UN REPORT FINDS FUKUSHIMA CAUSED NO ADDITIONAL CANCER RISK

The nuclear disaster at the Fukushima power plant in Japan has not left any statistically detectable damage on the population, according to a new report by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).

UNSCEAR noted in a published report that the nuclear radiation from the accident has not increased the risk for cancer beyond normal. The report was published on March 9 ahead of the tenth anniversary of the catastrophe, Albert Otti reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

The scientists found that a rise in thyroid cancer among children in the last decade was not related to increased radiation, but due to more thorough analyses that had led to more cases being reported. In other areas and countries without higher radioactive exposure, better monitoring had also led to increased numbers of thyroid cancer, UNSCEAR said.

On March 11, 2011, Japan was hit by a strong earthquake and a tsunami that killed around 18,500 people. The natural catastrophe also led to a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima atomic power plant, and the resulting radiation forced 160,000 residents to flee. It was the worst nuclear catastrophe since the 1986 accident in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

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