Screening of Fukushima residents who were 18 or younger at the time of the 2011 nuclear disaster had found 26 confirmed and 32 suspected cases of thyroid cancer as of Sept. 30, according to the Fukushima Prefectural Government.
The number of confirmed cases was up by eight from August, while the suspected cases rose by seven, the prefecture-led study found.
About 226,000 people have undergone the screening program since it kicked off in October 2011.
The 26 confirmed cases underwent surgery and are doing well, according to the prefecture.
A panel of experts at the prefecture concluded Tuesday that it is too early to link the cases to the nuclear disaster, given that papillary thyroid cancer €" the type found in the 26 people €" develops at a very slow pace, according to prefectural officials. Following the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe, it took about four to five years for thyroid cancers in significant number to be detected.
Thyroid cancer is considered a major health concern for children because radioactive iodine spewed by the crippled nuclear plant tends to accumulate in thyroid glands, especially among young children.
Following the Chernobyl disaster, more than 6,000 children were diagnosed with thyroid cancer, according to the U.N. Scientific Committee, which attributed many of the cases to consumption of contaminated milk.
According to media reports, thyroid cancer normally strikes about 1 to 2 people aged 10 to 14 per million in Japan, far less than about 115 in 1 million cases in Fukushima. However, the figure cannot be simply compared, because the screening in Fukushima targets all children under 18, most of whom are without any symptoms, and no such screening is being done elsewhere in Japan.
To address mounting worries among local residents with children, the prefecture will expand the screening tests next April to include people born after the disaster started.
Fukushima's nuclear power mess: Five big questions
The meltdowns of three reactors at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant may have happened more than two years ago, but the disaster remains a giant, unresolved mess.
An earthquake in 2011 triggered a tsunami which slammed into the plant, disabling it. The threat of radiation forced neighbors to evacuate and many still can't return to their homes. Authorities face many challenges before they can make the facility safe again for the long term.
Here are five of the biggest questions still out there:
1. How dangerous for your health is Fukushima?
Data published in August shows 44 out of 216,809 children under age 18 in Fukushima prefecture were diagnosed with thyroid cancer or suspected of having the disease. The figure is far higher than the international average but opinions are split as to whether this is because of the nuclear accident or because of more sensitive screening. Also, health experts say it takes years after radiation exposure to develop thyroid cancer, which suggests the cause of the cancer may predate the tsunami.
2. What can you do with radioactive water?
The most immediate problem for plant operator Tepco is the hundreds of tons of water poured over the damaged nuclear reactors every single day to keep the molten fuel cool. If the fuel is not kept cool, it could cause another disaster.
That radioactive water then needs to be stored safely. But several on-site water storage tanks that were originally designed to be temporary have sprung leaks. Tepco said last summer that as much as 300 tons of toxic groundwater was seeping into the Pacific Ocean every day, sparking fears about radioactive contamination of fish, which are a major food source.
3. Is it safe to remove spent fuel rods?
Tepco is just days away from starting to remove 1,500 irradiated spent fuel rods from a pool in reactor number 4 to a safer location. The building was damaged by a hydrogen blast after the disaster. Removing fuel from a severely damaged pool has never been attempted. Critics fear the building is unstable and any mistake could cause a new nuclear disaster.
4. How do you remove molten fuel in melted down reactors?
The radiation levels in reactors 1, 2 and 3 are so high that the area is inaccessible to humans. No one knows for sure where the molten core is resting within the basements of the buildings and how far it has penetrated through their floors. The technology does not exist to remove this molten fuel.
5. How do you stop running out of skilled labor?
Workers within the Fukushima nuclear power plant have a radiation exposure limit. Once they reach this limit they can no longer work on site and new workers need to be found. As time goes on, more experienced workers will reach their exposure limits, sparking concerns that available workers will have decreased skill levels.
sourceshttp://en.twwtn.com/Bignews/?ID=51359
The number of confirmed cases was up by eight from August, while the suspected cases rose by seven, the prefecture-led study found.
About 226,000 people have undergone the screening program since it kicked off in October 2011.
The 26 confirmed cases underwent surgery and are doing well, according to the prefecture.
A panel of experts at the prefecture concluded Tuesday that it is too early to link the cases to the nuclear disaster, given that papillary thyroid cancer €" the type found in the 26 people €" develops at a very slow pace, according to prefectural officials. Following the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe, it took about four to five years for thyroid cancers in significant number to be detected.
Thyroid cancer is considered a major health concern for children because radioactive iodine spewed by the crippled nuclear plant tends to accumulate in thyroid glands, especially among young children.
Following the Chernobyl disaster, more than 6,000 children were diagnosed with thyroid cancer, according to the U.N. Scientific Committee, which attributed many of the cases to consumption of contaminated milk.
According to media reports, thyroid cancer normally strikes about 1 to 2 people aged 10 to 14 per million in Japan, far less than about 115 in 1 million cases in Fukushima. However, the figure cannot be simply compared, because the screening in Fukushima targets all children under 18, most of whom are without any symptoms, and no such screening is being done elsewhere in Japan.
To address mounting worries among local residents with children, the prefecture will expand the screening tests next April to include people born after the disaster started.
Fukushima's nuclear power mess: Five big questions
The meltdowns of three reactors at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant may have happened more than two years ago, but the disaster remains a giant, unresolved mess.
An earthquake in 2011 triggered a tsunami which slammed into the plant, disabling it. The threat of radiation forced neighbors to evacuate and many still can't return to their homes. Authorities face many challenges before they can make the facility safe again for the long term.
Here are five of the biggest questions still out there:
1. How dangerous for your health is Fukushima?
Data published in August shows 44 out of 216,809 children under age 18 in Fukushima prefecture were diagnosed with thyroid cancer or suspected of having the disease. The figure is far higher than the international average but opinions are split as to whether this is because of the nuclear accident or because of more sensitive screening. Also, health experts say it takes years after radiation exposure to develop thyroid cancer, which suggests the cause of the cancer may predate the tsunami.
2. What can you do with radioactive water?
The most immediate problem for plant operator Tepco is the hundreds of tons of water poured over the damaged nuclear reactors every single day to keep the molten fuel cool. If the fuel is not kept cool, it could cause another disaster.
That radioactive water then needs to be stored safely. But several on-site water storage tanks that were originally designed to be temporary have sprung leaks. Tepco said last summer that as much as 300 tons of toxic groundwater was seeping into the Pacific Ocean every day, sparking fears about radioactive contamination of fish, which are a major food source.
3. Is it safe to remove spent fuel rods?
Tepco is just days away from starting to remove 1,500 irradiated spent fuel rods from a pool in reactor number 4 to a safer location. The building was damaged by a hydrogen blast after the disaster. Removing fuel from a severely damaged pool has never been attempted. Critics fear the building is unstable and any mistake could cause a new nuclear disaster.
4. How do you remove molten fuel in melted down reactors?
The radiation levels in reactors 1, 2 and 3 are so high that the area is inaccessible to humans. No one knows for sure where the molten core is resting within the basements of the buildings and how far it has penetrated through their floors. The technology does not exist to remove this molten fuel.
5. How do you stop running out of skilled labor?
Workers within the Fukushima nuclear power plant have a radiation exposure limit. Once they reach this limit they can no longer work on site and new workers need to be found. As time goes on, more experienced workers will reach their exposure limits, sparking concerns that available workers will have decreased skill levels.
sourceshttp://en.twwtn.com/Bignews/?ID=51359
Source...