BERLIN
— A German doctor and member of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning physicians' group
has criticized a World Health Organization report on the Fukushima nuclear
catastrophe for underestimating its impact on human health. In a research paper, Alex Rosen said the WHO
report, published in May this year on estimated radiation doses received by
residents near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, was compiled mainly by officials related to the International Atomic
Energy Agency, which promotes the use of atomic energy for peaceful
purposes.
Rosen, a member
of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, called for an independent assessment based
on solid scientific methodology that would examine the health impacts from
radioactive fallout released after the Fukushima No. 1 complex suffered three
core meltdowns in March 2011. The WHO report put the maximum whole-body
radiation dose per person in the first four months of the crisis at 50
millisieverts, even in two municipalities very close to the plant, the town of
Namie and the village of Iitate. It also estimated that no area experienced doses
in excess of 100 millisieverts……..
Rosen noted that
the WHO's estimate on the amount of radioactive fallout emitted from the
plant's destroyed reactors was significantly
lower than projections provided by research institutes in many other countries.
The
WHO report also failed to take into account the radiation exposure of people
living within 20 km of the No. 1 plant and who were evacuated in the first
few days of the calamity, after the area was designated a no-go zone, Rosen
said, pointing to the possibility that these residents may have received high
doses before or during their evacuation. Rosen further asserted that the report reflects an effort to downplay
the effects of the disaster, as it was compiled chiefly by IAEA staff and
members of nuclear regulatory bodies that were closely colluding with Japan's
nuclear power industry.
"It is
unclear why a report written mainly by
the IAEA and collaborating nuclear institutions would need to be published in
the name of the WHO, if not to provide an unsuspicious cover" for the
true radiation levels Fukushima residents were exposed to, Rosen argued.
Last month, the
German branch of the international physicians' group sent a letter to WHO Director General Margaret Chan, calling for a
substantial expansion of medical research on the health effects of the
Fukushima disaster. The branch also sought the early establishment of a
comprehensive registry of residents in Fukushima who are estimated to have been
exposed to radiation of more than 1 millisievert following the triple
meltdowns.
A WHO official
said the organization is as yet unable to respond to Rosen's research paper or
the German branch's letter because it is still examining the documents. International
Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, established in December 1980 and
headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. The
group has branches in 62 countries and regions worldwide, including Japan.
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