Fukushima nuclear accident was 'man-made' disaster...
Genetic mutations have been found in three generations of butterflies from near Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, scientists said Tuesday.
The quake-sparked tsunami of March 2011 knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing three reactors to go into meltdown. A photograph released by Joji Otaki, an associate professor of biology at the University of the Ryukyus shows a healthy adult pale grass blue (Zizeeria maha) butterfly (top right) and a mutated variety (bottom left).
Tokyo Genetic mutations have been found in three generations of butterflies from near Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, scientists said Tuesday, raising fears radiation could affect other species.
Around 12 per cent of pale grass blue butterflies that were exposed to nuclear fallout as larvae immediately after the tsunami-sparked disaster had abnormalities, including smaller wings and damaged eyes, researchers said.
The insects were bred in a laboratory outside the fallout zone and 18 per cent of their offspring displayed similar problems, said Joji Otaki, associate professor at Ryukyu University in Okinawa, southwestern Japan.
The figure rose to 34 per cent in the third generation of butterflies, he said, even though one parent from each coupling was from an unaffected population.
The nuclear accident at Fukushima last year was a "man-made disaster" and not only due to the tsunami, a Japanese parliamentary panel said in its final report on the catastrophe.
"Governments, regulatory authorities and Tokyo Electric Power lacked a sense of responsibility to protect people's lives and society," said a summary of the report by the Diet's Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission.
"It is clear that this accident was a man-made disaster.
"According to this commission's study, on March 11, it is believed that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was in a vulnerable condition with no guarantee it could withstand earthquakes and tsunamis," it said.
"Despite having a number of opportunities to take measures, regulatory agencies and TEPCO management deliberately postponed decisions, did not take action or took decisions that were convenient for themselves."
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