Toxic Discourses: Science and Reputation in the Age of Radiation Omnipresence

• In Event: Toxic Subjects: Historical, Legal, Occupational, and Medical Perspectives - I

Abstract

The Japanese government maintains that it is safe to return and live in most of the areas formerly evacuated due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor meltdown in March 2011. The mainstream media rarely report any stories that disagree with authorities. But, is the level of radiation really safe for everyone, including children, to be exposed to continually over a long period of time? The public's ability to turn to science for answers has been impaired by wildly contradicting views expressed among academics. Individuals who feel apprehensive about radiation exposure have a difficult time voicing their concerns in a culture that is disapproving of dissent from the official rhetoric. This is particularly true in this case when there are certain people who are so invested in the mainstreamed perspective that they are ready to pounce on anyone who question it and accuse them of inflicting reputational damage on Fukushima prefecture and Japan as a whole by spreading bad rumor. Nevertheless, Japanese doctors and scientists who are troubled by the information marring have published books in order to do their best to inform the public of the potential magnitude of environmental impact and health risks. This paper examines how two toxic discourses -- one that emphasizes the toxicity of radioactive material that has become omnipresent as a result of the damaged nuclear power plant and the other that shuns such narrative as toxic in itself to the wellbeing of the nation -- coexist precariously in an impasse between science and reputation.

Author

• Chikako Takeshita, University of California, Riverside