Fukushima children face 6,000 % increase of thyroid cancer

The Japanese children have been hit with thyroid cancer.

The drastic 6,000 % increase of cases has been observed. 16 new cases were detected between January and March, according to the Fukushima authorities. The total number of young people with the disease came up to 103.

Cases of thyroid cancer occurred after the infamous Fukushima nuclear disaster.

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Shinichi Suzuki, who was in charge of the Fukushima Thyroid Examination, stated that "There is a striking similarity between the [age] profiles of patients diagnosed during the period of latency after Chernobyl in Ukraine and currently in Fukushima."

However, no direct relation to the accident has not been proven so far. Radiation exposure is reported to be unlikely to affect the cases. The exposure dose is far less than the Chernobyl accident and there have been no cancer cases in children younger than 5.

Sakiyama Hisako, former senior researcher at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences claimed that power was deployed to stop measurements of thyroid exposure being taken. Professor Tokonami Shinji of Hirosaki University tried to measure exposure levels immediately after the explosions, but was halted by Fukushima Prefecture, which accused him of stirring up trouble. Tokonami went on to test 65 Fukushima residents one month after the explosions and found radioactive iodine in the thyroids of 50 out of the 65, i.e. 77%.

Professor Toshihide Tsuda, an epidemiology specialist said, "when we analyzed the results of the thyroid cancer survey conducted in the Fukushima Prefecture according to location, it is obvious that there are more numbers of thyroid cancer cases in the Nakadori area, and we urgently need to take necessary measures."

Read article in Russian on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru

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