To: Allison MacFarlane, Chair, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory Jaczko, former Chair, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, President Donald Trump, Rep...

Fukushima is Not Just Japan’s Problem: An International Group of Nuclear Experts Must Be Assembled

Removal of about 1500 damaged fuel rods from a damaged tank hovering 100 feet (30m) above ground, inside the shell of what is left of the Reactor 4 Building at Fukushima, is imminent. The bomb that fell on Hiroshima held less than 64 kg of uranium. Should anything go wrong at Fukushima, the damage will be equal to 15,000 Hiroshimas. Hundreds of tons of nano-sized uranium and plutonium particles will be released into the upper atmosphere in an explosion that will affect most of the world. We ask President Obama, through our advocates in Congress and others, to convene a panel of the world’s foremost scientists and engineers to intervene at the stricken plant to immediately assess the situation, stabilize the plant, and avert further damage to the Earth and its inhabitants.

Why is this important?

The danger of huge releases of radiation during impending operations at the Fukushima Dai'ichi Nuclear Power Plant requires the utmost cooperation, skill, and finesse of the finest scientific and engineering minds from around the world. The United States must take the lead at this critical time to see that such a group is gathered and in place when the fuel rods are moved. The continued viability of life on Earth is at stake. It is a global issue.