Health Tests Begin on Fukushima Children
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October 10, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Seven months after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Japanese medics begin testing children for connections between thyroid abnormalities and radiation.
Japanese health workers begin testing over 300,000 children near the Fukushima nuclear plant in fear that rises in thyroid abnormalities are linked to recent radiation leaks.
Tests began at the Fukushima Medical University on Sunday, with more than 100 people checked for irregularities.
Officials hope to test 360,000 people in total, with a number of follow-up tests every two years.
The plant, which is situated in the Fukushima Prefecture, was largely affected by the destructive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The disaster caused a series of nuclear meltdowns and released a number of radioactive materials into the environment.
Teams have since been working to recover the situation; however Japan’s government says decontamination efforts could take years to complete.
Parents are now concerned that leaked radiation is linked to a growing number of thyroid abnormalities. They also fear that lingering radioactive materials are causing health problems for people within the Fukushima area.
In a recent unofficial survey, scientists found that 10 out of 130 children evacuated from the area surrounding the plant had developed hormonal and other irregularities in the thyroid glands. No visible connections between abnormalities and radiation were found in the survey; however, many believe that the two are intrinsically linked and point to the Chernobyl disaster for evidence.
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident in Russia in 1986. It appeared to show a definite link between radiation and thyroid cancer, with more than 6,000 cases identified in people who were children during the explosion.
According to scientists, children are more vulnerable to radiation damage, so they are only conducting their tests on those who were under 18 years old in March 2011.
By Catherine Rees
[Image courtesy of Fox News Insiders]
