[ RadSafe ] Refreshing Editorial in Chicago Tribune

[Brad Keck]

Roger - thanks for posting this.  


One of the curious things about the entire response to the Fukushima event is the focus on thyroid cancers.  The Japanese government did a very thorough job of food screening and replacement, and essentially prevented radioiodine ingestion - a necessary route of exposure for thyroid uptake, hence exposure leading to disease.  In spite of this very admirable - and as far as I can tell effective -  effort, there was this thyroid ultrasound technique rushed out to sensationalize a result  based on incomplete understanding.   Until much more recently, there simply was not a good background study using this ultrasound technique to understand “what normal looks like.” When there was, and with MUCH less fanfare, it turns out that thyroid “abnormalities” occur with a similar frequency in children near and far  (though neither group was actually exposed to radioiodine in this case).  


Brad




  





> On May 23, 2016, at 9:39 AM, Roger Helbig <rwhelbig at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> The anti-nuclear Nuclear News gang is furious with this editorial and
> of course is demanding correction
> 
> http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-fukushima-cancer-thyroid-medical-screening-tests-edit-0326-jm-20160324-story.html
> 
> Roger Helbig
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