WHO Discovers Higher Cancer Risk After Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown

Two years ago, a massive, 8.9-magnitude earthquake rocked the world, generating a tsunami that slammed into Japan--and a Fukushima nuclear power plant. Now, new research shows that the impacts of this incident continue to linger. A recently released report has found increased risks of cancer and high psychological damage.

The earthquake and tsunami that killed nearly 19,000 people triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The plant spewed radiation and forced about 160,000 people to evacuate. It was the worst nuclear accident to occur since a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine in 1986; the effects of that incident still linger in the surrounding countryside, where insects and trees have been affected by the radiation.

In order to assess the damage that the plant in Fukushima may have done to the surrounding population, the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a comprehensive assessment. After breaking down data based on age, gender and proximity to the plant, they found that there was a higher cancer risk for those located in the most contaminated areas.

In the most contaminated location, WHO found that females exposed as infants had a 70 percent higher risk of developing thyroid cancer over their lifetimes. In addition, they found that males exposed as infants had a 7 percent higher risk of developing leukemia, while exposed females had a 6 percent higher risk of breast cancer.

While the incidence of cancer increased in this area, though, it didn't seem to increase in other locations in Japan. The predicted health risks were generally low, though about one-third of emergency workers that were exposed to radiation were estimated to have an increased risk of cancer.

In fact, the increase in human disease after the martial meltdown of the reactor is "likely to remain below detectable levels," according to the report by the WHO. Yet while disease risk may remain low in Japan, the psychological effects may be more devastating. The WHO report highlighted that the psychological effects of the disaster, including fear, anxiety and depression. The incident combined with Japan's flailing economy could give rise to complicated health problems.

While the initial disaster may be over, the lasting effects of the meltdown, tsunami and earthquake are still felt today. Japan continues to struggle with the aftereffects, whether they happen to be cancer or psychological trauma.