(UPDATED with Numbers) Radioactive Cesium in Human Placenta After #Fukushima Nuke Accident Lower Than in Placentas During Atmospheric Testing and After Chernobyl, Japanese Researchers Say

(UPDATE at the bottom of the post)

Japanese researchers, including Dr. Makoto Suzuki, who went to Minamisoma City right after the March 11, 2011 disaster and the nuclear accident to help the local OB/GYN doctor Kyohei Takahashi care for pregnant women in the city and help deliver the babies, examined the placentas from 5 women within 50 kilometers from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant and 5 women within 290 kilometers from the plant.

Their conclusion is that radioactive cesium concentration in the placentas from 10 women in Fukushima and eastern Japan who gave birth between October 2011 and August 2012 was much lower than in placentas in 1960s during atmospheric nuclear testing, and Italian placentas after the Chernorbyl accident in 1986.

From the abstract below, it is not known how many of the five placentas within 50 kilometers from the plant were from Minamisoma, if any. Much of Minamisoma City was designated by the national government as the area where pregnant women and children were not to supposed to live. But all the government did was to declare so, and there was no support whatsoever to the city or the residents. As the result, there were many pregnant women and children who remained.

Cities like Fukushima, Date, Koriyama, and others in Fukushima's Nakadori (middle third) were never evacuated, even though the levels of contamination turned out to be as much, if not more, than Minamisoma in Hamadori (ocean-third).

From Online Library at Wiley.com, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, Early View published online on July 2, 2013, Abstract:

Radioactive cesium (134Cs and 137Cs) content in human placenta after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident

Makoto Suzuki 1,
Hiroshi Terada 2,
Nobuya Unno 3,
Ichiro Yamaguchi 2,
Naoki Kunugita 2,
Hisanori Minakami 4,*

1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kameda General Hospital, Kamogawa, Chiba
2 Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Public Health, Wako
3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Kitasato University, Sagamihara
4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan

Abstract

Aim

The degree of contamination with radioactive cesium (134Cs and 137Cs) in the human placenta after the accident at Fukushima nuclear power plant (FNP), which occurred on 11 March 2011, has not been assessed.

Material and Methods

134Cs and 137Cs contents were determined in 10 placentas from 10 women who gave birth to term singleton infants during the period between October 2011 and August 2012 using high-purity germanium detectors for gamma ray spectrometry. Five women resided within 50 km of FNP (neighbor group) and gave birth by the end of February 2012, while the other five women resided within 210–290 km of FNP (distant group) and gave birth in July and August 2012.

Results

All except one of the 10 placentas contained detectable levels of 134Cs and 137Cs, ranging 0.042–0.742 Bq/kg for 134Cs and 0.078–0.922 Bq/kg for 137Cs. One placenta from a woman living in Tokyo contained 0.109 Bq/kg 137Cs and no detectable level of 134Cs (<0.054 Bq/kg). 137Cs content was more than 0.2 Bq/kg in four and one placentas in the neighbor and distant groups, respectively. Conclusion Degree of contamination of the placenta with radioactive Cs was lower even in women who resided within 50 km of FNP compared to Japanese and Canadian placentas in the mid-1960s after repeated nuclear tests and in northern Italian placentas from 1986–1987 after the Chernobyl power plant accident.

Since I don't have access to the full paper, I do not know the numbers for the Japanese and Canadian placentas in mid 1960s and the Italian ones after the Chernobyl accident.

==================

(UPDATE 7/21/2013) The actual numbers in the paper, and comment from anon reader. Thank you.

The numbers are :
location | 134Cs Bq/kg | 137Cs Bq/kg | 40K Bq/K
Minami-soma | 0.742 | 0.922 | 46.5
Iwaki | 0.549 | 0.648 | 59.3
Iwaki | 0.090 | 0.207 | 46.9
Iwaki | 0.268 | 0.302 | 51.9
Iwaki | 0.373 | 0.563 | 50.5
Mobara | 0.462 | 0.694 | 47.6
Kamogawa | 0.064 | 0.121 | 49.5
Tokyo | <0.054 | 0.109 | 49.8 Yotsukaido |0.042 | 0.078 | 50.9 Tateyama | 0.061 | 0.093 | 52.1

Hiroshima 1966-1970 | --- | 1.3 | ---
137Cs in food intake had 1.1 Bq/kg

Bolognia jun,1986 | --- | 4.2 | ---
Bolognia mar,1987 | --- | 11.5 | ---
Bolognia sep,1987 | --- | 6.6 | ---
137Cs in food intake had 15Bq/kg

Conclusion is mother contamination with Cs is equal to placenta contamination. Placenta is not a barrier for Cs.

Then they say that CS in placenta and food intake correlate. Based on whole body count results from Minamisoma (previously published by gov) Cs content ranged from 2.3-196.5 Bq/kg. Thus the study authors conclude that the mother participating in this study from Minamisoma did take care with food (meaning eat food from non-contaminated areas) since here placenta only had 0.9 137Cs Bq/kg . The authors finished with the statement that it is not part of this study to check for birth defects or other health effects in the babies (another study should do that).

My comment, as the study about Sr in baby teeth has indicated, it is more important where your food comes from than exactly where you are living. As the saying says: You are what you eat.

His last comment dovetails with the observation by one of the medical researchers I follow, Dr. Masahiro Kami. Dr. Kami has been working closely with doctors and researchers in Fukushima Prefecture, particularly in Soma City. I was struck by his recent tweets (here and here) about internal radiation exposure among residents in Hamadori, ocean-third of Fukushima Prefecture:

ここまでは、浜通りの内部被曝対策は、極めてうまくいっています。科学的理由から避難する必要はありません。ただ、一部の高齢者で野生動物なみの内部被曝を認めます。長期的な対策が必要です。

So far, countermeasures against internal radiation exposure in Hamadori has been a steller success. There is no scientific reason to evacuate from there. However, we find internal radiation exposure in some old residents at the level of wild animals. We need long-term countermeasures [against internal radiation exposure].

福島の内部被曝は、住民の懸命な努力で抑えられているだけです。さらに専門家も地道に努力しています。例えば、相馬市玉野地区には、東京農大が常駐し、食品管理をサポートしています。油断すれば、内部被曝は悪化するでしょう。チェルノブイリで内部被曝が最大になったのは、事故後12年目です。

Internal radiation exposure in Fukushima Prefecture is reduced only because of great effort by the residents. Experts are also making steady effort. For example, Tokyo University of Agriculture has a permanent base in Tamano District of Soma City to support the management of food. If we let our guard down, internal radiation exposure will worsen. It was 12 years after the nuclear accident when internal radiation exposure was at its worst in Chernobyl.

Well, there may not be "scientific" reason to evacuate, but living in an environment where you have to watch every morsel for radiation exposure seems highly stressful. There is also a question of why the reason to evacuate should be "scientific".

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#Radioactive Japan: Canada-Japan Women's Soccer Friendly Match to be Held in Fukushima City

Now, young women from Canada under the age of 20 are joining the US high school students and college students doing the cleanup volunteer work in Tohoku including Fukushima and the US decontamination businesses in dispelling the "baseless rumors" and making an appeal to the world that "Fukushima is safe" (as US Ambassador to Japan John Roos said).

NHK Kabun (culture and science division of NHK) tweets:

サッカー女子の２０歳以下のワールドカップが、来月、日本で開催されるのを前に、復興を支援しようと日本とカナダとの親善試合が福島市で開かれることになりました。

Women's World Cup Soccer [or football for European readers] under the age of 20 will be held in Japan next month. To support the recovery, a friendly match is planned between the Japanese team and the Canadian team in Fukushima City.

For reference, here's the radiation levels at parks in Fukushima City as of 7:40AM on July 5, 2012 (from this tweet) "New normal" for Fukushima City's parks nearly 16 months after the nuclear accident seems 1 microsievert/hour air radiation or higher:

The venue for the match must be the Shinobugaoka Athletic Field in central Fukushima City. The radiation level at Shinobuyama Park, about 500 meters west of the athletic field, is shown in the photo above as "1.517 microsievert/hour". The radiation level at the athletic field should be lower, because there are no trees shedding leaves on the athletic field and the city must have done some "decontamination" in November last year (I hope) when the women's Ekiden road race, also under the age of 20 event, was held in the city.

(Hmmm. As of November last year, the entrance to the athletic field was measured at 1.23 microsievert/hour... See my post here.)

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NISA Approves TEPCO's Request to Have Female Workers Back at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant

TEPCO informed the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency that it would bring female workers back at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant on March 9, and NISA approved before the day was over.

According to Tokyo Shinbun quoting Kyodo News (3/9/2012), TEPCO is envisioning 8 hours a day, 20 days per month indoor work that would result in less than 5 millisieverts in 3 months.

As per my calculation, it will be 3.456 millisieverts in 3 months.

I just asked a former TEPCO employee who used to work at one of the TEPCO's nuclear power plants, who said "0.1 to 0.3 millisievert per year" radiation exposure for indoor, office work with occasional visits to controlled areas.

What is the point of TEPCO bringing back female workers at the plant where 7.2 microsieverts/hour radiation is considered "low"? Just to send a hopeful message that everything is going well in Fukushima?

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TEPCO to Welcome Back Female Workers to Fukushima I Nuke Plant

Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is now so stable and safe that TEPCO wants to bring back female workers to the plant.

Yup, you heard it right. What better way is there to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the nuclear accident and to demonstrate how safe it has become, than to have female workers working at Fuku I again?

From Jiji Tsushin (3/9/2012):

女性も福島第１で再び作業へ＝「放射性物質減り環境改善」－東電

Women to work at Fukushima I Nuke Plant again, as "radioactive materials have decreased and the work conditions have improved", says TEPCO

　東京電力福島第１原発事故で、東電は９日、同原発の作業拠点である免震重要棟や５、６号機の原子炉建屋などの空間線量が減少したとして、女性作業員が働けるよう運用を見直すと発表した。昨年４月、同原発の女性作業員が３カ月で５ミリシーベルト以内と定められている線量限度を超えていたことが判明。経済産業省原子力安全・保安院から再発防止を指示され、女性作業員がいない状態が続いていた。

TEPCO announced on March 9 that the company would review the operation policy in order to allow female workers at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, as the air radiation levels in the Anti-Earthquake Building and the reactor buildings of Reactors 5 and 6 have dropped. In April last year, female workers at the plant were found to have exceeded the radiation exposure limit [for female nuclear workers] of 5 millisieverts in 3 months. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency then instructed TEPCO to come up with the countermeasure to prevent it from happening again, and there has been no female worker at the plant since.

　東電によると、免震重要棟１階の空間線量は、昨年３月の１時間当たり４７マイクロシーベルトから同年１１月には７．２マイクロシーベルトまで減少。運用の見直しにより、下請け会社の女性従業員が同原発で働くことも可能になる。医療作業などが想定されるという。

According to TEPCO, the air radiation level on the first floor of the Anti-Earthquake building dropped from 47 microsieverts/hour in March last year to 7.2 microsieverts/hour in November. By reviewing the policy, TEPCO could allow female workers from subcontractors to work at the plant. The company is expecting them to providing medical care and other tasks.

Let's see. 8 hours inside the building, 57.6 microsieverts per day, 288 microsieverts per week (assuming 5 days a week work), 1,152 microsieverts per month. 3,456 microsieverts (3.456 millisieverts) in 3 months, oh that's so within the 5 millisieverts/3 months limit.

Notice that the Jiji article talks about female workers from subcontractors, not TEPCO's own female employees. It also refers to Reactors 5 and 6. What kind of work is TEPCO envisioning female subcontract workers to do in the reactor buildings, I wonder?

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