Fukushima disaster may have affected American infants’ health, research shows

Substantial quantities of the radioisotope iodine-131 were produced by the meltdowns, then wafted over the Pacific Ocean and fell over Hawaii, the American West Coast, and other Pacific countries in rain and snow, reaching levels hundreds of times greater than those consideredsafe.

In fact,there is  alson data shows that its impact to US West Coast from Fukushima is likely larger than anticipated.

"Fukushima fallout appeared to affect all areas of the U.S., and was especially large in some, mostly in the western part of the nation,"wrote researchers with the Radiation and Public Health Project in  Open Journal of Pediatrics(peer-reviewed paper).They also offer correlation data of 2011 and 2012,and state that “The number of congenital hypothyroid(treatable when detected early) cases in these five states from March 17-December 31, 2011 was 16% greater than for the same period in 2010, compared to a 3% decline in 36 other US States (p < 0.03).”

The findings may be only a tip of an epidemiological iceberg.

“Congenital hypothyroidism can be used as one measure to assess any potential changes in U.S. fetal and infant health status after Fukushima because official data was available relatively promptly,” the researchers wrote. “However, health departments will soon have available for other 2010 and 2011 indicators of fetal/infant health, including fetal deaths, premature births, low weight births, neonatal deaths, infant deaths, and birth defects.”