Missing records for Fukushima child with thyroid cancer raise questions
According to ABC News, government checkup records for a child diagnosed with thyroid cancer after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident are missing. This finding has the 3.11 Fund for Children With Thyroid Cancer aid group questioning the thoroughness and transparency of the screenings. The group also wonders if this omission means others may be missing from this database.
Authorities in Japan noted that among the 184 confirmed and suspected cases thyroid cancer due to the Fukushima meltdown, no patient was under the age of 5 at the time of the event, suggesting the cancer was not related to or a result of radiation.
But 3.11 Fund representatives have said that one child who has been diagnosed was 4 at the time of the meltdowns. This particular case is not listed in data from Fukushima Medical University, which oversees thyroid-cancer screening and surgeries and had treated the child.
Since the 2011 incident, the university has performed about 300,000 ultrasound screenings on those who were 18 and under at the time of the Fukushima accident.
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Jodelle joined TriMed Media Group in 2016 as a senior writer, focusing on content for Radiology Business and Health Imaging. After receiving her master's from DePaul University, she worked as a news reporter and communications specialist.