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Schmid’s main argument is that in order to create an effective international nuclear emergency response team one must take the opinions of the “lay community” not only the opinions of the scientific elites. This increase in diversified opinions will allow for not only a better prevention method, but for more of a better response to disaster.

Since this affects insurance, it may affect clinicians and paid EMS. If an individuals knows that they need attention but cannot afford to go and seek the appropriate treatment may affect the overall public health.

Paul E. Farmer is a Harvard research professor and physician and focuses on global health. I was unable to find anything on Bruce Nizeye besides that he was a student at Harvard. Sara Stulac is a Physician at Bigham Womens Hospital with a focus on HIV studies. Salmaan Keshavjee is affiliatted with Harvard Medical School and has written many papers.  

After the Fukushima disaster, thyroid examinations were performed on residents less than 18 years of age. The first three years post disaster are noted as the "Initial phase" and act as a control. Of those tested, 113 cases were suspected of or found to have thyroid malignancies, 99 of those underwent surgery. After this, the goal became to compare and observe prevalence of thyroid cancer in this initial screen program with historical controls based off if there was a nuclear disaster or not.

For this study, the observed/expected ratio was calculated for residents less than 20 years old. Observed prevalence of cancer was calculated using numbers found in the initial thyroid screening program mentioned above. Expected prevalence was then calculated by using a life-table method utilizing national estimates of thyroid cancer incidences before the disaster. The population of Fukushima was taken into account.  A 5 year cumulative risk of thyroid cancer incidences was calculated for the year of 2010.  This 5 year risk was then converted to a 1 year cumulative risk using a method called spline smoothing. Then the age-specific prevalence of thyroid cancer was estimated by multiplying the 0 year old population by the age specific risk in 2010. 

I have done research involving cancer rates and their correlation with power plants (in my case Indian Point.) Doing that research caused me to read hundreds of studies similar to this one where estimates are made using calculations based off cancer rates before the incident and then taking them and putting them into context of a post disaster area. I wouldn't quite say that this method is new or inventive but it follows similar methodology to other studies of this same caliber, yet there are aspects that make it more unique such as converting the 5 year to 1 year cumulative risk using a spline smoothing method. 

As I stated in the previous annotiation, their membership is mostly physicians and other health care workers, but is open to anyone that provides a resource that helps them achieve their goals.

The American Red Cross has volunteers in different sectors, some are blood drive volunteers, while others are disaster volunteers or digital advocates. Disaster volunteers form action teams and respond to single-family fires, or provide food and shelter, comfort, etc to areas of major disaster, a recent example would be the fires in California. Yet they also aid areas that recently have succumbed to hurricanes and tornados. They also act as disaster preparedness presenters and educate people on how to be prepared for disaster. The American Red Cross is always hosting blood drives, yet when there is a national disaster, they hold emergency drives and increase the amount of drives they have in order to get blood for those devastated by the disaster. American Red Cross doesn't just respond to disaster and act as an emergency response force but they actively hold seminars to educate people on being both prepared and preventative. 

Emergency response is addressed in more of a public health aspect rather than EMS. The conditions post Chernobyl in terms of government involvement, political and social climates were emphasized. Along with this, the resettlement and life adjustments of those effected, as well as health and radiation implications are extensively discussed. 

“The Hague Street inquest featured many experts, none with the authority to effect real change. The result was a blanket of blame that covered everyone”

"Blame, memorial, and reconstruction tend to outpace technical consensus."

"Investigators had no power to protest the decision. In fact, their initial request to inspect the steel had been lost in the confusion by city officials still pressed with the responsibility of looking for bodies."

I would say that the perspectives of the government as well as first responders were not included in this film. They were not able to communicate the stresses as well as the lack of resources and man power. There were no viewpoints from first responders or volunteers, having that testimony would have more accurately depicted the hardships that first responders and aid were facing.