Study: 28% Increase In Thyroid Problems In Babies Born After Fukushima in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington

Submitted by George Washington on 04/03/2013 00:14 -0400

Infants are much more vulnerable to radiation than adults. And see this.

However, radiation safety standards are set based on the assumption that everyone in the world is a healthy man in his 20s.

Now, a medical doctor (Janette D. Sherman, M. D.) and epidemiologist (Joseph Mangano) have released a study showing a 28% increase in thyroid problems in babies born in Hawaii and America's West Coast after the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Janette Sherman, M.D. worked for the Atomic Energy Commission (forerunner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) at the University of California in Berkeley, and for the U.S. Navy Radiation Defense Laboratory in San Francisco. She served on the EPA’s advisory board for 6 years, and has been an advisor to the National Cancer Institute on breast cancer. Dr. Sherman specializes in internal medicine and toxicology with an emphasis on chemicals and nuclear radiation.

Joseph J. Mangano is a public health administrator and researcher who has studied the connection between low-dose radiation exposure and subsequent risk of diseases such as cancer and damage to newborns. He has published numerous articles and letters in medical and other journals in addition to books, including Low Level Radiation and Immune System Disorders: An Atomic Era Legacy.

Their new study - published in the Open Journal of Pediatrics - is entitled "Elevated airborne beta levels in Pacific/West Coast US States and trends in hypothyroidism among newborns after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown."

Common Dreams notes:

[The study found that] children born in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington between one week and 16 weeks after the meltdown began are 28 percent more likely to suffer from congenital hypothyroidism (CH) than were kids born in those states during the same period one year earlier.

CH results from a build up of radioactive iodine in our thyroids and can result in stunted growth, lowered intelligence, deafness, and neurological abnormalities—though can be treated if detected early.

According to researchers from the Radiation and Public Health Project who performed the study, “Fukushima fallout appeared to affect all areas of the US, and was especially large in some, mostly in the western part of the nation.” They add that CH can provide an early measure to "assess any potential changes in US fetal and infant health status after Fukushima because official data was available relatively promptly."

Health researcher Joe Mangano similarly cautioned, "Reports of rising numbers of West Coast infants with under-active thyroid glands after Fukushima suggest that Americans may have been harmed by Fukushima fallout. Studies, especially of the youngest, must proceed immediately."

Earlier this year, the Fukushima Prefecture Health Management Survey found that more than 40 percent of the Japanese children studied showed evidence of thyroid abnormalities, which Wasserman says signifies a "horrifying plague."

Sherman and Mangano published an essay in June 2011 claiming that the 35% spike in infant mortality in Northwest cities since the Fukushima meltdown might have been caused by radiation.

And they published a study in December 2011 in the peer-reviewed journal International Journal of Health Services, alleging that 14,000 people had already died in the United States due to Fukushima. A Scientific American blog post and Med Page Today slammed the study as being voodoo science. However, Scientific American does admit:

Certainly radiation from Fukushima is dangerous, and could very well lead to negative health effects—even across the Pacific.

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Comment by apeman2502 on April 4, 2013 at 2:09am: Not good. Digital cameras are said to be good for calibrating against known radioactive samples and then used as Geiger counters of sorts. Incidence of radioactive particles show up as dots on the image's field. these dots are counted and compared with the numbers of dots showing up after a timed exposure to the known samples.

Comment by Nikki on April 3, 2013 at 10:13am: Continuing thyroid problems after Chernobyl

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/nuclearexposure/a/chernob.htm

Comment by John Carman on April 3, 2013 at 9:31am

So did I miss something? Or is there a treatment? Or do we all go out and buy Potassium Iodide to block the affects of "Radiation"??? They sell that stuff on the internet. Everyone should have some in their "BOB" Bugg out bag. The government will be too slow to respond and issue those pills. So it is always handy to have some. Consult with a doctor on on the internet for information. http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp (Supposed to help "Block"the absorbtion of Radiation) Some other Iodine is a nutrient. http://thyroid.about.com/od/thyroiddrugstreatments/a/overmedicated.htm

I am not a doctor, but I also recommend taking Himalayan Pink Salt which has over 84 nutrients and will give you all your salt requirements. Add it to your drinks or food. You will notice a difference. I noticed a difference. Peace!

How much KI should I take?

The FDA has approved two different forms of KI—tablets and liquid—that people can take by mouth after a nuclear radiation emergency. Tablets come in two strengths, 130 milligram (mg) and 65 mg. The tablets are scored so they may be cut into smaller pieces for lower doses. Each milliliter (mL) of the oral liquid solution contains 65 mg of KI.
According to the FDA, the following doses are appropriate to take after internal contamination with (or likely internal contamination with) radioactive iodine:

Adults should take 130 mg (one 130 mg tablet OR two 65 mg tablets OR two mL of solution).
Women who are breastfeeding should take the adult dose of 130 mg.
Children between 3 and 18 years of age should take 65 mg (one 65 mg tablet OR 1 mL of solution). Children who are adult size (greater than or equal to 150 pounds) should take the full adult dose, regardless of their age.
Infants and children between 1 month and 3 years of age should take 32 mg (½ of a 65 mg tablet OR ½ mL of solution). This dose is for both nursing and non-nursing infants and children.
Newborns from birth to 1 month of age should be given 16 mg (¼ of a 65 mg tablet or ¼ mL of solution). This dose is for both nursing and non-nursing newborn infants.

How often should I take KI?

A single dose of KI protects the thyroid gland for 24 hours. A one-time dose at the levels recommended in this fact sheet is usually all that is needed to protect the thyroid gland. In some cases, radioactive iodine might be in the environment for more than 24 hours. If that happens, local emergency management or public health officials may tell you to take one dose of KI every 24 hours for a few days. You should do this only on the advice of emergency management officials, public health officials, or your doctor. Avoid repeat dosing with KI for pregnant and breastfeeding women and newborn infants. Those individuals may need to be evacuated until levels of radioactive iodine in the environment fall.

WARNING: Taking a higher dose of KI, or taking KI more often than recommended, does not offer more protection and can cause severe illness or death.

Comment by KingofthePaupers on April 3, 2013 at 9:29am: Jct; California, Oregon, Washington, but not British Columbia. No reported 28% increase in thyroid problems for Canadian babies! Well, then again, after Harper shut down the fallout detectors just before the radioactive plume hit the West Coast, baby deaths did triple! Maybe a 28% increase in thyroid problems isn't so bad compared to a 200% increase in deaths (successfully covered up) in the media.