Distrust of government lingers over radiation risks

By Lee Hyo-sik

The majority of Koreans remain wary of radiation risks to human health or the environment, despite government assurances that the Korean Peninsula has not been and will not be exposed to any serious radiation threats from the crippled nuclear reactors in Japan.

It’s been already one month since a 9-magnititude earthquake and huge tsunami devastated Japan on March 11, causing a series of explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

However, many Koreans are still worried about the possible contamination of imported fish and other produce from the neighboring country, with public concern showing no signs of abating amid distrust of government’s announcements about radiation risks.

The Korean government initially said that no radioactive materials would end up here from Japan, thanks to the wind direction blowing toward the Pacific Ocean. But radioactive iodine and cesium have been detected in the atmosphere all over the country, increasing public concerns over radiation risks.

Many housewives raising children and elderly people express worries about difficulty in believing what the government says about radiation risks.

“The government keeps saying that we don’t have to worry about radiation at all. They say that it’s okay to even drink rainwater. But I don’t believe it. Who would want to go out when it rains these days? I always wear a mask whenever I go outside these days,” says Jin Jeong-ki, 65.

The government further lost its credibility when it admitted that the rain might contain small amounts of radioactive iodine and cesium released from the Japanese nuclear plant, sparking public fears over “radioactive rainfall.”

Traces of radioactive iodine and cesium have also been found in rainwater in Seoul, Chuncheon and other regions.

Last Thursday when heavy rain fell all over the country, weather officials and health experts said the radiation level in the rainfall was too low to affect humans.

However, the distrusting public panicked with parents keeping children indoors and workers refraining from going outside without an umbrella. Some even washed their clothes and shoes immediately after returning home, with drivers cleaning cars in fear of contamination.

Additionally, the government’s lukewarm attitude toward inspecting agricultural and fisheries imports from Japan for radiation at an early stage also increased public concerns.

Many people have stopped eating fish. “I don’t eat fish or seafood anymore,” said Yoon Ji-hyun, an office worker and mother of a one-year-old boy in Seoul. “The government keeps saying they are safe, but I still feel uneasy.”

Only after radioactive materials were detected in spinach and milk produced in areas close to the Fukushima plant did the government begin inspecting food imports from Japan, sparking public fears over contaminated agricultural and fisheries products. Some have even shied away from purchasing industrial products made in Japan.

The sales of Japanese pollack and other imported fish have been on a steep decline here, particularly since fish caught in waters near the Japanese nuclear plant were found to have contained a high level of radioactive iodine and cesium.

Government officials said they never deceived the public, adding it took longer than expected to make public the institute’s findings concerning radiation as it verified its outcome over and over again.

“It is obvious that the general public tends to be unnerved about radiation, due to lack of knowledge and understanding. But we were disappointed when people did not trust our findings, which were based entirely on science,” said Roh Byeong-hwan, vice president for radiation & radioactive waste safety at the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety.

People are expected to keep away from fisheries and take all protective measures against radiation.

In coping with the fear Koreans have turned to products which “protect them from radioactive contamination.” Dustproof masks and radiation detectors have been the most in demand and as they are in short supply, some customers are even buying gas masks and protective gear used at factories.

People have also been trying to purchase iodine pills en masse, following news that they prevent radioactive materials from concentrating in the human thyroid gland.

Instead of buying the pills, some housewives have been rushing to buy seaweed known to be high in iodine, despite experts’ warning that it is impossible to ingest the necessary amount of iodine to prevent radioactive contamination by eating natural foods.