Fukushima's Fallout of Fear

gbrumfiel writes "Experts believe that the many thousands who fled from the Fukushima nuclear disaster received very low doses of radiation. But that doesn't mean there won't be health consequences. Nature magazine traveled to Fukushima prefecture and found evidence of an enormous mental strain from the accident. Levels of anxiety and PTSD-like symptoms are high among evacuees. Researchers fear that, in the long run, the mental problems could lead to depression and substance abuse among those who lost their homes. In other words, even if no one develops cancer as a direct result of radiation, the health effects could still be very real."

Comments

very low doses?????

[gordona]

I don't think there is a low dose minimum. Sure we have background radiation. So this plus whatever folks received from the leakage from the Fukushima plants is considered low? What BS. Just because the effects might not be seen for 10 or 20 years doesn't mean there aren't any. Of course you can't prove a negative and trying to prove an effect that happens decades later is nearly impossible. Oh wait, we can do an experiment. Lets take a bunch of identical twins, expose one to so-called low level of radiation and the other to no radiation, keep them in an insulated box for several decades and see if the one exposed to the radiation gets sick. Oh you say we can't do that experiment? Of course. But looking at the basic physics and the effects of radioactive molecules on nearby cells, we can with a certain amount of certainty say that radiation in any amount will have not so good effects on the human body. Look up some of Helen Caldicott's work.