Fukushima at 4: implications for the U.S.

Beyond Nuclear has released a press release, looking to tomorrow's fourth anniversary since the Fukushima, Japan nuclear disater began.

Headlined: "Higher radiation doses could be ruled "acceptable" after nuclear disaster: "Fukushima" in the U.S. an ever-present danger," the release sounded the alarm over the potential for the Environmental Protection Agency to weaken radiation exposure standards that could see affected populations forced to accept higher “allowable” doses of radiation to make severe nuclear accidents appear tolerable.

“There is every reason to believe the Environmental Protection Agency could simply increase the ‘permissible’ dose of radiation as authorities did in Japan,” said Cindy Folkers, radiation and health specialist at Beyond Nuclear. "You just have to look at the EPA guidelines for state and local governments during a nuclear disaster to see that they are planning on allowing 5-20 times the radiation dose recommended internationally.

"The industry and government shouldn't be allowed to make a nuclear catastrophe appear more survivable than it is by inflating allowable radiation exposure levels, " Folkers continued.

The release also examined the continued potential for a Fukushima-style nuclear disaster on U.S. soil due to an industry-compliant regulator that has declined to mandate essential safety retrofits for U.S. "Fukushima" reactors. Read the full release here.