Never-Before-Seen Images Reveal How The Fukushima Exclusion Zone Was Swallowed By Nature
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Polish photographer Arkadiusz Podniesinski travelled to the site of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster last month to see the location with his own eyes. When he obtained permits to enter the roughly 20km (12.5 mile) Exclusion Zone, he was confronted with a scene similar to one from a post apocalyptic film. Podniesinski previously photographed the area around the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear energy plant disaster.
“It is not earthquakes or tsunami that are to blame for the Fukushima disaster at Daiichi nuclear power station, but humans,” writes Podniesinski on his website. He undertook the project so that he could draw his “own conclusions without being influenced by any media sensation, government propaganda, or nuclear lobbyists who are trying to play down the effects of the disaster, and pass on the information obtained to as wider a public as possible.”
Scroll down to see the haunting images from Fukushima Exclusion Zone yourself.
More info: podniesinski.pl (h/t: designyoutrust)
Abandoned vehicles are slowly swallowed up by nature on a stretch of road near the power plant
Some of the cars have entirely disappeared in the wild grass
Podniesinski shows a radiation reading of 6.7 uSv/h
A chained-up motorcycle is slowly absorbed into the field
These contaminated televisions were collected and piled up as part of the cleaning efforts
Cobwebs hang above the scattered products in this abandoned supermarket
Another photo from within a supermarket feels eerily similar to those from post-apocalyptic movies
This abandoned computer lab covered in animal droppings is from a village near the plant
A dining table with portable cookers ready to prepare food looks like it was left in haste
These go-karts have had their last race in an entertainment park located within the 12.5mile exclusion zone
Musical instruments including a piano litter the floor of this classroom
The earthquake which started the tsunami damaged buildings as well
These bicycles were left behind when residents fled
Classes were interrupted mid-lesson by the disaster
An empty arcade, now without patrons
This aerial photo taken by a drone shows one of the dump sites that contain thousands of bags of contaminated soil
Bags of radioactive soil are stacked one on top of the other to save space
Landowners have been told that these contaminated bags will be disposed of, but many people remain skeptical
Cows started to get white spots on their skin soon after the accident. One farmer believes this is due to the cows eating contaminated grass
“Nuclear energy is the energy of a bright future” reads the sign
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Anyone else thought of radioactive spiders upon seeing that cobweb-shrouded supermarket? Spidey's coming!
And was the photographer worried incase he got bitten...
Remember : Spiderman (Peter Parker) was a photographer. Coincidence? I don't think so!
Spider-Man!
the ones from "The Mist"? :)
Check out Chernobyl spiders.
Lol, that was my first thought too!
and by "bright future" they probably meant you will start glowing from the radiation
it was a bright future for everyone, sadly, things beyond anybody's control happened. im neither pro nor con for power plants, but there is a big difference in people's lives from those with power plants and from those with dont, and as one speaking from the latter. our electric bills are quite expensive as well as other basic commodities. so yes, there really is a bright future for countries and cities with power plants as opposed to those who dont, those who have to toil hard for basic commodities, but then again, there really is an exchange for easy living, as seen with the fukushima melt down... i just ask that you not be sarcastic about it. thanks
Let us just think for a second on other alternatives to nuclear power. Ones that aren't as destructive or dangerous, and are entirely viable. Well... umm... what possible alternatives? How about solar? Wind? Tidal? Hydro? to name a few... all of these are not only much safer for humans in short term health effects, but also entirely renewable, and every country has access to sun, and most access to wind. These are where the bright future lies. Not with nations that invest in nuclear power.
Actually japan have almost all of those renewable energy source; hydro, wind, solar, n of corse nuke. Everyone is talking down on their 'mess' as if those who talk have any better countermeasures like the Japs had at their plants. They so happen had the worse luck possible with double KO by mother nature
i can tell there are no scientists in this group of posts... first, green energy is unreliable, having an hour of black out randomly once every day or so may sound like not a big deal at home. but like 90% of power is used by industry and etc. the reason why they are not reliable is fairly complex, even places where they make too much power from solar have not shut down conventional power plants due this reason. Nuclear reactors must be cooled, the easiest way to do it is ocean cooling. the USA and everyone else in the world also does this, common knowledge. Nuclear power is actually less harmful than using coal and oil, and with use and refinement may evolve to nuclear power from non-radioactive materials such as hydrogen, this could mean unlimited free power due to the huge amounts of hydrogen in the universe, including Earth. Nuclear power is the right track, even if it is currently unrefined. Think of all the people dying due to the USA's greed for oil? more than the earthquake.
We all talk of fail safe... what of the billions of gallons of radioactive water still being released into our oceans??? We must be mad to consider building more of them. One day inevitably some pandemic or other is going to strike us down and but a few will survive.... these power stations will be highly unsafe and unstable soon after zero hour and all life will become extinct for our greed..... As others have said solar, wind, hydro, wave power are free and safe let's explore that for a minute. Instead of line corporate pockets and puppet governments dividend greedy voters
Modern nuclear plants have a dead-man switch that disables and protects the nuclear cores. The effect of losing power in Fukishima was a design flaw. It does not, however, speak ill of any other nuclear power station. Granted, if other nuclear power stations have a similar lack of a fail-safe when power is suddenly disrupted, the residents of everyone near-by, including foreign countries near-by, should have some authority to have it changed.
Putting the genetrators in the bacement was a human decision completly within their control (the place sits on the ocean fer goodness sake) Lets not give the designers inspectors and officals a pass on this one okay
It's rather absurd to say that 'things beyond anyone's control happened'. They were abjectly stupid and cheap, chose a poor location, and failed to put in even a complete set of logical protections. What happened there was ABSOLUTELY, completely within their control, and very much their responsibility.
Finally, someone with something intelligent to say about this. As I am reading the comments, I thought I wouldn't find one. These images are extremely thought provoking, and stirred a lot of emotion in me. Living in the U.S., where we have many nuclear power plants, I have mixed emotions about the subject. I live not very far from 3 Mile Island...where there was nealy a disaster almost 4 decades ago. They do make our lives better in many ways, but risk of the effects of a meltdown to humans, animals, and the planet.....well, the idea of risk is something I struggle with. And I am not alone
I kinda don't think anyone will have to worry about their electric bills if they're dead!
let's drop the electrical bills and keep the nuclear plant scores under the living room carpet! it's CLEAN!
The cows started to have bright spots on their skin. So it's true.
irony I guess
Wind is a dirty technology. Solar will be good until we have mined all of the metals and other component minerals out of the earth. We do need to DO otherwise, but do not present overpopulating humanity as eligible for any panacea. It's not out there. We must do for the sake of the earth and everything else. But get educated on the dirty costs of all energies! We humans are surely pestilential.
a very bright future indeed.
Brighter than fossil fuels!
Kitti, natural resources are not enough to run a modern metropolis with all its needs, but, yes, people ARE making efforts to use more of these natural sources and less of nuclear and fossil fuels. But, if you ask me, all of this could have been prevented if they only let Tesla do his job and give us a wireless and free electricity.
Tesla uses regulation powerplants to fill batteries... they burn coal and oil, they just do it outside of your car, put it into a battery and put it in your car instead of just have the whole process happen inside your car. scientifically, nuclear power is the right track, it is just unrefined as of now, if we are able to use non-radioactive materials to create fusion and contain it, we will have 0 waste nuclear power, with a bi-product of helium, which is a very rare and valuable gas (despite the price due to the lack of use since it is so rare). With all this new helium, airships will become viable, floating cities lifted by the bi-product of their power supply. think about it.
But in the world of today where we can produce energy from the sun, wind or even the gravity why is it still a point of view?
Both are horrendous
Anyone else thought of radioactive spiders upon seeing that cobweb-shrouded supermarket? Spidey's coming!
And was the photographer worried incase he got bitten...
Remember : Spiderman (Peter Parker) was a photographer. Coincidence? I don't think so!
Spider-Man!
the ones from "The Mist"? :)
Check out Chernobyl spiders.
Lol, that was my first thought too!
and by "bright future" they probably meant you will start glowing from the radiation
it was a bright future for everyone, sadly, things beyond anybody's control happened. im neither pro nor con for power plants, but there is a big difference in people's lives from those with power plants and from those with dont, and as one speaking from the latter. our electric bills are quite expensive as well as other basic commodities. so yes, there really is a bright future for countries and cities with power plants as opposed to those who dont, those who have to toil hard for basic commodities, but then again, there really is an exchange for easy living, as seen with the fukushima melt down... i just ask that you not be sarcastic about it. thanks
Let us just think for a second on other alternatives to nuclear power. Ones that aren't as destructive or dangerous, and are entirely viable. Well... umm... what possible alternatives? How about solar? Wind? Tidal? Hydro? to name a few... all of these are not only much safer for humans in short term health effects, but also entirely renewable, and every country has access to sun, and most access to wind. These are where the bright future lies. Not with nations that invest in nuclear power.
Actually japan have almost all of those renewable energy source; hydro, wind, solar, n of corse nuke. Everyone is talking down on their 'mess' as if those who talk have any better countermeasures like the Japs had at their plants. They so happen had the worse luck possible with double KO by mother nature
i can tell there are no scientists in this group of posts... first, green energy is unreliable, having an hour of black out randomly once every day or so may sound like not a big deal at home. but like 90% of power is used by industry and etc. the reason why they are not reliable is fairly complex, even places where they make too much power from solar have not shut down conventional power plants due this reason. Nuclear reactors must be cooled, the easiest way to do it is ocean cooling. the USA and everyone else in the world also does this, common knowledge. Nuclear power is actually less harmful than using coal and oil, and with use and refinement may evolve to nuclear power from non-radioactive materials such as hydrogen, this could mean unlimited free power due to the huge amounts of hydrogen in the universe, including Earth. Nuclear power is the right track, even if it is currently unrefined. Think of all the people dying due to the USA's greed for oil? more than the earthquake.
We all talk of fail safe... what of the billions of gallons of radioactive water still being released into our oceans??? We must be mad to consider building more of them. One day inevitably some pandemic or other is going to strike us down and but a few will survive.... these power stations will be highly unsafe and unstable soon after zero hour and all life will become extinct for our greed..... As others have said solar, wind, hydro, wave power are free and safe let's explore that for a minute. Instead of line corporate pockets and puppet governments dividend greedy voters
Modern nuclear plants have a dead-man switch that disables and protects the nuclear cores. The effect of losing power in Fukishima was a design flaw. It does not, however, speak ill of any other nuclear power station. Granted, if other nuclear power stations have a similar lack of a fail-safe when power is suddenly disrupted, the residents of everyone near-by, including foreign countries near-by, should have some authority to have it changed.
Putting the genetrators in the bacement was a human decision completly within their control (the place sits on the ocean fer goodness sake) Lets not give the designers inspectors and officals a pass on this one okay
It's rather absurd to say that 'things beyond anyone's control happened'. They were abjectly stupid and cheap, chose a poor location, and failed to put in even a complete set of logical protections. What happened there was ABSOLUTELY, completely within their control, and very much their responsibility.
Finally, someone with something intelligent to say about this. As I am reading the comments, I thought I wouldn't find one. These images are extremely thought provoking, and stirred a lot of emotion in me. Living in the U.S., where we have many nuclear power plants, I have mixed emotions about the subject. I live not very far from 3 Mile Island...where there was nealy a disaster almost 4 decades ago. They do make our lives better in many ways, but risk of the effects of a meltdown to humans, animals, and the planet.....well, the idea of risk is something I struggle with. And I am not alone
I kinda don't think anyone will have to worry about their electric bills if they're dead!
let's drop the electrical bills and keep the nuclear plant scores under the living room carpet! it's CLEAN!
The cows started to have bright spots on their skin. So it's true.
irony I guess
Wind is a dirty technology. Solar will be good until we have mined all of the metals and other component minerals out of the earth. We do need to DO otherwise, but do not present overpopulating humanity as eligible for any panacea. It's not out there. We must do for the sake of the earth and everything else. But get educated on the dirty costs of all energies! We humans are surely pestilential.
a very bright future indeed.
Brighter than fossil fuels!
Kitti, natural resources are not enough to run a modern metropolis with all its needs, but, yes, people ARE making efforts to use more of these natural sources and less of nuclear and fossil fuels. But, if you ask me, all of this could have been prevented if they only let Tesla do his job and give us a wireless and free electricity.
Tesla uses regulation powerplants to fill batteries... they burn coal and oil, they just do it outside of your car, put it into a battery and put it in your car instead of just have the whole process happen inside your car. scientifically, nuclear power is the right track, it is just unrefined as of now, if we are able to use non-radioactive materials to create fusion and contain it, we will have 0 waste nuclear power, with a bi-product of helium, which is a very rare and valuable gas (despite the price due to the lack of use since it is so rare). With all this new helium, airships will become viable, floating cities lifted by the bi-product of their power supply. think about it.
But in the world of today where we can produce energy from the sun, wind or even the gravity why is it still a point of view?
Both are horrendous