The Radiation Scare in Japan

The Radiation Scare in Japan

The Radiation Scare in Japan

The devastating tsunami that ravaged the eastern region of Fukushima in Japan has raised a number of fears regarding the negative impacts of radiation exposure on environmental and human health.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was badly damaged during the tsunami that hit the coast on March 11, 2011. The tsunami resulted from an 8.9 magnitude earthquake about 80 miles of the Japanese coast.

The earthquake is estimated to have killed more than 15 thousand people, according to Reuters.

Radiation is energy that travels in waves. Some radiation is used for beneficial purposes, such as cancer treatment and nuclear energy.

However, too much exposure, or too little exposure, to nuclear radiation can cause a number of health problems, most commonly cancer It can also create gene mutations that lead to neurological disorders such as Huntington's Disease.

Radiation exposure commonly leads to radiation sickness. Victims can take drugs that increase white cell production to help combat any infection and reduce damage to internal organs. While workers at the plant have worked to reduce radiation levels, there is a fear that they could return to high levels.

In the aftermath of Japan's nuclear disaster, a strong emphasis has been placed on the radiation's influence to thyroid problems, most commonly thyroid cancer.

The thyroid is an endocrine gland in the neck that produces thyroid hormones. These hormones, principally Triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), regulate the body's metabolism. Patients with thyroid problems can be treated with iodine radiation, hence the demand following Japan's nuclear disaster.

The body collects iodine radiation in the thyroid if exposed to even small levels. This collection in the thyroid is what leads to thyroid cancer. One way of preventing thyroid cancer is to eliminate the thyroid entirely, using more intense levels of iodine radiation that will not collect in one place and deteriorate the body. Victims then take an oral supplement to compensate for the loss of naturally produced endocrine hormones.

Fortunately, the Japanese tend to have high levels of iodine in their diet, which could prove to help prevent thyroid cancer.

If radiation has indeed leaked into the water and the ground, the region's food supply will be tarnished. As more information about the devastation unraveled in Japan, treatment options will become clearer.

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