Long term health, environmental contamination, local food concerns rise
After non-government organizations collaborated to have radiation tests conducted on Japanese children, parents want everyone tested due to the new study report released Thursday in Tokyo by the independent radiation testing laboratory ACRO showing each of the tested ten six to sixteen year old children sixty kilometers from Fukushima had radioactive particles in their urine. The test results suggest internal radiation, as do the radiation sickness signs children are exhibiting 32 miles from Fukushima.
The highest levels ACRO detected were reportedly that of cesium-134 and cesium-137, the latter with a half-life of 30 years, raising concerns about long-term health consequences, environmental contamination and locally grown food.
A Japanese civic association non-government organization (NGO) and a French NGO had the radiation study conducted by ACRO laboratory, the same company contracted to test Chernobyl nuclear facility survivors.
ACRO lab results of the Japanese children included 1.13 becquerels of radioactive cesium-134 per 1 litre of urine from an 8-year-old girl, and 1.30 becquerels of cesium-137 in a 7-year-old boy, the groups said Thursday at a press conference reported by Asia-Pacific News.
David Boilley, ACRO radioactivity measuring body president at the news conference in Tokyo, said the survey on 10 boys and girls aged between 6 and 16 in Fukushima city suggests high possibility that children in and near the city had been exposed to radiation internally, Kyodo News reported.
As massive anti-nuclear protest marches are being conducted worldwide, in Fukushima city at a protest in heavy rain on June 26, was a baby's mother marching with her little nephews age 3 and 7.
The mother, Hiroko Sato, said, "My baby was born two weeks before the nuclear accident and I don't feed her with my milk as I'm afraid I was exposed to too much radiation."
(Page left: Youtube raw footage of recent Japanese massive antinuclear protest on Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe 3-Month Anniversary.)
"Local governments now need to provide reports of radiation, while most schools in Fukushima are equipped with dosimeters and teachers have to record hourly radiation readings to help create a contamination map." (Reuters/World News Daily)
Japanese parents demand child radiation tests and protection
Asia Pacific News reports, "The radiation levels detected did not represent an immediate risk to health."
"Immediate risk to health" is no consolation to Japanese parents. Fukushima Network for Saving Children from Radiation, consisting of local parents are urging the central and local governments to provide testing soon for all citizens in the prefecture.
On May 26 it was reported by Asia Pacific New York Times that parents are saying there is a "blatant government failure to protect their children from dangerous levels of radiation."
"The accusations flew on Wednesday at the local school board meeting, packed with parents worried and angry about radiation levels in this city at the heart of Japan’s nuclear crisis," reported NYT.
The same issue independent nuclear experts in the United States cite is what angering Japanese parents: updated government guidelines allowing people to be exposed to radiation doses over 20 times previously permissible levels.
Children over 32 miles from Fukushima ground zero are suffering fatigue, diarrhea, and nosebleeds, the three most common of eight radiation sickness signs, the three in the earliest stage of the environmental disease. (See: "Children sickness linked to Fukushima radiation," Dupré, D, Examiner.com, June 19, 2011)
Sunday, angry Fukushima city parents marched with hundreds of others to demand child protection from radiation more than three months after the "worst nuclear disaster in twenty five years" reported World News.
“People in Japan want a simple answer: Is it safe or is it dangerous?” said Kuniko Tanioka, an Upper House member of Parliament, in Washington recently.
Acro laboratory is open to anyone interested in measuring radioactivity. Its customers range from individuals to NGOs and companies.
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