been a case of too little too late from the start. And aggravating if not causing this was the misinformation given out concerning to severity, or at least possible severity involved. I have been dumbfounded by the information I’ve seen provided by the pro-nuclear set, scientists and technical types, assuring us of the “safety” of the design of nuclear plants. Assurances were given that melt down was either impossible or unlikely or at the least, of no concern because of the containment design. One article gave assurances that any radiation release would be an par with a dental xray! Wow, some xray. I’ll think twice before visiting the dentist! And sat, once again dumbfounded, watching government hearing about our (US) nuclear program. No reason for not renewing licenses or otherwise making any major chances in the nuclear “program” was the apparent bottom line. The planet is currently undergoing contamination. Yes, broadly speaking, it is relatively minor at present, globally. But any additional radiation is too much. “Safe” limits can still result in increased cancer in the long term. Who gives those “in charge” the right to put the population, and more importantly, future generations at risk?
I prefer the thought of taking those billions of dollars earmarked for nuclear development, and the fervent endeavor that go into nuclear technology, and instead putting it all towards development of solar, wind, hydro, and other renewable and viable energy sources, as well as development of new sources and new means of electricity generation. Using the complex and dangerous technology of nuclear reactions to boil water is a “dinosaurian,” backward thinking, ludicrous concept. There are better ways existing, and with some serious effort applied I’d bet new methods are to be found. Why risk any radiation issues at all if not necessary? Perhaps it is not fatally dangerous in likely scenarios (although as days pass this becomes more of a likelihood), but the possibility of disaster exists from use/misuse of nuclear plants. For the sake of my children’s children, and yours, I don’t want to risk it, and I don’t think any one has the right to do so. The planet does not belong to us. It belongs to the future generations. I fervently hope that enough people with sense and sensibility will let their voices be heard in Washington, D.C. at this time. The future of the planet may well depend on it, and the view of our offspring as they look back at what we did for or to the world they inhabit. At this point it appears they will despise and curse our very existence.