The Fukushima accident was the leading cause of death and damage on March 11th, 2011

The natural disaster of March 11th, 2011 (the Tōhoku earthquake, followed by the tsunami) is directly responsible for nearly 18,500 deaths and disappearances. It also caused about 50 industrial accidents, which also had health and environmental consequences. However, the world has essentially retained only the Fukushima nuclear accident, despite its considerably lower consequences to human health.

In 2013, the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy presented an overview of the main industrial accidents (excluding nuclear) that occurred during the natural disaster of March 11th, 2011. They cost the lives of about 30 people. None or very few of them have been publicized. On the other hand, the images of some, such as the fire of the Cosmo Oil refinery, have been abundantly and inappropriately misused to supposedly illustrate the accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi power plant.

Among the most notable of these are:

• images of the Cosmo Oil and JX refineries, responsible for asphalt leaking into the sea (over 42 km for Cosmo Oil), into the ground, and onto beaches, and where the fire was the cause of significant emissions of toxic fumes;
• the image of the port of Ofunato cement plant responsible for the release of 1,000 m³ of fuel oil into the environment over 3 km²;
• images of the Ibaraki and Fukushima chemical plants responsible for the release into the environment of large quantities of hydrochloric acid and 3,500 litres of pure sodium hydroxide;
• as well as the accidents affecting various other plants, causing numerous releases of ammonia and coolants (powerful greenhouse gases).

Finally, among the many damages to buildings and infrastructure, there is the rupture of the Fujinuma dam which cost the lives of 8 inhabitants of the village located downstream.

Buildings, civil works, or factories: none were sized to withstand such exceptional natural events.

Radioactive releases from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, on the other hand, resulted in such low population exposure that, 15 years later no casualties have been recorded and no observable increases in cancers or deaths are expected.