Effect of radiation?

March 30, 2013

Thyroid survey shows no major gap between Fukushima, other areas

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130330p2g00m0dm005000c.html

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Thyroid conditions among juvenile population in three prefectures across Japan -- Aomori, Yamanashi and Nagasaki -- are not much different from those of their counterparts in Fukushima Prefecture hit by the March 2011 nuclear crisis, a recent survey by the Environment Ministry showed Friday.

The ministry conducted the study from last November to March this year on a total of 4,365 people aged 3 to 18 in the cities of Hirosaki in Aomori, Kofu in Yamanashi and Nagasaki, and concluded that the percentages of detecting small lumps and other anomalies in the surveyed population were "almost equal to or slightly lower in Fukushima."

The percentage of lumps measuring less than 5 millimeters or cysts smaller than 20 millimeters came to 57.6 percent in Hirosaki, 69.4 percent in Kofu, and 42.5 percent in Nagasaki, it said. After the 2011 accident, Fukushima Prefecture conducted thyroid tests on about 360,000 people under 18 and found lumps and other issues in 41.2 percent, stirring anxiety.

Shunichi Yamashita, vice president of Fukushima Medical University, said the latest survey underscored the fact that "small cysts and lumps naturally exist in children when they are examined with the same precision level as in Fukushima."

But on the same subject see also: 

http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/03/56-of-the-evacuees-in-naha-have-thyroid-abnormality/

56% of the evacuees in Naha have thyroid abnormality

and

http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/03/thyroid-abnormality-rate-is-13-3-in-miyagi-too-good-compared-to-the-57-of-other-3-prefectures/

Thyroid abnormality rate is 13.3% in Miyagi, “Too good” compared to the 57% of other 3 prefectures

According to Marumori town in Miyagi prefecture, they detected nodules or cysts of thyroid from 13.3 % of children from their thyroid test.
The test was conducted from 3. 2012 to 1. 2013, testees were under 18 years old when 311 took place.
Among 1,982 testees, they detected cysts from 259 but these are not supposed to require a follow-up test. They detected nodules from 5, which require a follow-up test.

However, in Nagasaki, Aomori and Yamanashi prefecture, they detected nodules and cysts from 57% of the children by the same thyroid test. (cf, Thyroid nodule and cyst found from 57% of children outside of Fukushima, MOE “Higher than Fukushima” [URL])

It is hard to explain where this huge gap (13.3% vs 57%) of the thyroid test result is from unless the test was implemented unfairly.