Worker's Cancer Linked to Fukushima Blast for First Time

[bananas]

Last edited Tue Oct 20, 2015, 09:08 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Bloomberg

Japan’s health ministry confirmed for the first time that leukemia found in a worker at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant is a result of the March 2011 atomic disaster.

The male was in his 30s while working at the Fukushima facility north of Tokyo between October 2012 and December 2013, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

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“First signs of big trouble ahead for Tepco as radiation exposure looks to be taking its toll on workers’ health,” Amir Anvarzadeh, Singapore-based global head of Japan equity sales at BGC Capital Partners Inc. said in an e-mail. “Tepco could be facing huge lawsuits if and when radiation leaks are linked to health issues.”

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A study published by Toshihide Tsuda, a professor at Okayama University, earlier this month found that cases of thyroid cancer have increased among children and adolescents in Fukushima Prefecture since the accident.

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Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-20/japan-confirms-worker-s-leukemia-linked-to-fukushima-blast-nhk

[bananas]

1. "massive blow to the IAEA, which stated...no discernible health effects due to radiation"

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/20/asia/japan-fukushima-radiation-cancer/

First case of cancer linked to Fukushima cleanup work diagnosed

By Yoko Wakatsuki, CNN

<snip>

"This is a massive blow to the IAEA, which stated in September of this year that no discernible health effects due to the exposure to radiation released by the accident are to be expected," Greenpeace said in a statement.

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Ten other former Fukushima workers have filed similar cases. Seven were dropped; three are pending, the ministry said.

[bananas]

2. "tip of the iceberg", "relatively low amount of radiation", "alarm bell for policy"

http://news.yahoo.com/first-fukushima-worker-diagnosed-radiation-linked-cancer-065828021.html


First Fukushima worker diagnosed with radiation-linked cancer: Japan official

AFP By Hiroshi Hiyama
2 hours ago

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"This person went to see a doctor because he was not feeling well. That was when he was diagnosed with leukaemia," the health ministry official told a press briefing on condition of anonymity, adding that other possible causes had been ruled out.

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"This is a landmark decision from the viewpoint of workers' rights, and it's probably just the tip of the iceberg," Shinzo Kimura, associate professor of radiation and hygiene at Dokkyo Medical University, told AFP.

The man was thought to have been exposed to a "relatively low" amount of radiation -- less than what Tokyo has deemed as a safe level for Fukushima-area residents to move back to their homes, Kimura said.

"This is an alarm bell for that policy," he added.

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[NV Whino]

3. Here's the key phrase

less than what Tokyo has deemed as a safe level for Fukushima-area residents to move back to their homes,

Not less than is deemed safe, but what Tokyo has deemed safe. I seem to recall that they kept raising the limit on what was deemed safe.

[FBaggins]

4. Utter nonsense

They in no sense actually determined that radiation was the cause of his cancer (nor could they at such low doses).

They made an administrative determination that for purposes of worker compensation coverage, he would be covered.

All you have to do in order to be covered it to show that you were exposed to at least 5 msv dose and developed leukemia at least a year later. Even if there is zero statistical increase in leukemia cases (as expected), quite a few workers will be certified like this.

[NickB79]

5. How do you prove an individual cancer is directly related to radiation?

You could say it's statistically more likely to occur, but proving a specific case of cancer in a particular worker is something that actually can't be done. You can only work with probabilities and percentages.

From the link:

The worker received 15.7 millisieverts, or mSv, of radiation during his time at the Fukushima facility, while workers’ compensation insurance is awarded after receiving 5 mSv in a year, according to the ministry. So far, 13 workers at nuclear power facilities have received compensation for cancer due to radiation exposure. There is still debate, however, as to whether low doses of radiation, below a threshold of 100 mSv, has a direct link to leukemia.

[miyazaki]

6. Breaking news that one in four develop cancer

regardless of any radiation sources. Your hilarious as ever, especially
when you start talking to yourself.

[Codeine]

7. I always thought the user name was extraordinarily

well-chosen.

[nationalize the fed]

8. ^/r

[bananas]

9. NHK: "confirmed to have developed cancer as a result of working at nuclear power plants"

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20151020_34.html

Fukushima worker to get cancer compensation
Nuclear & Energy
Oct. 20, 2015 - Updated 09:02 UTC

Japan's labor ministry says it will provide compensation to a man confirmed to have developed cancer as a result of working at nuclear power plants including Fukushima Daiichi.

The man was in his late 30s when he worked from November 2011 to December 2013 at various nuclear plants. They include the Fukushima Daiichi plant that suffered a meltdown in March 2011.

The labor ministry says the man discovered he had the illness after quitting his job at Fukushima Daiichi. He applied for compensation granted to workers suffering from work-related illnesses.

The ministry decided to accept the application and notified him of the decision on Tuesday.

Ministry experts determined that he was likely to have contracted leukemia following cleanup work at Fukushima Daiichi. They found he had been exposed to a total of 19.8 millisieverts of radiation from his work at various plants. He was exposed to 15.7 millisieverts at the Fukushima plant.

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