The argument is supported through a combination of historical description, statistical aspects of the health care system available to exposed citizens, and accounts from doctors and sufferers of radiation poisoning. The use of such diverse methods gives a more complete picture of the long term effects of Chernobyl and how it continues to dictate the work, education, and health care options of those in the surrounding area.
The web platform appears to be a space to compile stories and information from Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. The primary goal seems to be informing the public about the hurricanes, specifically the aftermath in the days and months following the flooding. It serves as a method of remembrance for what occurred (the flooding, death toll, lack of appropriate and timely response, the struggles of survivors) and as a way to warn that these problems will continue to occur in the future. In the last few days, Hurricane Matthew ravaged the Caribbean, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. It will take weeks to return power to all who have lost it, and exact damage tolls will take months to compile. Although each time, with each pass of destruction, our responses seem to be improving, the disasters continue to accumulate-- despite warnings such as this site.
“Within the nuclear industry, an almost exclusive emphasis on accident avoidance has given way to a new strategy of accident preparedness.” (Schmid 207)
“…creating a group or agency that is both capable of assembling the needed expertise for effective emergency response, and that also is accepted as legitimate by the broader public.” (Schmid, 195)
“...an emergency response requires…expertise, trust, legitimacy, as well as public engagement as part of that response” (Schmid 195)
The main argument is supported primarily through interviews with many individuals living in Ankara, through which they describe the first presentation of their seizures and in many cases the steps they tool to attempt a cure. Along with the interviews, statistics of the individuals interviewed and their diagnoses is used to provide a reference point to better understand their stories. Finally the article includes an analysis of narratives in a more general sense that can be applied to the narrative of an illness.
According to NCBI, this report has been cited 40 times by various other reports. This includes several longitudinal studies, a piece detailing climate change and public health, and several more review articles detailing overarching effects of disasters. Additionally, it has been cited in several shorter pieces focusing on specific disaster events and their subsequent effects on specific populations-- such as the effects of Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the physical health of adult women in So Louisiana.
The argument is supported through a combination of historical information including rates of AIDS in the early 1990’s and a study done in Baltimore in an effort to reduce AIDS rates in African Americans, who were more likely to be in poverty, by addressing monetary barriers to heath care. Two more recent cases are also used to support the main argument, implementing a method created by the Partners in Health to prevent transmission and provide AIDS care in rural Haiti and rural Rwanda. Throughout the article references were made to the current medical professional’s dilemma, where they are in a position to see the social inequalities contributing to disease rates but not trained to report or change common social contributing factors. This makes the article more relatable to the reader that may have experience in the medical field which elps to support the argument.
The film suggests a change in the treatment of terminal patients nearing the end of their lives. Several doctors in the film expressed that they were unprepared to deal with that part of medicine. Experience is the most effective means of education in the medical field, however the film seems to suggest that more training in medical school would be a good first step in preparing doctors not to see the loss of terminal patients as a failure, but in many cases as an inevitability.
The film stands very well on its own. As a biology major with particular interest in human physiology, I would have liked to see more information on what defects/cancers/diseases are most prevalent with the listed contaminants. Moreover, chronic illness from contaminated water could also demonstrate harsh effects on renal and circulatory systems; these were not discussed during the film nor were we provided with any links to studies demonstrating coincidence between VOM's and specific illnesses.
The authors argue that while recent changes in health security have led to a modern knowledge base and understanding of health threats these new systems are still forming and adapting as the health problems faced change.
The apps are noted in the article as ‘mostly homegrown’ and the technical capabilities show that to be the case. None of the apps described provide new function, but rather adapt a smartphones existing capabilities. The ability to record information, send information to another user, and send a group message already exist. The only special function supported in some of the apps is the automatic save of a recording to an otherwise inaccessible portion of the cloud.