IEEJ: May 2015. All Rights Reserved.

The Real Effects ofLow-dose Radiation
Kazuko Uno, PhD
Louis Pasteur Center for Medical Research
Head: Interferon & Hostdefence Res. Lab.

NPO Einstein	2015.5.19 	

IEEJ: May 2015. All Rights Reserved.

Controversy about Low-dose Radiation
Effects after Fukushima Accident 	Physicist	Physicists strongly associate
radiation with atomic weapons.
Therefore they tend to over-react
to the existence of minuteamounts of radiation.
”Comparing of the risk of lowdose radiation and smoking isunreasonable!”

Medical Doctor, Biologist???	

Medical doctors often use radiation indoses exceeding 50 Sv to treat andcure patients. Healthy cells repair
themselves on a daily basis. This
repair occurs for damages inflictedfrom all sources including those fromradiation exposure.
Reasonable!	
Reactive oxygen species	

respira'on	

Smorking	Knowledge of radiationis poor because lack ofinitiatives in last 40 years
to educate citizens. 	

Air pollution	

OH-O2-Radiation	
OHOH HOOH
HOOH O2O2
Environment	  reac've	  oxygen	  species	IEEJ: May 2015. All Rights Reserved.

Anxiety Among Fukushima Residents	
Primary concern : increasing risk of various cancers	
Secondary concern: increasing risk of adult diseases	

My Response	
1. Understanding the difference between the effects of high and low
dose radiation(<100mSv) is important.	
2. By making lifestyle changes now, can decrease the effects of any
radiation exposure, and lead to significant health benefits up to 20 to
30 years in the future.
3. Worrying and giving into despair is more likely to lead toaccelerated ageing than any radiation in the environment.
4. Food and water supply have beentested to ensure that any radiation isbelow acceptable levels and is safe toconsume.	

IEEJ: May 2015. All Rights Reserved.

Multistep cancer development. Each has its own inhibition/repair system.	

Damaged cells don’t necessarily turn to cancer, and when they
do it takes 20-30 years	
Radiation, Smoking,Mutagen,--	
Radical scavenger
SOD, GSH	

Each	  process	  has	  its	  own	  inhibi'on	  and	  repair	  system.	  
A	  healthy	  an'-­‐oxidant	  rich	  diet	  can	  support	  the	  body	  at	  each	  stage.	

NKCancercell	DNA damage	

DNA repair	Prevention ofcancer
がん化阻止	development	

Multi step cancer genemutation	apotosis	
Activate tumor gene	

inflammation	

progression	
Escape immune
surveillance	
Immune surveillance	IEEJ: May 2015. All Rights Reserved.

Ini'a'ves	  in	  America	  to	  increase	  the	  consump'on	  an'-­‐cancer	  foods	  	  Foods	  &	  Cancer	  risk
A-bomb survivors with higher intakeof raw vegetables and fresh fruits had
lower mortality rates due to cancer.

mortality

Mortality(%)

morbidity

Low	  enough

Low	  enough

Vegitabules

FruitsIn the 1990’s a dietary reform started in the U.S. The focus of which is to encourage
Americans to dramatically improve the way they eat by:-reducing the intake of foods high in saturated fats, cholesterol, salt and sugar-eating more fresh fruits and vegetables high in anti-oxidants

A similar dietary regimen for Fukushima residents
will do more to improve their ability to staycancer-free and adult diseases-free life than mostother methods.

+low salt foodand no smoking	IEEJ: May 2015. All Rights Reserved.

Difference between
Fukushima
Maximum thyroid dose in Fukushima
evacuees (<33 mSv)
Fukushima milk production was stopped.	
The Japanese diet is high in seaweed, so
iodine deficiency is not common

Chernobyl
The mean thyroid dose for residents in
Chernobyl(50-2000mSv)
Chernobyl residents consumed cow’s milk
contaminated with radioactive substance
Many children in Chernobyl wereiodine-deficient
Even now, foods contaminated with Cs
are still being detected. (Chernobyl ismostly sandy)

Transfer of radioactive Cs to food waslower than expected. （Fukushima soil ismostly clay)
Internal radioactive contamination in adults Most	  of	  food	  in	  Fukushima	  passed	  strict	  and children are not serious whole body
test	  standard.	  
counter tests.(In 2013, almost of subjects
7	  of	  rice	  tes'ng	  posi've	  was	  10can’t detect radioactive Cs. )70	  in	  2012	  and	  0	  in	  2014	  2012/4/12
K40	  (mean:	  33	  Bq/kg)
Cs134,137 contamination wasdetected in 10 out of 100 families.

Fukushima will not become acatastrophe like Chernobyl.

IEEJ: May 2015. All Rights Reserved.

A comprehensive risk evaluation
Cancerrisk	
Cause	
2000mSv		
Smoking	
1.6	
Excessive Alcohol		
1000-2000mSv		
Under weight	
1.4	
Alcohol(360ml/d)	
1.29	
Obesty	1.22	
Lack of exercise	
1.15-1.19	
200-500mSv	
1.16	
High salt diet	
1.11-1.15	
100-200mSv	
1.08	
Deficientcy of vegetable	
1.06	
Secpnd haand smoke	 1.02-1.03	

Obesity, lack of exercise, bad dietand stress are more likely to increase
the risks of cancer than the amountof radiation that is currently present
in the evacuated zones in Fukushima

Changing the focus from radiation
exposure to critical lifestyle andother factors that may increase therisk of cancer is a more effective
way of reducing or managing any
relative risks.

A comprehensive risk evaluation that looks beyond radiation effects
is required!

IEEJ: May 2015. All Rights Reserved.

Failure of Safety Dogma in Japan
To	  learn	  from	  living	  things	  about	  mul'faceted	  protec've	  mechanisms

Failure of crisis communication
Educa'on	  program	  about	  radia'on	  are	  required	  Accidents	  will	  happen	  in	  the	  best	  regulated	  families

Failure of consideration to vulnerable people
High	  mortality,	  due	  to	  ini'al	  evacua'on,	  suggests	  that	  evacua'ng	  the	  elderly	  was	  not	  the	  best	  life-­‐saving.	  
Death	  of	  elderly	  persons	  moved	  from	  elderly	  homes
Careful	  considera'on	  of	  the	  rela've	  risks	  of	  radia'on	  exposure	  and	  the	  risks	  and	  beneﬁts	  of	  evacua'on	  is	  essen'al	  3.11

Areas	  with	  atomic	  power	  plants	  should	  always	  be	  prepared	  for	  a	  crisis.
Contact: report@tky.ieej.or.jp