Reports: Workers told to underplay Fukushima radiation dosage

Under-reporting the potential impact of the Fukushima remains a valid concern according to Kyodo News (quoted in the linked NBC News article), as workers charged with cleanup of the disaster were instructed to shield their personal dosimeters from the very radiation the meters were designed to detect. Nine workers obstructed the devices with lead plates in effort to record levels of radiation below safety thresholds.

Handout / Reuters

Class discussions surrounding the film Green touched on Mississippi River factories self-reporting water contamination levels near their plants, but few would chalk up under-reporting of contaminant levels in that context to a noble ulterior motive. In the case of the Fukushima disaster, the motives for misrepresenting the extent of the contamination might not be as clear cut. Many of those that initially volunteered to assist in the cleanup were retirees aged 60 years and older.(source:Japanese seniors volunteer for Fukushima 'suicide corps' ), presumably because of the potentially longer incubation period for cancers resulting from radiation exposure in the elderly. What role does social pressure play in remaining silent over insider knowledge of environmental clean-up efforts?