Thyroid cancer in young Fukushima people

February 13, 2013

2 more thyroid cancer cases identified in Fukushima

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130213p2g00m0dm091000c.html

FUKUSHIMA, Japan (Kyodo) -- A Fukushima prefectural government panel said Wednesday two young people, who were 18 or younger when the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi complex erupted in March 2011, have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, bringing the total number of such cases to three.

Reporting the finding at a meeting of the panel on the health impact from the disaster, Shinichi Suzuki, professor at Fukushima Medical University, said it is too early to link the cases to the nuclear accident as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster demonstrates that it takes at least four to five years before thyroid cancer is detected.

The three people have been doing well since undergoing surgery, according to Suzuki.

Radioactive iodine released in nuclear accidents tends to accumulate in thyroid glands, particularly in young people. In the Chernobyl disaster, a noticeable increase in thyroid cancer cases was detected among children in the affected area.

Local authorities in Fukushima Prefecture, home of the crippled nuclear plant, are examining the thyroid glands of those who were under 18 at the time of the nuclear crisis to check if they have been affected by the radiation.

Among the 360,000 people, around 38,000 were checked in fiscal 2011, of whom 10, including the three thyroid cancer cases, are suspected of suffering from some form of cancer. The average age of the 10 people is around 15 and seven of them are women.

The remaining seven are undergoing medical examinations at the university.