Japanese Youth Show Signs Of Radiation Exposure

Test results show that children living in Fukushima city during the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear fallout may suffer from internal radiation exposure.

It is known that the Fukushima power plant, which is still under repair, sprang several radioactive leaks during the natural disasters, contaminating both sea and tap water, as well as soil of surrounding farm areas. Produce and milk exports were both halted in the weeks following the crisis for fear of spreading contaminated foods.

According to the Guardian, “tests were conducted in May on 10 children, aged between 6 and 16, by a Japanese civic group and Acro, a French body that measures radioactivity. All 10 tested positive for tiny amounts of caesium-134 and caesium-137.”

The discovery came days after health authorities in Fukushima began checking internal radiation doses among all 2 million of the prefecture’s residents, a 30-year project that will cost an estimated 100bn yen ($12,367,100 US).

The Fukushima nuclear plant is located approximately 37 miles away from the city.

Experts say that under the circumstances, they aren’t surprised to see residents turn up with these levels of contamination. ”What we’re seeing here is residual caesium that will be around for quite a while,” Richard Wakeford, an expert in radiation exposure at the Dalton Institute in Manchester, UK.

Fukushima residents are advised to avoid consumption of contaminated food and milk, but that may be difficult considering produce contaminated at levels deemed acceptable to the government would inevitably go on sale to the public.

Following the nuclear disaster, Japanese officials began a safety review of all 54 of the country’s nuclear reactors, requesting that several coastal reactors be shut-down until more comprehensive safety measures could be put into place.

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Image Credit: Flickr – mad_house_photography

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Flannel D.

3:34AM PDT on Jul 28, 2011

This will be all of us soon enough if we don't smarten up..

July 28
send a green star

KrassiAWAY B.

3:28AM PDT on Jul 28, 2011

Agree with Siusaidh C.: 'Authorities' lie, people die.

Lynne B.

4:24PM PDT on Jul 6, 2011

Very disturbing

July 6
send a green star

Loo S.

8:55PM PDT on Jul 5, 2011

this is sad

July 5
send a green star

Rosie L.

3:47PM PDT on Jul 5, 2011

poor kids!

Laure H.

1:16PM PDT on Jul 5, 2011

Sally, thanks for adding to the natural remedies list. Seaweed, algae - that green stuff is a healing powerhouse. Some have suggested using algae for making biofuels, but I hope we will start using it (sustainably) to feed the world instead.

I'm always happy to hear about more developments in solar power, too. Our community has finally started putting some solar panels into new homes. Better late than never, I suppose. I'm hoping we can convert in the near future, if deed restrictions are lifted.

I have made the switch to non-powered (except by me) lawn mower. It's a little rough in 105 F weather, but I'm getting my vitamin D and sweating off a few toxins, lol.

Greenpeace U.

12:17PM PDT on Jul 5, 2011

no more nukes!

Sally W.

11:52AM PDT on Jul 5, 2011

Thanks for the update. Laure H. you are so right about the natural remedies for Radiation Poisoning, I have read that brown rice and seaweed are also great and absorbing the free radical particles produced by radiation.

I was reading a very inspiring article which I think should be shared so that people will begin moving in that direction There are new solar power cells that are being developed, they produce twice the power of the cells we have now so they are twice as efficient which is GREAT news! I believe Solar Power in the way of the future and as the science progresses more attention will be given to Clean Solar Power and nuclear power plants will be a thing of the past. That is my hope for the future, radiation is a poison that the world does not need.

Robert O.

11:26AM PDT on Jul 5, 2011

So sad. All the more reason to do away with nuclear energy and move towards maximizing the benefits of renewable resources.

jeanie j.

6:42AM PDT on Jul 5, 2011

No more nuclear power plants. Period. There is no way, no study, no new findings, no rationale to support the continuation of nuclear power. There is no effective or safe manner nor place in which to "store" or bury the dangerously toxic waste from the back end of nuclear power plants. We must support alternative sources of energy, begin an immediate scaling down of our power needs, return to local living, and come to grips with what our dependence/addiction to fossil fuels, as well as our misplaced belief in nuclear power, has done to the planet and to us.