Katsuko Saruhashi (1920-2007) was the first woman to receive a PhD in chemistry in Japan. As a geochemist, she notably detected the dangers of radioactive fallout and how far it can travel.
Katsuko Saruhashi (1920-2007) was the first woman to receive a PhD in chemistry in Japan. As a geochemist, she notably detected the dangers of radioactive fallout and how far it can travel.
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History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Michelle Monaghan. And this is Womanica.
On July 16, 1945, the United States detonated the world’s first atomic bomb. Eventually hundreds of bombs were detonated under the theory that radioactivity would remain localized, and not spread to areas of human habitation. Turns out, scientists were wrong. Let’s give it up for the geochemist who debunked this theory, inspiring the world to rethink their approach to nuclear testing. Let’s talk about Katsuko Saruhashi.
Katsuko Saruhashi was born on March 22, 1920, in Tokyo, Japan. Her first name translates to “victorious,” a name she would certainly live up to. As a child, Katsuko was shy, with a keen sense of curiosity. Legend has it that she was first drawn to science watching raindrops slide down the window in her classroom. It got her wondering what caused rain. Years later, she would conduct groundbreaking research into acid rain.
After high school, Katsuko worked at an insurance firm. When she was 21, she convinced her parents to let her quit her job to attend the Imperial Women’s College of Science. At the time, World War II was leaving many women struggling without husbands or fathers. Women had little professional training to help them take care of themselves. Realizing this, Katsuko's mother supported her decision to continue on with school and achieve financial independence.
Katsuko graduated from college in 1943 with a degree in chemistry. She joined a geochemistry lab at the Meteorological Research Institute where she studied carbon dioxide levels in seawater. She developed what is now known as Saruhashi’s Table, which was the first method for measuring carbon dioxide using temperature, pH and chlorinity. Saruhashi’s Table became the global standard and was used by oceanographers and geochemists until the computer age.
In 1957, Katsuko earned her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Tokyo, becoming the first woman to do so. She stayed at the Meteorological Research Institute, which became her intellectual home for a total of 35 years.
She continued her research into CO2 levels in the ocean and published a seminal paper with her advisor Yasuo Miyake [Mee-ya-kay] on the topic in 1976. Their research showed that oceans emit twice as much carbon dioxide as they absorb. Prior to their findings, the scientific community believed ocean’s were able to absorb carbon dioxide. Their discovery prompted scientists to rethink the approach to combating Global Warming.
Katsuko also made transformative discoveries in ocean-borne nuclear contamination. After World War II, the United States continued to carry out nuclear tests. One of their testing sites was in the Pacific Ocean near Bikini Atoll, which lies 2,300 miles southwest of Japan. In 1954, Japanese fishermen who had traveled downwind of the testing site fell mysteriously ill. The Japanese government asked Katsuko and her team to investigate.
It was difficult to uncover the levels of radioactivity in something as vast as the ocean but she was up for the challenge. Katsuko and her team tracked ocean circulation patterns and found that, sure enough, radioactivity was not confined locally to testing sites. In less than two years, radioactive fallout had reached Japan. If the U.S. continued nuclear testing, the entire Pacific Ocean would be contaminated by 1969.
Americans were skeptical of Katsuko’s findings. They questioned her methods and were reluctant to end nuclear testing. As a result, they invited her to come to California to test her methodology against what American oceanographer Theodore Folsom had found.
Likely due to sexism and anti-Japanese sentiment of the time, when she arrived at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California, she was asked not to commute to the institute each day. Instead, she was given a small wooden hut to complete her research in. Despite not having access to the facilities of Scripps itself, Katsuko completed the test and achieved results that were more accurate than Theodore Folsom’s methods. Scientists had no choice but to work off of Katsuko’s findings, which confirmed the need to end atmospheric nuclear testing.
While the U.S. conducted underground tests until the early 90s, their last public atmospheric test was in 1962. The following year, the world’s nuclear powers signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty, which outlawed atmosphering testing entirely.
Katsuko’s impact grew beyond her research, due to her belief that scientists cannot operate in a vacuum– she believed they had a social responsibility. She frequently engaged with the public, teaching them about her work and listening to opinions on what scientists should prioritize.
She also leveraged her own success to help other female scientists. Early in her career, Katsuko established the Society of Japanese Women Scientists – a community for women in science to find friendship and support. She also received many honors and awards – she was the first woman elected to the Science Council of Japan, and the first woman to receive the Miyake Prize for geochemistry. In 1981, she founded her own award, the Saruhashi Prize, which is awarded to Japanese women in the natural sciences.
She died at the age of 87 on September 29, 2007. The Saruhashi Prize continues to be awarded each year.
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Special thanks to Jenny and Liz Kaplan for inviting me to guest host today’s episode.
Talk to you tomorrow!