A US academic yesterday shared his research on the effect of radioactive contaminants on animals in areas affected by nuclear disasters, while antinuclear advocates called for nuclear power to be phased out.
University of South Carolina professor of biology Timothy Mousseau, who has conducted long-term studies on the influence of radioactive contamination on animals and plants around the sites of accidents in Chernobyl, Ukraine and Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, told a meeting at the Legislative Yuan radiation exposure has dramatic effects on the development, reproduction and survival of organisms.
Increased rates of tumors, smaller brain sizes, cataracts and male sterility have been observed in birds, while the population of birds, as well as the number of species of birds have declined dramatically, Mousseau said, adding that almost all organisms near Chernobyl show some levels of damage, regardless of the degree of exposure.
“Many of the effects that we see in wild populations of animals and plants [at Chernobyl and Fukushima] are very similar to the consequences of atomic bombs. So radiation is radiation, no matter what the source is,” he said.
Organisms living in the areas were found to be 10 times more sensitive to radiation than other scientists had predicted, suggesting there might not be a safe threshold of exposure below which there are no health effects, he said, adding that it is assumed there should be parallels between humans and animals in terms of the consequences of radiation exposure, but the effects would be felt much later among people.
“Given a very high sensitivity to radiation, we need to be very concerned about the consequences of nuclear accidents, but also the day-to-day operations of nuclear power plants, where radiation is really on a regular daily basis. Whether you are for nuclear power or against it, the problem is on the table no matter what perspective you take on nuclear power,” he said.
Taiwan Renewable Energy Alliance director Kao Ju-ping (高如萍) said aging nuclear power plants pose major safety problems and must be deactivated as soon as possible, while eliminating nuclear power would not create power shortages.
Replacing nuclear power with sources of renewable energy could sustain economic development, instead of causing electricity prices to rise and stalling economic growth, as the government and Taiwan Power Co have warned, Kao said.
Taiwan Environmental Protection Union founding chairman Shih Hsin-min (施信民) said nuclear waste would remain a lasting threat to Taiwan even if nuclear power is phased out, while the government has yet to find a safe storage solution that could satisfy the public.
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we