Frank Boulton's blog from the IPPNW International Congress in Hiroshima

Frank Boulton’s blog from the IPPNW International Conference in Hiroshima

Frank’s blog Wednesday August 22^nd

Over 30 degrees here and humid. Have met several IPPNW colleagues today, and been given a load of paper cranes to pester the UK Prime Minister with. A good session at the student Congress; great potential for increasing contacts between Student IPPNW and Medsin UK and raising the profile of the Nuclear Weapons Inheritance Project. Alex Rosen spoke on the “Hibushaka Around the World” (victims of the numerous nuclear accidents since 1945). He has also drafted an excellent critique of the recent WHO report on Fukushima There is a detailed poster exhibition on this.

I visited the Memorial Museum - very sobering indeed. I was most affected by the tatty ‘log-book’ which was an attempt to document as they were found the identified bodies in the immediate and awful aftermath. There is a tendency among some recent commentators on the August 6^th and 9^th to discount the early ‘non-documented’ medical consequences (how much acute radiation sickness, how many leukaemias, etc.) but the exhibition and this log-book just show how unreasonable such caveats are.

Have just bought the tickets for my rail trip to Fukushima; now to welcome Judith McDonald from Glasgow - the only other Medact delegate - who has just arrived.

Frank’s blog Thursday August 23^rd

It was the day for the Committees today - IPPNW Board (at which I was a ‘guest’) in the morning and International Council (IC) in the afternoon. Several subjects overlapped, including how many Co-Presidents; activity reports: ICAN, humanitarian consequences, Aiming for Prevention (small arms), and from student IPPNW.

The IC voted overwhelmingly to allow for four Co-Presidents, so that all four candidates were voted in - Vladimir Garkavenko, Russia; Ira Helfand, USA; Robert Mtonga, Zambia (re-elected) and Tilman Ruff, Australia. The IC also voted in Kati Juva, Finland, as its next Speaker. Altogether there will be 20 members of the new Board including all nine Regional Vice-Presidents so that only 4 or 5 of the 10 IC candidates will be elected to the Board. These include yours truly. The elections will take place at Sunday’s re-convened IC.

More interestingly, on the activities, ICAN seems particularly successful although I remain slightly concerned about the strategic emphasis on increasing the Non-nuclear Weapons’ States persuasive powers over the Nuclear Weapons States. It appears that there has been little, if any, consultation with NGO’s in USA and Russia about the place for an active ICAN chapter in those countries. However, the five nuclear powers were rattled at the 2010 NPT Revue Conference by the work on humanitarian consequences of nuclear war, so it is clearly worthwhile to encourage this to continue.

The Visa restrictions placed by the Japanese Authorities for several delegates - most notably from Nigeria - was raised: I reported on Medact’s letters to the Japanese Ambassadors in UK and Nigeria - which was appreciated..

I also did our ‘plug’ for Medicine Conflict and Survival, and myself as a candidate as an ‘At Large’ Board Member but am prepared to be disappointed!

Greatly entertained by some Japanese children playing xylophones and percussion at the opening ceremony this evening - it’s the first day of the main congress tomorrow.

Frank’s blog, Saturday 25^th August

I had an early start, to meet IPPNW’s anti-nuclear energy group. We will continue exploring a non-nuclear agenda and report back; understanding that the anti-nuclear energy feeling throughout IPPNW is now strong although not yet universal. Alex’ draft critique of the WHO Fukushima report (preliminary dose estimates up to September 2011) was commended and will be further developed. I took the opportunity to outline my own work - and the Hexham debate - to general interest and approval. Jeff has a fairly comprehensive data base and Alex will help develop a ‘drop-box’ system so that within our group we can share data more easily.

The symposium went well: following my brief introduction, Maureen McCue addressed the American scene, explaining that global warming addresses economic, human rights, lifestyle, and health issues, and is about race, class, democratic participation, global democracy and security. Martin Sonnabend gave an overview of the initiatives in Germany to promote local and efficient sources of renewable energy; while Arun Mitra gave a sober assessment of the situation in India. My student co-presenter, Arashdeep Singh summarised the anxieties felt by the Indian Medical student body. Several participants asked questions which were fielded most expertly by panel members, including the matter of military energy demands and their impact on global emissions.

In the afternoon plenary, Ron McCoy and Rebecca Johnson eloquently addressed the urgency of the global situation. The basic message of the day supported my contention that we DO NOT NEED nuclear energy, and there is no need to develop it (see my Hexham talk on this website) and that a nuclear weapons ban should be negotiated immediately.

After a moving evening ceremony for Congress participants hosted by the Governor and by the Mayor of Hiroshima, Judith and I lit candles at the Memorial Monument - the end of another rewarding day.

Frank’s blog Sunday 26 August

The last day of this Congress started with a session on the health implications of nuclear energy, followed by accounts of what happened in Fukushima. Ohtsura Niwa, radiation biologist and member of the ICRP (International Expert Symposium in Fukushima), gave an account of the dose effects of radiation on the victims based on the distance from the hypocentre and how much the victims were sheltered - for example by being indoors, and the background of the dose exposure estimates. The IRCP still goes by the LNT (linear no-threshold) theory and the increased sensitivities of infants and children. He described the absence of inherited genetic effects in the children of Hibakusha, and the changes of lymphocyte sensitivity to chromosomal damage at the time of birth.

The following session described what happened at Fukushima in line with WHO’s report of earlier this year which an IPPNW working group feels makes under-estimations of the victims’ radiation exposure: this caused a frank and lively disagreement from the floor.

The day - and the Congress - finished with a reading of the ‘Hiroshima Statement’ by the Congress President. In the IC Meeting which followed the new ‘At Large’ Board members were elected, along with Kati Juva as Speaker of the ICF and Bjorn Hildt as Deputy. 

Frank’s blog - Monday 27^th - morning

Up early before setting off to Tokyo and the Fukushima symposium tonight. I attended the morning Board Meeting as an Observer. Lars was elected as Board Chair with Bjorn as Deputy, and Ira as Secretary. The student reps were introduced but had to leave before they could give their report (which they will email on). As Lars was elected Chair, he has stepped down from chairing the Nuclear Energy Interest Group (not yet a Core IPPNW project) and it was agreed that I take over this function.

It was agreed to endorse the IPPNW Resolution on the state of insecurity in the Middle East, with particular reference to Iran and Syria and the need to outlaw nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction from the ME Zone. Also to support the meeting planned for Helsinki on 15/16 October 2013 on the ‘Nuclear Exit Strategy’. The next Board Meeting will be held in Germany during the Aiming for Prevention Meeting organised by Helmut Loehrer in May 2013.

The BM was ‘adjourned’ at 11.20 so that those (including me) attending the Fukushima Symposium in Tokyo tonight could catch their train.

Monday evening. Excellent symposium - a contrast to yesterday’s meeting and the attempt to downplay the degree of exposure from the Fukushima accident. The hard work of Peace Boat colleagues in organising this and the tour (tomorrow) is greatly appreciated. Good to see a colleague from Oxford - now based in Japan – a social anthropologist who has a deep understanding of Japanese society and political trends. An interesting discussion with a Japanese Diet Member about epidemiology.

Frank’s blog - Tuesday August 28^th

6.40 am train to Fukushima (two hours), them the bus tour which took us through deserted fields and dwellings, but also to temporary settlements for the evacuees, a health centre (very well appointed). Many blue bags with contaminated topsoil dumped on fields (as the first stage of decontamination) and radiation detector counters carefully sited so as to give lower ‘re-assuring’ indications of environmental exposure. Good conversations with several in the company: and an impromptu presentation, on the social consequences of the Fukushima disaster, over the bus loud speaker. Back to the Tokyo Hotel by 10pm, to pack and prepare for the return journey home.

Frank’s blog - Wednesday August 29^th

Civilised hour for breakfast - 8am. Met many delegates most of whom are going to the Press Conference at 10am. I had a plane to catch at 12.05 so travelled by hotel bus to Narita Airport, missing the Press Conference. Arrived home at 12.45 am Thursday 30^th feeling that there is still much to do. My main priorities now are the nuclear power issue, ICAN UK, and to get Student IPPNW to create an enthusiasm for the nuclear causes among UK students at Medsin etc, including the dangers of the downplaying messages.