Visualizing Hazard in Fukushima

I took this picture in Fukushima in February 2016. This is a photo of a portable radiation measurement instrument. I selected this photo since it demonstrates one of people’s attempts to visualize toxicity and hazard after a disaster. For citizens facing toxicity crisis, visualizing the invisible hazard is the first step to reduce the risk. After the Fukushima disaster caused the leakage of radioactive matter from the nuclear power plants, citizens have become apprehensive of contamination of radioactive matter in the soil, air, water, and ultimately food they consume. Since radioactive matters and their effect are invisible, citizens grappled with the ways to visualize toxicity and its hazard. Securing a portable radiation measurement instrument is one of the effective ways for an individual because only a few public spots have measurement instruments and each individual is concerned about the level of radioactive matters of her/his surrounding environment. However, for a cost of the device starts from approximately $100, not everyone can easily acquire it and that is why there is an issue with respect to class and acquisition of capital. Those who have more economic and social capital from others would have more information to determine safety.