Research proposal about Fukushima Daiichi nuclear - Essay Example

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster: a Research Proposal As a result of the March 11 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffer a series of fires and equipment failures that led to the release of radioactive materials. Given the total amount of radioactive material released since the nuclear crisis at Fukushima nuclear power plant began, the crisis has been rated a level 7 nuclear crises, the same level as the Chernobyl disaster (Black). Indeed, the Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and the Nuclear Safety Commission estimated the total amount of radioactive materials at 370,000 TBq and 630,000 TBq, respectively.

Either way, the figures are way beyond the threshold for a level 7 nuclear crisis as classified by the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (International Atomic Energy Agency). Thus the research will investigate the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster given the severity of the crisis and its international implications. Given the severity of the accident, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis will be compared with another level 7 nuclear accident, in this case the Chernobyl disaster.

The comparison will be based on the events that trigger the accident, total amounts of radioactive material released, economic impact of the accident and health implications. In order to have a general overview of the crisis, I will source for information from major news agencies such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, Voice of America, and Kyodo News and websites of the Tokyo Electric Power Company, International Atomic Energy Agency and the Official United Nation Chernobyl website as well as online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica.

Thereafter, I will search for published scholarly articles in academic peer-reviewed books, and journals by using Google Scholar. Last, I will source for more information from the OhioLink Library, through the Carlson Library web page. The search for information is expected to take a one week and this will be followed by another week of writing, proofreading and editing. Works Cited Black, R. Fukushima: As bad as Chernobyl? 12 April 2011. 1 June 2011 . International Atomic Energy Agency. Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Log.

12-18 May 2011. 1 June 2011 .