Joe Korff is a metallurgical engineer. He has been working in the metals, steel and foundry industries his entire career. Joe became involved with Ohio Citizen Action in 1998 during the electric deregulation campaign. He said he was, "impressed with the thoroughness of research of the deregulation process -- with the knowledge of all of the constituencies -- the producers, the providers, the public utilities commission, and the consumers."

Joe has been an active member of Ohio Citizen Action's board since 2001. He has provided expert advice and leadership on many issues including the near-miss at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant. Here is a brief excerpt from his testimony on November 12, 2002 to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission:

The most important lesson learned is probably the understanding that a major nuclear accident has inevitable transboundary implications, and its consequences could affect directly or indirectly many countries even at large distances from the accident site.

This is certainly not contained in Ottawa County, and it was concluded that the Chernobyl accident has had significant long-term impact on psychological well-being, health-related quality of life and illness in the affected populations.

One statistic they cited was in 1986 children under 15 in Belarus had the occasion of three out of 100,000 had thyroid cancer. By 1993, it was 87 out of 1,000 that contracted the cancer, and outside the former Soviet Union, no concerns were ever warranted for the levels of radioactivity in drinking water.

On the other hand, there were lakes, particularly in Switzerland and the Nordic countries, where restrictions were necessary for the consumption of fish.

These restrictions still exist in Sweden, for example, where thousands of lakes contain fish with a radioactive content still higher than limits established by the authority for the sale in those markets.

Over 16 years after the accident, exposures of populations are mainly due to the consumption of agricultural food contaminated with cesium-137, a very heavy element.

Talking about the area immediately around the Chernobyl area -- and it’s a 30-kilometer radius, so we’re again 20 miles radius from the site of the accident -- it is not clear whether return to the 30-kilometer exclusion zone will ever be possible, nor whether it would be feasible. So, there’s a whole chunk of the earth that may never be inhabited again for 300 years perhaps.

Joe has served as president of the Salem Chamber of Commerce and on the board of the Salvation Army. He and his wife Susan live in Salem. They have five grown children and one grandchild.