Precautions Should Limit Health Problems From Nuclear Plant’s Radiation

New York Times, March 15th, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/world/asia/16health.html?scp=6&sq=Health&st=nyt

This article focuses on the radiation effects at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that has instilled fear in the Japanese people in terms of worsening conditions. Fortunately, public health experts say that precautions have been taken to prevent the accident becoming a disaster like that in Chernobyl. These precautions include: evacuation of people closest to the plant, guidance for citizens to remain indoors, and distribution of the drug potassium iodide to protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine. The pills are meant to flood the thyroid with ordinary iodine in the hope that it will prevent the gland from taking in the radioactive type released by the plant. And if radioactive iodine has already started building up in the thyroid, the pill can help get rid of it. They are currently being distributed for children and women only because the pills are in short supply. Besides this increase in thyroid cancer, there is no other major public health threat.

This article outlines the current state of nuclear radiation in Japan effectively. It also makes an interest point to exhibit the Chernobyl disaster as an example for future action and precaution in Japan. This is due to the disaster that occured in Chernobyl, which caused over 6,000 cases of thyroid cancer and counting. Nevertheless, the article points out that Chernobyl was a completely preventable tragedy if people were told to not drink local milk produced by cows who fed on contaminated grass from fallout of the reactors. Besides this, victims of the Chernobyl disaster did not suffer any other health impacts.  It also goes on to note that wild mushrooms, berries and animals have been found to be contaminated with cesium in areas contaminated by Chernobyl, and that is expected to last for decades. Lakes and freshwater fish may also be contaminated, but that is of less concern since contaminated can dilute in water bodies. From this text, readers gain an understanding for the public health risk here and that government officials are taking the right measures to ensure the safety of the Japanese people.