Another 30 children in Fukushima have been hit by thyroid cancer, up from 16 in February following the threat of radiation exposure after its nuclear plant exploded in 2011.
This brings the total number of Fukushima children diagnosed with thyroid cancer to 131 while 41 are suspected of having it.
Revealing the latest figures on Monday (June 6), the prefecture government said the findings were based on a second survey that began in April 2014. In February, authorities reported that 16 children were found to have thyroid cancer in the same survey.
Kyodo News reported that most of the children monitored in the first survey conducted after the disaster were thought to be problem free when their thyroid glands were checked.
The first survey, which ran for three years till March 2014, covered about 300,000 children under the age of 18.
But Hokuto Hoshi, head of the survey panel and a senior member of the Fukushima Medical Association, debunked the correlation between the disease suffered by the children and radiation exposure, maintaining his earlier stand on the issue.
However, he noted the growing concerns about the increase in the number of cancer patients among Fukushima residents. Hence, the government would “further conduct an in-depth study”, Kyodo News reported.
AFP, Reuters
On March 11, Fukushima residents suffered a double whammy when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that devastated the coastal areas and caused meltdowns in three reactors at the Fukushima plant.
It was the world’s worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. About 16,000 people perished – most were drowned in waters which went up as high as 10 metres. About 2,500 are still missing
After the nuclear disaster, residents within a 20km radius of the No. 1 nuclear plant were evacuated. Last October, Japan confirmed the first case of radiation-linked cancer – a former Fukushima nuclear plant worker.
chenj@sph.com.sg
Reuters, AFP
