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Chernobyl’s “liquidators” not compensated for radiation caused cancers

neither governments nor nuclear industries have provided any significant funding for researching more controversial health effects of radiation such as breast cancer and heart disease. Whenever you hear that “there are no studies proving any connection between radiation and [insert medical condition]”, you can be pretty sure it’s because no studies have actually been done……

Nuclear Family Bonds, Open Salon 25 Aug 11, “…..Japan has supported Chernobyl studies and projects in Ukraine for years.  Though one people suffered from the Bomb, and the other, a civilian nuclear plant explosion, both were bound by scars of the atomic age. That both, after Fukushima, are now also victims of the “peaceful atom” is almost getting weird. Continue reading →

September 1, 2011 Posted by | health, Ukraine | 1 Comment

Study into second cancer risk for testicular cancer survivors

Diagnostic radiation and second cancer risk in testicular cancer survivors  ” ecancer medical science 30/08/2011 ,by ecancer reporter Clare Sansom The link between radiation exposure and cancer first became evident in studies of survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Later studies established a link between therapeutic radiotherapy for cancer and increased risk of a second subsequent malignancy. There have, however, been few large, comprehensive studies to date of the association between the lower radiation levels associated with diagnostic testing and subsequent cancer risk.

Testicular cancer is one of the most treatable solid tumours, but survivors of this disease need regular monitoring for recurrence, generally through repeated X-ray computer tomography (CT) scans……..

As cancers are known to take a minimum of five years to develop following radiation exposure, all patients who received a second cancer diagnosis or died within five years of developing their testicular cancer were also excluded from the study…………. The resulting study population included 2,569 men with a mean age at diagnosis of 34.7 years, and who were observed for a median time of 11.2 years….

Van Walraven and his co-workers concluded from this study that the risk of developing a second abdominal-pelvic cancer following recovery from testicular cancer and its associated diagnostic radiation is very low.. http://www.ecancermedicalscience.com/news-insider-news.asp?itemId=1968

September 1, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, health | Leave a comment

Cancer and birth deformities in city near to 456 nuclear bomb tests

City that suffered most calls for an end to nuclear testing, Telegraph, By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent, Semipalatinsk, 29 Aug 2011, The people of Semey will gather for a strange celebration today. Under a huge statue of a mushroom cloud they will commemorate the end of a chilling experiment on their own people and call for a complete ban on nuclear testing.

Between 1949 and 1989 this area of eastern Kazakhstan was used by the former Soviet Union to test 456 nuclear bombs. The local population was not told about the risks to their lives – or indeed the health of their grandchildren.

It is estimated some 1.5 million people were affected by the fallout and decades on doctors blame high rates of cancer and birth deformity on the continuing effects of radiation. Continue reading →

August 29, 2011 Posted by | health, Kazakhstan | Leave a comment

Illinois hospitals using smart ways to limit patients’ radiation exposure

One way area hospitals are working together to help reduce overall radiation exposure is by transferring their patients’ diagnostic images electronically to Carle when patients are transferred there — so doctors can view the images that have already been done when the patients arrive, 

Hospitals working to limit radiation exposure, Central Illinois News gazette, 08/28/2011 –   Debra Pressey  URBANA — Annual dental check-ups, mammograms, CT scans … the radiation Americans are exposed to while trying to stay healthy can gradually add up. Continue reading →

August 29, 2011 Posted by | health, USA | Leave a comment

Hospital accreditors in USA call for limiting radiation technology

Hospitals urged to reduce radiation exposure, ABC Local August 25, 2011 (WLS) –– In a new alert, an accrediting group is urging hospitals to find new ways to reduce patient’s exposure to repeated radiation doses.

 The Joint Commission wants hospitals to pay more attention to risks of long term damage, including cancer, from too many imaging tests that use radiation, such as CT scans.

The commission’s president says diagnostic tests are often necessary but must be used with caution.One of the recommendations is using imaging other than CT scans such as ultrasound or MRIs when possible.–http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/health&id=8327042

August 26, 2011 Posted by | health, USA | Leave a comment

Radiation pills for USA States – good idea or not?

NRC officials say they do not favor expanded distribution because there’s a misconception about potassium iodide’s powers and a fear people might delay in heeding evacuation orders, if they have pills. “It doesn’t protect against damage to organs other than the thyroid,” said Patricia Milligan, a certified health physicist in the NRC’s division of preparedness and response. “It’s not an anti-radiation pill, as some people seem to think”

States Urged to Offer Radiation Pills, WSJ,  By REBECCA SMITH —Yuka Hayashi contributed to this article. 24 Aug 11,  It has been nearly a decade since Congress passed a law promoting distribution of pills to people living near nuclear plants that would minimize one potentially lethal effect of accidental radiation exposure. But the law still hasn’t been implemented. Continue reading →

August 25, 2011 Posted by | health, USA | 1 Comment

Following public outcry, Japan to lower the “allowable” radiation limit for schoolchildren

Govt to lower school radiation limit, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 245 Aug 11, The government likely will dramatically tighten its current safety limit–3.8 microsieverts per hour–on the amount of radiation to which children may be exposed during outdoor activities at school facilities, government sources said.

The move will be followed by efforts to decontaminate playgrounds and other school facilities with the aim of reducing the amount of radiation exposure affecting schoolchildren to 1 microsievert per hour.

The action is a response to criticism that the current safety limit is too high. The government has also taken note of the fact that local governments in and around Fukushima Prefecture are taking their own initiatives to decontaminate tracts of land affected by the ongoing nuclear crisis.

In effect, these steps amount to a reconsideration of the government’s current safety standards for radiation exposure, according to observers.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry plans to offer financial aid for decontamination projects, with the aim of limiting the annual accumulated radiation students are exposed to at school to 1 millisievert (1,000 microsieverts).http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904009304576528690610416826.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

August 25, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan | Leave a comment

Death of anti nuclear activist,Nora Bredes

Nora Bredes, Long Island nuclear plant foe, dies – WSJ.com, AUGUST 22, 2011,  Nora Bredes, Long Island nuclear plant foe, dies  ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Nora Bredes, an advocate for women’s leadership, environmental protection and public health who led the fight to keep a nuclear plant from opening on Long Island 25 years ago, has died at age 60.

Bredes died Thursday after a lengthy battle with breast cancer, her family said…..

In the 1980s, Bredes led the push to derail Long Island’s Shoreham nuclear power station. The plant was completed in 1984 for $6 billion but never went into operation due to community opposition.

As a chief organizer of the Shoreham Opponents Coalition, Bredes enlisted New York state in a high-stakes regulatory battle revolving around potential safety concerns, such as how quickly the plant’s heavily populated surroundings could be evacuated in a crisis.

The Long Island Lighting Co., which had drawn backing for the plant from President George H.W. Bush, agreed in 1989 to shut down the plant, which was fully decommissioned in 1994…..Nora Bredes, Long Island nuclear plant foe, dies – WSJ.com

August 23, 2011 Posted by | women | 1 Comment

Radiation caused illnesses now seen in Japan

Doctors in Japan are already treating patients suffering health effects they attribute to radiation from the ongoing nuclear disaster.
“We have begun to see increased nosebleeds, stubborn cases of diarrhoea, and flu-like symptoms in children,” Dr Yuko Yanagisawa, a physician at Funabashi Futawa Hospital in Chiba Prefecture, told Al Jazeera.  

Fukushima radiation alarms doctors , Aljazeera,  .Dahr Jamail Japanese doctors warn of public health problems caused by Fukushima radiation.: 18 Aug 2011 , Scientists and doctors are calling for a new national policy in Japan that mandates the testing of food, soil, water, and the air for radioactivity still being emitted from Fukushima’s heavily damaged Daiichi nuclear power plant.

“How much radioactive materials have been released from the plant?” asked Dr Tatsuhiko Kodama, a professor at the Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology and Director of the University of Tokyo’s Radioisotope Centre, in a July 27 speech to the Committee of Health, Labour and Welfare at Japan’s House of Representatives.

“The government and TEPCO have not reported the total amount of the released radioactivity yet,” said Kodama, who believes things are far worse than even the recent detection of extremely high radiation levels at the plant. Continue reading →

August 19, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan | Leave a comment

The mental health toll in Fukushima

Radiation fears bring psychological stress to Fukushima residents, Mainichi Daily News, 19 Aug 11, FUKUSHIMA — Residents of Fukushima Prefecture are increasingly visiting psychiatrists complaining of sleeplessness or the inability to concentrate as they worry about the effects of leaked radiation from the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, the Mainichi has learned…… Continue reading →

August 19, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan | 1 Comment

Continuing radiation dangers in food chain in Japan

Prolonged exposure to radiation in the air, ground and food can cause leukemia and other cancers, according to the London- based World Nuclear Association,  

Mushrooms Join Growing List of Radioactive Threats to Japan’s Food Chain, Bloomberg, By Naoko Fujimura and Chris Cooper – Aug 14, 2011 Mushrooms joined the threats to Japan’s food chain from radiation spewed by Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, as the country expands efforts to limit the effects of the disaster.

Japan is under pressure to enhance food inspections as it has no centralized system for detecting radiation contamination. About two-thirds of Japan’s prefectures now plan to check rice crops, the Mainichi newspaper reported yesterday, citing its own survey. Half of Japan’s rice is grown within range of emissions from the crippled nuclear plant, and farmers are awaiting the results of tests before harvesting begins this month…… Continue reading →

August 15, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan | Leave a comment

Death of feisty anti-nuclear fighter

Notable deaths around the nation, 14 Aug 11, “….Jackie Hudson, 76, of Bremerton, Wash., a nun and longtime nuclear weapons protester, died Aug. 3 of cancer. The Michigan native moved to Washington in 1993 but remained with the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids. She was released in June from a Georgia jail after demonstrating at an Oak Ridge, Tenn., nuclear facility. She was among three convicted in 2003 of damaging a Weld County, Colo., missile silo….”    http://blog.oregonlive.com/lifestories/2011/08/notable_deaths_around_nation_w_22.html

August 15, 2011 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, USA, women | Leave a comment

USA to cut funding for research on low level radiation and health?

 many more people may have incurred fatal cancers from low doses, simply based on the statistical probably of those fatalities occurring across very large populations.

Budget Deal Could Crush Low-Dose Radiation Research, Forbes, by Jeff McMahon,  15 Aug 11, “…..The nation’s only Low-Dose Radiation Research program is likely to suffer a severe cut in funding not long after the United States was blanketed with low doses of radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan…….Dr. David J. Brenner, a professor in the Columbia University medical school’s Center for Radiological Research, in a recent editorial in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Continue reading →

August 15, 2011 Posted by | health, USA | Leave a comment

Full body airport scanners that emit no radiation

In July, Thruvision’s terahertz-scanning technology was tested at airports in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, along with millimeter wave scanners from L3. Ron Frye, Thruvision’s Director of International Business Development, reports that the trials ended with positive results

Safer full-body scanners? SF Gate, 11 Aug 11, As controversy simmers surrounding the levels of radiation used in full body scanners, a small company based in the United Kingdom has developed a machine that emits no radiation at all. Continue reading →

August 12, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, health | Leave a comment

Fukushima’s children and radiation

Hiroshi Ueki, 40, a former kindergarten worker, moved his wife and two sons, aged one and four, to Matsumoto in the mountainous prefecture of Nagano, 280 kilometres away.

Remembering family life in their home town, he said, “everyday I used to tell my sons: ‘Don’t touch this. Don’t eat that. Don’t take your mask off’.”

“When we got to Nagano, my son was still asking me: ‘Dad, can I touch this flower? Can I touch that car? Can I play in the rain?’ When I heard him say that, I was almost crying.”

Japanese parents live with radiation fear, Google News, By Shingo Ito (AFP) 6 Aug 11, FUKUSHIMA, Japan — Parents living near Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant are facing a nightmare dilemma: evacuate their children or live with the fear that radiation will make them sick. Continue reading →

August 7, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan | Leave a comment

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