Increase in cancer unlikely following Fukushima exposure

Cancer levels are likely to remain stable in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power accident, a new UN report said on Wednesday. Released by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, the report finds that no discernible changes in future cancer rates and hereditary diseases are expected due to exposure to radiation as a result of the Fukushima nuclear accident. Nevertheless, it notes a theoretical possibility that the risk of thyroid cancer among the group of children most exposed to radiation could increase and concludes that the situation needs to be followed closely and further assessed in the future. Thyroid cancer is a rare disease among young children, and their normal risk is very low.