The World Health Organization (WHO) today released a report saying that the Fukushima nuclear disaster will cause no increase observable in cancer rates among residents of other countries and very small increased risk of cancer among residents near the plant. Workers struggled problems at the plant do not face higher risks of certain cancers.
The environmental group Greenpeace immediately condemned the report as "a political declaration to protect the nuclear industry." But at least one radiation health expert believes the report overestimate some risks.
wHO assessment of potential health effects is based on a report of May 2012, which estimated that the radiation exposure in different places around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which released large quantities of radioactive material after having suffered several explosions and collapses in the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011.
the team of 13 experts from the WHO estimated the increased risk of life of leukemia, cancer thyroid, and breast cancer in women for people living in geographical locations ranging from the most affected areas adjacent to the power plant to distant parts of the world. Beyond the areas near the plant, radiation doses were below levels known to have effects on health, the report says. "Apart from geographical areas most affected by radiation, even in areas of Fukushima Prefecture, the anticipated risks remain low and no observable increase in cancer above the natural variation of the reference rates are to be expected" reads the summary. the report notes that in the two most affected areas of Fukushima, estimated doses in the first year ranged from 12 to 25 millisieverts (mSv).
"in leukemia [sic], the lifetime risks are expected to increase by around 7% compared to the basic rate of cancer in exposed male infants, for breast cancer, the risk to estimated life increases up to about 6 % compared to the reference rate in females exposed infants, "the report concluded." [F] or all solid cancers, the risks to the estimated life increases up to about 4% from the rate reference in females exposed as infants, and for thyroid cancer, said the risk increases for life by up to 70% on the basic rate line in women exposed in infancy. "
The report explains that these are relative increases compared to the reference rate and not absolute risks. Thus, because the risk of thyroid cancer the basic life among women is just 0.75%, the additional risk due to exposure to the most affected area is 0.5%. The risks in the second most affected location are half of those in the most affected region.
Kazuo Sakai, a radiation biologist at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan, believes that the risks "are overstated." He explained that the estimates of doses used were based on preliminary data; Actual measurements showed real dose levels to be lower. He also said that the risk is based on a calculation that takes 4 months of exposure to radiation in different areas. But because of the timely evacuation, there is probably no infant females, for example, who actually received the doses estimated for the most affected area, he said.
Greenpeace, however, believes the doses are widely underestimated. "The WHO report minimizes shameless the impact of radioactive discharges beginning of the Fukushima disaster on people inside the evacuation zone of 20 km that are not able to leave quickly, "a statement quoted Rianne Teule, Greenpeace International nuclear radiation expert, as saying. The statement says the modeling by the German nuclear expert Oda Becker concluded that the people inside the 20-kilometer evacuation zone were possibly exposed to hundreds of mSv.
The WHO report said that the emergency of the central workers face a higher lifetime risks for leukemia, cancer of the thyroid, and all solid cancers.
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