UN finds 'no adverse health effects' from Fukushima disaster

Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster has not harmed the health of local residents 10 years on, according to a report published on Tuesday by UN researchers.

Inside a house seen through an open window in Futaba town, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, on February 28 The house is in the area that used to be designated as the nuclear disaster exclusion zone, but the part of the zone has been lifted since March 2020. Photo: VCG

Since 2013, "no adverse health effects among Fukushima residents have been documented that could be directly attributed to radiation exposure from the accident," said Gillian Hirth, chairwoman of the UN's Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). In a statement, the UN said the latest report had firmed up the 2013 research on the effects of radiation. 

UNSCEAR said that a sharply higher rate of thyroid cancers detected among children exposed to the radiation was likely due to better diagnostics.

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also said that there was no evidence that the disaster had had any detrimental effects on people's health.

"Though the ensuing damage caused nuclides to be released into the environment, scientists have found no evidence that this caused radiation-induced health effects," said head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi. However, "an important lesson of Fukushima is that regulators must be strong, independent and adequately resourced," he said.