Fukushima fallout suit: 'Sailors were marinating in radioactive particles'

http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/291582801.html



Sailors scrub the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) following a countermeasure wash down.

Fukushima fallout suit: 'Sailors were marinating in radioactive particles'
By Tracy Vedder
Published: Feb 11, 2015 at 4:12 PM MST Last Updated: Feb 11, 2015 at 5:51 PM MST

OAK HARBOR, Wash. -- There is a group of sailors and Marines, some from right here in the Northwest, who consider themselves warriors, wounded in a battle they didn't realize they were fighting against an enemy that's both terrifying and invisible: radiation.

It happened in 2011, right after Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami. Now that group is suing over debilitating and even fatal diseases that may not show up for years.

In March and April of that year, the front line for the US Navy's 7th Fleet was the coast of Japan. When the 9.0 earthquake struck, followed by a massive tsunami, the 25-ship carrier group led by the USS Ronald Reagan arrived the next day to help. It was officially dubbed "Operation Tomodachi."

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"So these sailors literally were marinating in radioactive particles," said Attorney Charles Bonner. He represents more than 200 sailors and Marines in a class action lawsuit against TEPCO, claiming radiation from Fukushima has caused devastating health effects, including cancers, tumors, brain defects, even death, and a whole host of other difficult-to-diagnose complaints.