A Statement of Facts by Katsuma Yagasaki, Emeritus Professor at the Ryukyu University

Chapter 1: Massive health effects were recognized after Chernobyl accident (1986) in areas with the same extent of pollution measured as in Koriyama City

The same or even more amount of radioactive dust from Chernobyl accident was released over Fukushima Pref. A soil contamination survey published by the Science Ministry on August 30, 2011 (Appendix 500: Regarding the result of Soil Nuclides Analysis (Cs 134, 137)) shows the resulting serious pollution which is now officially recognized.

In Koriyama City 118 spots were measured where the simple average level of Cesium 137 concentration was found to be 161 kBq/m2. This is a level of 4.4 Ci / km2. With this in mind we can anticipate the possible health effects for the residents by looking at the city of Lugyny, Ukraine, where the same level of pollution was measured.

Lugyny is located 110~150 km west of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and is seriously polluted. It is within the designated heavily polluted areas where their average Cesium 137 concentration is 1~5 Ci / km2（37～185kBq/m2）. Considering its distance from the plant its pollution level is relatively high. It is also located in the area where its converted air dose rate is almost up to 0.2μSv/ｈ.

Table 1 below compares the pollution levels between Koriyama City and Lugyny. Degrees of pollution are sorted according to the classification of radiation pollution zones set by the Ukraine government. While the combined ratio of mandatory evacuation zones and voluntary evacuation zones is 13.3 % in Lugyny, the corresponding combined ratio in Koriyama City is 16.1 %, indicating that the areas polluted in Koriyama City are larger with relatively higher pollution levels.

However while the ratio of non-controlled areas with lesser pollution is 1.5 % in Lugyny, the corresponding ratio in Koriyama City is 27.1 % showing Koriyama City includes much larger areas of this zone. Therefore, we can regard that the overall pollution level in Koriyama City is about same or more less compared with Lugyny and thus can duly expect the same consequences such as emergencies of children’s sickness as reported in Lugyny after the accident.

Table 1. Pollution Contrast Between Koriyama City and Lugyny


From these figures we can predict the expected health effects for the people in Koriyama City by looking at the results of health surveys taken after the Chernobyl accident.

The Figure 1 below shows dynamics of thyroid disease and thyroid tumor occurrences observed among the children in Lugyny, Ukraine.
　
In Lugyny there was a surge in the occurrence of both thyroid disease and thyroid tumors 5 or 6 years after the accident (April 26, 1986) and its subsequent result was that in 1995, 9 years after the accident, one out of ten children suffered thyroid disease. The incidence of cancer and other serious diseases was developed among more than 10 % of the children with thyroid diseases accounting for about 13 cases out of 1000. Many children indeed suffered from such serious diseases. Usually just one or two out of 100,000 children get thyroid cancer so this indicates an extraordinarily high incidence.

It is unconscionable to allow children to remain in this high radiation exposure environment considering the expected effects in relation to thyroid disease and cancer.

The survey data makes it clear that there will be extremely high rates of disease in the future among the children in Koriyama City and other areas in Fukushima Pref. In spite of such a serious prospect, the government has allowed these children to continue to be exposed, and not even offered them iodine tablets. This is an unforgivable “mindless act by the government”. However, it is not too late and measures to evacuate the children must be implemented immediately.