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alp227

(32,027 posts)
Thu Dec 27, 2012, 08:20 PM Dec 2012

Fukushima radiation fears are linked to increase in obesity among children

Source: The Guardian

Lingering fears of radiation have turned children from Fukushima into the most obese in Japan, according to a government study, as parents and schools continue to restrict the amount of time they spend outdoors.

In a preliminary report released this week, the education ministry found that children from Fukushima prefecture aged five to nine, as well as those aged 14 and 17, toppped the nationwide obesity rankings. The report defined as obese children who were at least 20% heavier than the standard weight for their age.

The report, released almost two years after the triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, linked the rise in obesity to lack of exercise, amid concern among teachers and parents over the possible health effects of prolonged exposure to low-level radiation.

The study used data from almost 700,000 children nationwide aged five to 17 between April and June this year.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/27/fukushima-radiation-child-obesity-fears

12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Fukushima radiation fears are linked to increase in obesity among children (Original Post) alp227 Dec 2012 OP
I'm sure it has no connection to all the thyroid tumours they've been finding. nt Mnemosyne Dec 2012 #1
It's due to parents keeping their children indoors NickB79 Dec 2012 #2
DAILY MUST READ - enenews.org is a news aggregator and links to MSM sources. proverbialwisdom Dec 2012 #9
Links to BBC News Business and Stars and Stripes articles. proverbialwisdom Jan 2013 #12
Plural ? dipsydoodle Dec 2012 #3
Plenty to read here, including links. proverbialwisdom Dec 2012 #4
Thanks. glinda Dec 2012 #7
There are many legitimate links at this diary - Mnemosyne Jan 2013 #11
So fear-mongering will likely cause more deaths than the accident itself dbackjon Dec 2012 #5
um, what? n/t eggplant Dec 2012 #6
Yeah. Nuclear shills have to keep pushing that closeupready Dec 2012 #8
BTW, Aug 28, 2012, Lance Armstrong Foundation Launches Patient Empowerment Project in Japan. proverbialwisdom Dec 2012 #10

NickB79

(19,253 posts)
2. It's due to parents keeping their children indoors
Thu Dec 27, 2012, 08:39 PM
Dec 2012
A local education official told the Asahi Shimbun that fear of radiation "may be one cause. Children cannot play outdoors, so they now engage in less physical exercise."

Many children, even those living in areas where radiation levels are below government safety limits, are spending more time at home after school and during weekends and holidays than they did before the disaster.


And may I ask, what thyroid cancers are you referring to? They just found the first one, out of 80,000 children screened so far, in Sept. 2012. And even that one is probably not due to Fukushima; it took years for thyroid cancer to develop in the children exposed at Chernobyl: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120913b7.html

proverbialwisdom

(4,959 posts)
9. DAILY MUST READ - enenews.org is a news aggregator and links to MSM sources.
Sat Dec 29, 2012, 02:58 PM
Dec 2012
http://enenews.com/cnn-major-health-issues-ill-navy-sailors-exposed-fukushima-radiation-attorney

Title: U.S. Navy sailors sue Japan over nuclear accident

Source: CNN ( http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/28/world/asia/japan-fukushima-lawsuit/index.html )
Author: Tom Watkins and Lateef Mungin

Date: Dec. 28, 2012


(CNN) -- Eight U.S. Navy sailors who were aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier off Japan after last year's Fukushima nuclear accident have sued the Tokyo Electric Power Company alleging a series of failures, including lying.

The suit, filed December 21 in U.S. District Court Southern District of California, alleges that the sailors -- among some 5,500 who were aboard the USS Ronald Reagan as it was providing aid to the stricken zone -- were themselves sickened as a result of exposure to radiation that escaped from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP).

“They have physical problems,” said Paul C. Garner, the plaintiffs’ attorney, in an interview with CNN affiliate KGTV in San Diego, the home port of the ship. “One of them is bleeding from his rectum; already, the others have problems with thyroid glands.”

Garner described the illnesses as “major health issues” during a telephone interview with CNN.

“Our best and brightest — who were hired to perform top service to our Navy — went there to provide humanitarian tasks and did not want to bargain their health and well being,” said Garner. “But the people running the power plant lied to them.”

<...>

http://enenews.com/cnn-major-health-issues-ill-navy-sailors-exposed-fukushima-radiation-attorney

Related Posts: (primary source links listed from associated enenews articles)
December 29th, 2012 | Category: Japan (Fukushima)

1) TV: US sailors having traits associated with radiation poisoning after Japan operation — Bleeding from rectum — Baby with birth defects — Cancer — Thyroid problems (VIDEO) December 29, 2012
(KOMO-4 News in Seattle Washington - http://www.komonews.com/news/national/US-sailors-sue-Japanese-utility-over-tsunami-radiation-185081591.html )

2) Paper: Navy sailors have experienced “great physical pain” after Fukushima radiation exposure says lawsuit — “Therapies such as chelation and bone marrow transplants” required December 28, 2012
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/military/sailors-sue-japanese-company-over-fukushima-radiation-damage/article_61eed319-559f-5a0a-a787-ae7c7e8594cc.html
Sailors sue Japanese company over Fukushima radiation
18 hours ago • Bradley J. Fikes


SAN DIEGO — Eight U.S. sailors who were aboard the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan off the Japanese coast during the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year have sued the company that owns the power plant, claiming they were harmed by radiation exposure.

The lawsuit, filed last week in San Diego federal court, accuses Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco, with covering up how much radiation was being released during and after the March 11, 2011, disaster.

The U.S. government unwittingly sent the San Diego-based Ronald Reagan into dangerous levels of radiation as a result, states the lawsuit, filed Dec. 21 by Encinitas attorney Paul C. Garner.

The ship assisted with American humanitarian operations in the region after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, killing thousands. The Fukushima nuclear power plant failed after the tsunami knocked out power to reactor pumps, causing a meltdown and release of radiation.

In addition to the Reagan, the United States sent the San Diego-based destroyer Preble and the cruiser Chancellorsville to help with relief operations off Honshu, Japan.

The lawsuit seeks $40 million from Tepco for each of the eight sailors, and the same amount for a baby of one of them born seven months after the disaster. That amount includes $10 million in damages and $30 million in punitive damages per person. In addition, the suit seeks $100 million to provide medical care for all nine.

Six of the eight sailors were stationed on the Reagan’s flight deck, and one served as an air decontamination specialist, the lawsuit states. The eighth worked in the air department, which handles aircraft launches, landings and maintenance.

The sailors experienced “great physical pain and mental anguish,” require therapies such as chelation and bone marrow transplants, and have had their lives shortened, the lawsuit states. It accuses Tepco of negligence, fraud, and deceptive business practices, and other legal violations.

More specifically, symptoms include “unremitting migraine headaches,” difficulty in concentrating, weight loss, ulcers and rectal bleeding, Garner said.

<...>

3) NBC Affiliate: US Navy sailor discusses sickness after serving in Japan on USS Ronald Reagan December 29, 2012

4) Video: Navy sailors use no masks when scrubbing radioactive particles on USS Ronald Reagan after 3/11 — CNN: “The idea here is all about safety” December 29, 2012

5) Jiji: Cover-up of true radiation levels Fukushima residents were exposed to? WHO accused of underestimating disaster’s impact on human health December 15, 2012


Links to primary sources and associated enenews articles available at: http://enenews.com/cnn-major-health-issues-ill-navy-sailors-exposed-fukushima-radiation-attorney

proverbialwisdom

(4,959 posts)
12. Links to BBC News Business and Stars and Stripes articles.
Sun Jan 6, 2013, 09:04 AM
Jan 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20856051

27 December 2012 Last updated at 22:13 ET
Japan's Tepco sued by US sailors over radiation


http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/earthquake-disaster-in-japan/us-sailors-sue-japanese-utility-over-radiation-exposure-1.202197

US sailors sue Japanese utility over radiation exposure
By Matthew M. Burke
Stars and Stripes
Published: December 27, 2012

dipsydoodle

(42,239 posts)
3. Plural ?
Thu Dec 27, 2012, 08:56 PM
Dec 2012

Fukushima finds first child thyroid cancer after 3/11.

FUKUSHIMA — A Fukushima Prefectural Government panel on the health impact from the nuclear crisis says a minor has contracted thyroid cancer but probably not due to exposure to fallout from the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120913b7.html

Please provide link to the ones to which you refer.

 

dbackjon

(6,578 posts)
5. So fear-mongering will likely cause more deaths than the accident itself
Thu Dec 27, 2012, 09:16 PM
Dec 2012

Typical of the anti-nuke hysteria crowd.

 

closeupready

(29,503 posts)
8. Yeah. Nuclear shills have to keep pushing that
Fri Dec 28, 2012, 01:14 AM
Dec 2012

'if you're against nukes, you're stupid/woo/uncool/short/limp-dicked' propaganda. The alternatives are too scary.

proverbialwisdom

(4,959 posts)
10. BTW, Aug 28, 2012, Lance Armstrong Foundation Launches Patient Empowerment Project in Japan.
Sat Dec 29, 2012, 03:12 PM
Dec 2012

If only Lance Armstrong still headed LiveStrong...

http://pressroom.cancer.org/index.php?s=43&item=382

PRESS RELEASE

Aug 28, 2012

Lance Armstrong Foundation Launches Patient Empowerment Project in Japan


Foundation to Host Cancer Patient Forum to Address Global Cancer Burden


Today, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, with partner American Cancer Society (ACS) and lead agency Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), announced the launch of the Patient Empowerment Project in Japan. The announcement was made at the World Cancer Congress during the session, "Innovative Strategies to Empower Survivors in the Global Fight Against Cancer."

The Patient Empowerment Project was designed to amplify the cancer patient voice by allowing people to share their stories through testimony in a Forum in front of policy makers, media, and the public, elevating and bringing a face to the country's problems in cancer care.

"Our goal is to build a grassroots movement in Japan," said Foundation President and CEO, Doug Ulman. "In the long-term, the Patient Empowerment Project will highlight patient voices in order to bring visibility to gaps in cancer control and highlight the need for cancer to be a stronger priority on the country's health agenda."

"Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Japan for more than three decades, and we must act now to make a difference and save more lives," said American Cancer Society CEO, John R. Seffrin, PhD. "The Patient Empowerment Program in Japan is one of many critical steps we as global cancer-fighting organizations must take towards eliminating the burden of cancer worldwide, by empowering cancer patients to advocate for better cancer care in their countries."

Over the course of the Forum, experts will present specific data illustrating key cancer issues, which are supported and brought to life with testimony as patients speak publicly and share their stories. In the weeks or months after a Forum, a national call to action is designed, released and promoted detailing patient and NGO recommendations, calling on policy makers and other key stakeholders to take action on the issues raised at the Forum.

The concept of the Patient Empowerment Project was inspired by a series of Cancer Patient Forums that the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) supported beginning more than 10 years ago. In 2010, the Foundation and the Society added to the work that the UICC began by working with organizations in countries ripe for major cancer advocacy activity to create a framework for a Patient Forum that would not only provide organizations with funds to plan a Forum, but would also provide training and resources to execute one. The pilot program took place in South Africa, where the country held its first Patient Forum in May 2011. Shortly after, the Foundation and the Society successfully launched a similar initiative in Mexico.

This year, the Foundation and the Society are teaming up with the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) to collaborate in boosting their grassroots advocacy efforts and more deeply engaging patients in the cancer policy-making process.

"It is with great pleasure that we announce the launch of the Survivor Empowerment Campaign in Japan," said HGPI Chairman, Kiyoshi Kurokawa. "It is essential for each of us to be aware of the necessity of such effort, think about what we should do and take action."

As of 2008, less than 50 countries in the world have prepared or implemented national cancer control plans. Moreover, even in countries that have some national cancer control agenda, there are still significant breakages or failures within the health care system in terms of the physical, emotional and practical needs of cancer patients. These issues could range from a lack of data or lack of a cancer registry, to inadequate insurance coverage, to patients being excluded from decision making processes that have a direct impact on their treatment. However, cancer patients and their families can help shed light on what is working well in a health care system and what needs to be addressed in a country. As multiple countries engage in Patient Empowerment Projects, it is anticipated that an international patient advocacy movement will emerge.

On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 earthquake struck Tohoku, Japan initiating a 130 foot tall tsunami and the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. As a result, 15,960 people died and destruction costs were more than $220 billion. Nearly every hospital in the zone was devastated and treatment and support of many cancer patients was interrupted.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation recognizes the need for ongoing support serving cancer patients affected by the earthquake in Japan. The Foundation and key partner, RadioShack, raised funds to provide relief grants for operating cancer treatment, survivorship or patient support programs to communities affected by this disaster. Grant recipients included: The Public Health Institute; Oncology Education Organization; Tohoku Re-Life 311; Tetsuyukai Medical Corporation, You Home Clinic Ishinomaki; and CancerNet Japan.

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Lance Armstrong Foundation serves people affected by cancer and empowers them to take action against the world's leading cause of death. With its iconic yellow LIVESTRONG wristband, the Foundation became a symbol of hope and inspiration to people affected by cancer throughout the world. Created in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the Foundation provides free patient navigation services to survivors with financial, emotional and practical challenges that accompany the disease. Known for its powerful brand -- LIVESTRONG -- the Foundation is also a leader in the global movement on behalf of 28 million people living with cancer today. Since its inception in 1997, the Foundation has raised nearly $500 million for the fight against cancer. For more information, visit LIVESTRONG.org.

About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, and with programs in more than 20 countries, we fight for every birthday threatened by cancer in communities worldwide. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; by helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying people across the globe to join the fight. As a global leader in cancer research investment, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. To learn more or to get help, and for more information on our global programs, visit www.cancer.org/global

About HGPI
Since its establishment in 2004, the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) has been working to help interested citizens shape health policies by generating policy options and bringing stakeholders together as a nonpartisan think-tank. HGPI's mission is to improve civic and individual well-being and to foster as sustainable healthy community by shaping ideas and values, reaching out to global needs, and catalyzing society for impact. HGPI commits to activities that bring together relevant players in different fields to provide innovative and practical solutions and help interested citizens understand choices and benefits in a global, long-term perspective. HGPI promotes a Global Citizen Nation by building a society for people with various backgrounds and different values. It aims to achieve a sustainable, healthy, and more prosperous world. For more information, please visit www.hgpi.org

Contact Information:

Busola Afolabi, 404-417-5894, busola.afolabi@cancer.org
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