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Global report on Fukushima nuclear accident details health risks
Geneva, 28 February 2013 - A comprehensive assessment by international
experts on the health risks associated with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
power plant (NPP) disaster in Japan has concluded that, for the general
population inside and outside of Japan, the predicted risks are low and no
observable increases in cancer rates above baseline rates are anticipated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) report ‘Health Risk Assessment from the
nuclear accident after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
based on preliminary dose estimation’ noted, however, that the estimated
risk for specific cancers in certain subsets of the population in Fukushima
Prefecture has increased and, as such, it calls for long term continued
monitoring and health screening for those people.
Experts estimated risks in the general population in Fukushima Prefecture,
the rest of Japan and the rest of the world, plus the power plant and
emergency workers that may have been exposed during the emergency phase
response.
“The primary concern identified in this report is related to specific cancer
risks linked to particular locations and demographic factors,” says Dr Maria
Neira, WHO Director for Public Health and Environment. “A breakdown of data,
based on age, gender and proximity to the nuclear plant, does show a higher
cancer risk for those located in the most contaminated parts. Outside these
parts - even in locations inside Fukushima Prefecture - no observable
increases in cancer incidence are expected.”
In terms of specific cancers, for people in the most contaminated location,
the estimated increased risks over what would normally be expected are:
* All solid cancers - around 4% in females exposed as infants;
* Breast cancer - around 6% in females exposed as infants;
* Leukemia - around 7% in males exposed as infants;
* Thyroid cancer - up to 70% in females exposed as infants (the normally
expected risk of thyroid cancer in females over lifetime is 0.75% and the
additional lifetime risk assessed for females exposed as infants in the most
affected location is 0.50%).
For people in the second most contaminated location of Fukushima Prefecture,
the estimated risks are approximately one-half of those in the location with
the highest doses.
The report also references a section to the special case of the emergency
workers inside the Fukushima NPP. Around two-thirds of emergency workers are
estimated to have cancer risks in line with the general population, while
one-third is estimated to have an increased risk.
The almost-200-page document further notes that the radiation doses from the
damaged nuclear power plant are not expected to cause an increase in the
incidence of miscarriages, stillbirths and other physical and mental
conditions that can affect babies born after the accident.
“The WHO report underlines the need for long-term health monitoring of those
who are at high risk, along with the provision of necessary medical
follow-up and support services,” says Dr Maria Neira, WHO director for
Public Health and Environment. “This will remain an important element in the
public health response to the disaster for decades.”
“In addition to strengthening medical support and services, continued
environmental monitoring, in particular of food and water supplies, backed
by the enforcement of existing regulations, is required to reduce potential
radiation exposure in the future,” says Dr Angelika Tritscher, acting
director for WHO’s Food Safety and Zoonosis Department.
As well as the direct health impact on the population, the report notes that
the psychosocial impact may have a consequence on health and well-being.
These should not be ignored as part of the overall response, say the
experts.
This is the first-ever analysis of the global health effects due to
radiation exposure after the Fukushima NPP accident and is the result of a
two-year WHO-led process of analysis of estimated doses and their potential
health implications. The independent scientific experts came from the fields
of radiation risk modeling, epidemiology, dosimetry, radiation effects and
public health.
The WHO Health Risk Assessment from the nuclear accident after the 2011
Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami based on preliminary dose estimation
can be viewed at www.who.int/
and www.who.int/phe
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WHO: millions have hearing loss
that can be improved or prevented
Geneva, 27 February 2013 - More than 360 million people in the world have
disabling hearing loss, according to new global estimates on prevalence
released by the World Health Organization (WHO), for International Ear Care
Day (3 March).
As the population ages globally, more people than ever before are facing
hearing loss. One in three persons over the age of 65 years - a total of 165
million people worldwide - lives with hearing loss. Although hearing loss
from ageing can often be helped with hearing devices, there are not enough
produced to meet the need.
“Current production of hearing aids meets less than 10% of global need. In
developing countries, fewer than one out of 40 people who need a hearing aid
have one.” says Dr Shelly Chadha of the WHO’s Department of Prevention of
Blindness and Deafness, “WHO is exploring technology transfer as a way to
promote access to hearing aids in developing countries.”
Another 32 million affected by hearing loss are children under age of 15.
Infections of the ear are the leading cause of the disability, especially in
low - and middle - income countries. Prevalence of disabling hearing loss is
highest in South Asia, Asia Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the
latest WHO review of available studies.
Infectious diseases such as rubella, meningitis, measles, and mumps can lead
to hearing loss. Most of these diseases can be prevented through
vaccination. Other common causes include exposure to excessive noise,
injuries to the ear or head, ageing, genetic causes, problems during
pregnancy and childbirth (such as cytomegalovirus infection or syphilis) and
the use of medications that can damage hearing.
“About half of all cases of hearing loss are easily preventable while many
can be treated through early diagnosis and suitable interventions such as
surgically implanted hearing devices. Individuals with hearing loss can also
benefit from sign language training and social support.”
WHO encourages countries to develop programs for preventing hearing loss
within their primary health care systems including vaccinating children
against measles, meningitis, mumps and rubella, screening and treating
syphilis in pregnant women, and early assessment and management of hearing
loss in babies.
For more information:
http://www.who.int/pbd/deafness/en/
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