U.S. sailors are joining a class action suit; as a result of their duties to assist civilians in the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, navy sailors exposed to the radioactive fallout have been falling ill from radiation poisoning. This is despite the claims of the Defense Department that they were not put at risk of exposure to dangerous radiation levels.
But there’s a catch. Since a Supreme Court ruling in the 1950’s, military personnel are unable to sue the government for injuries sustained during the course of duty. The class action, therefore, is being built against the Fukushima operators and builders in a civil action.
In 2011 a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered a chain of events leading to the worst nuclear meltdown disaster in history. Releasing twice the amount of radioactive material as Chernobyl in 1986, Captain Thom Burke of the USS Ronald Reagan was redirected to the Japanese coast to assist in the relief work to help the survivors.
Since the event, up to 500 sailors [1] that were on board the USS Ronald Regan have fallen ill. Half of them have joined the class-action suit, citing complaints in their legal documents ranging from cancer cases, internal bleeding, birth defects, abscesses, and unexplained muscle wasting. The Pentagon remained steadfast in a report concluding the sailors had not been exposed to enough radiation to cause these health problems.
Case Study:
Lieutenant Steve Simmons was a triathlon runner. After returning from Japan, Simmons suffered from muscle wasting, hair loss, migraines, bloody discharge and incontinence. His fingers discoloured to a brown, and his feet have turned dark red. He’s now dependent on a wheelchair after his body began to suffer uncontrollable body spasms. He’s never had an official diagnosis, with one doctor telling him it was better if he didn’t know the cause of his illness.
“Personal, diplomatic and economic interests are all at stake,” Simmons said. “They’re leaving us alone. They’re closing their eyes, keeping quiet and waiting for it to blow over. There are sick soldiers everywhere, many in the hospital in San Diego, or in the medical center in Hawaii. They are ordinary folks who are poorly insured, with family and kids. Loyal and scattered. Most of them don’t know how to react. Those who raise their voices are denounced in the Internet for being unpatriotic. You have to put up with a lot.”[2]
[1] ENE News. (2015, February 12). Retrieved from http://enenews.com/doctor-removed-6-thyroids-recent-months-uss-reagan-sailors-exposed-fukushima-fallout-officer-sick-soldiers-everywhere-many-hospitals-san-diego-hawaii-dont-whats-going-video
[2] Osang, A. (2015, February 5). ‘Uncertain Radiological Threat’: US Navy Sailors Search for Justice after Fukushima Mission. Retrieved from http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/navy-sailors-possibly-exposed-to-fukushima-radiation-fight-for-justice-a-1016482.html
Get used to it. Hell, the government won’t even admit to infecting Vietnam Vets with Agent Orange which is passed down for 7 generations. And it’s been how many years since Vietnam?? You expect the government to admit to Radiation poisoning in the Fukushima disaster?? HAH!! We’re all collateral damage. The faster we die off, the less the government has to deal with. It will never change. That’s a fact! It’s an outrage!! Good luck in your fight.
is there any links to who is leading this class action? I know some people who are thinking about joining in…