In a study released just before Christmas, researchers estimate that 14,000 Americans died due to the effects of radioactive materials released by the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in March 2011. Joseph J. Mangano and Janette D. Sherman authored the paper which was published in the December 2011 International Journal of Health Services. The paper is titled “An Unexpected Mortality Increase in the United States Follows Arrival of the Radioactive Plume from Fukushima: Is There a Correlation?”. The full paper can be found at this link at radiation.org.

The researchers used data from the Centers for Disease Control’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The MMWR includes data from 122 U.S. cities reporting deaths for the week. The numbers of deaths for each city are broken down by age group, and the deaths related to pneumonia and influenza are also broken out. All data is preliminary and it takes nearly two years for the CDC to finalize the numbers. This report does not specify the cause of death.

The authors used the data from the MMWR reports for weeks 12 to 25, March 20 to June 25, 2011. That data was compared to the same period in 2010, as well as the fourteen weeks prior.

We took a look at infant deaths, children under 12 months of age. The study reports that infant deaths in the 122 cities rose by 1.8 percent year over year. Year over year for the prior fourteen week period, they declined 8.37 percent. They calculate that 822 infant deaths during the fourteen week study period were “excess”.

Recall that we used the term “preliminary” to refer to this data. We used the CDC’s database to search for the same data for the entire country for the study period. We found that our fourteen week total for infant deaths for 2011 agrees with the study, 2,743 deaths. However, the total for 2010 differs, and alters their analysis. They report 2,722 infant deaths for the period in 2010, while the current CDC count is 2,754. infant deaths went down year over year, not up by 1.8 percent.

Infant mortality in the United States. CDC data as of January 2, 2012. Click on the image for a larger view. Chart by Charles Simmins

Infant mortality in the United States. CDC data as of January 2, 2012. Click on the image for a larger view. Chart by Charles Simmins

Infant mortality in the United States. CDC data as of January 2, 2012. Click on the image for a larger view. Chart by Charles Simmins

Looking at the prior fourteen weeks’ data, MMWR weeks 50-11, the difference is even more striking. In the 2009-2010 period, infant deaths from our CDC data set equal 2,859. For the fourteen weeks prior to the study period, our 2010-2011 infant death total is 2,608. Infant deaths fell far more than the study states.

Among the weaknesses in this study are the failure to correct for pneumonia and influenza deaths. We included 2009 in our data. Weekly infant mortality totals for 2009 in the study period are much higher than for either 2010 or 2011. The novel H1N1 pandemic was affecting mortality in the United States. The flu is a key factor in mortality during the same time periods that the study examined.

The cities represent about 25 percent of the national population. Other questionable assumptions are that any effects from radioactive fallout would be evening distributed throughout the 122 cities in the data and that the effects in the cities would be equal to those in the rest of the nation.

The population rank tables provided in the study, tables four and five, demonstrate mortality variances that do not correlate with geography. One would expect West Coast cities to have a higher exposure to any Fukushima fallout, and thus demonstrate higher mortality rates. Houston leads with respect to an increase in mortality in both tables, not Los Angeles or San Diego.

We believe that the study’s authors have not proven their thesis. The current data refutes part of their analysis with respect to infant mortality. The authors use of just one prior year fails a commonsense test that you need more than two data points to establish a trend. They authors have not corrected the data with respect to the actual geographic distribution of fallout, nor did they make any attempt to correct for the effects of seasonal influenza or other variables such as violent deaths. Without a cause of death, any “excess deaths” which may be found cannot be related to Fukushima radiation and fallout.

At this point, if excess deaths exist, it is just coincidental that measurable amounts of radioactive byproducts from the Fukushima nuclear accident were found in the U.S. during the same time period.

Barge YOGN-115, carrying 1.04 million litres, 275,000 gallons, of fresh water, departs Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka to support cooling efforts at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. CFAY port operations cleaned and filled two barges, totaling nearly 1.89 million litres, 500,000 gallons, of fresh water. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mikey Mulcare

A team of Marines specifically trained to operate in chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological environments is deploying to Japan, Defense Department officials said today.

A 155-member initial response force composed of Marines from Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Md., could arrive in Japan as early as tomorrow, said Navy Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

The unit is part of the Chemical, Biological, and Incident Response Force. The initial response force will support the U.S. on-scene commander by providing a rapid response capability. If requested, it could also advise Japanese authorities.

The Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant is leaking radioactive materials, and the extent of the damage to the plant is not known. The Marine force will bring equipment for agent detection and identification; casualty search, rescue and personnel decontamination; and emergency medical care and stabilization of contaminated personnel.

U.S. Navy barges containing 500,000 gallons of fresh water from Yokosuka are being used at the crippled nuclear power plant. The water will be used to replace salt water in the reactor cooling system to lessen the corrosive impact of salt from the sea water still being used for emergency cooling.

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Department of Defense

Hat tip to Information Dissemination

Capt. Isaiah Manigault assists Staff Sgt. Nicholas Sweetman with his chemical protection suit March 20, 2011, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Sergeant Sweetman was preparing to scan a convoy returning from an urban search and rescue mission in Myagi, Japan. Captain Manigault is the deputy chief of the 18th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight, and Sergeant Sweetman is a technician at the 18th AMDS Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight. U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Kimberly Spinner

Among the typical crews for disaster relief in mainland Japan is an atypical crew.

Amid concerns for the environment, two Airman from the 18th Aerospace Medicine Squadron’s Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight has responded to the disasters there.

While other crews from here perform search-and-rescue operations and work to restore power in the neighboring cities, the 18th AMDS have deployed to Honshu island, sometimes known as mainland Japan, to aid Yokota AB in the testing for radiation and other contaminates in the surrounding environment.

Team members can conduct health assessments for hazards such as the exposure to radiation, (dangerous) chemicals and materials, and anything else that could harm the local populations, according to Tech. Sgt. Joanie Long, the bioenvironmental engineering flight readiness NCO in charge.

Though Sergeant Long stayed behind on this trip, she said the entire unit would have jumped at the opportunity to help more if they could.

“We just keep asking, ‘What could we do more?’” Sergeant Long said. “If we could, we’d all jump on the plane and go so we could help out.”

With these situations being so rare, most of the individuals in this career field may have trained for years without having to implement their skills in real-life situations.

Nineteen-year veteran Senior Master Sgt. Benjamin Winslow, the bioenvironmental engineering flight chief and member of the deploying crew, said the last time he performed in a real-world emergency was 10 years ago, when he worked to detect uranium around a nuclear reactor at his first base.

Though it’s been a decade since he had to perform outside of an exercise environment, Sergeant Winslow said the team has been training vigorously over the years to prepare for situations like this one.

“I’ve been training (for this kind of situation) for 19 years,” Sergeant Winslow said. “We spend a lot of hours training every week, and with all of our experience in exercises and training, we’re very capable. I’m looking forward to being able to use my skill to help someone.”

US Air Force
by Airman 1st Class Maeson L. Elleman
18th Wing Public Affairs

CERF team in training. Airmen 1st Class Brittany Musha, Michelle Smith, and Senior Airman Rebecca Chase. U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Kristina Overton

Members of a radiological assistance team landed aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) to assist in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) efforts March 19.

The team, consisting of 21 military and civilian personnel, comprise of personnel from Guam, Puget Sound, Wash., Norfolk, Va., and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Naval Ship Yards. Under the command of Adm. Kirkland H. Donald, the director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion and Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Naval Reactors, they will disperse to provide assistance to Essex, USS Harper’s Ferry (LSD 49), and USS Germantown (LSD 42). Their mission is to check for radiation on the aircraft and personnel of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) who go on the HADR missions to ensure they are not exposed to any radiation.

“We will be monitoring flight crews and any passengers that go out to the affected zones in Honshu,” said George Bowyer, a radiological physical science technician.

“We will be looking for any signs of radioactivity on the people and planes that return back to the ship from their missions,” said Machinist’s Mate 1st Class (SW) Wade Gerloff, a radiological control technician. “If we find any signs of radioactivity, we will remove and prevent the spread to others on the ship.”

Among the equipment they brought aboard to help them perform their job are radiac survey meters, portable air samplers, and personal dosimetry. Each piece of equipment serves instrumental in helping the team perform their mission.

“The radiac survey meter monitors for radiation,” said Carlos Soto, a radiological control technician. “The portable air sampler takes samples and tests for radiation in the air. The personal dosimetry monitors for radiation a person may have been exposed to. These personal devices will be given to flight crews and random ship personnel. We use the data to see how much radiation each person may have been exposed to.”

While providing humanitarian assistance is the main objective of the crew, ensuring the safety of the men and women performing these humanitarian missions is the main objective of the radiological assessment control team.

“The safety of the crew is our first priority,” said Essex Commanding Officer David Fluker. “Without having a healthy crew in this environment, we can’t do our job.”

The Essex ARG, commanded by Commander, Amphibious Squadron 11 Capt. Bradley Lee, is comprised of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship Essex and the dock landing ships Harpers Ferry, Germantown, and USS Tortuga (LSD 46). Essex is currently off the coast of Japan to conduct HADR operations as directed in support of Operation Tomodachi.

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon
Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo Japan on Facebook

USS George Washington got underway from Yokosuka today to assure she can sustain a state of readiness in the long term for the defense of Japan.

The forward deployed carrier is scheduled to remain in the local waters off Japan.

Moving USS George Washington is a precaution given the capabilities of the vessel and the complex nature of this disaster.

USS George Washington on Facebook