Former Fukushima director suffers from cancer

EX Director of Fukushima NPP suffers from esophageal cancer

09/12/2011

The former director of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima is suffering from esophageal cancer. While the operator Tepco excludes a connection with the nuclear catastrophe at the beginning of the year, speculation in the Japanese media about an increased radiation dose as a trigger of cancer.

Already at the end of November, the 56-year-old former director of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Masao Yoshida, had vacated his post for health reasons. During a visit to the destroyed facility on Friday he has now spoken publicly for the first time about his illness. Apparently Yoshida wanted to slow down the speculation about a possible connection of his illness with the nuclear disaster with his appearance. According to the operator Tepco, the former director is very concerned about the „Speculation in the media about his illness.“

Cancer of the nuclear director stirs up speculation
The disease of Masao Yoshida is already the second known cancer case of a Japanese celebrity, which suggests the conclusion of a connection with the released radioactivity. A few weeks ago, the cancer of the Japanese television presenter Norikazu Otsuka was reported, who reported in the context of the nuclear disaster on site and demonstratively for the consumption of food from the contaminated regions advertised or ate them on camera. Therefore, after the illness of Otsuka became acquainted with acute lymphocytic leukemia, rumors about a possible connection with the increased radioactive contamination rapidly spread. However, the media speculation can not be proved. Because whether the amount of radioactivity might have been sufficient to cause an acute leukemia, is according to the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg compared „VIP News“ completely unclear. Even if the radiation exposure was the cause of the cancer of the moderator, this will hardly prove, according to the experts.

Connection between the nuclear disaster and the cancers?
The ex-director of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, the suspicion of a connection between his illness with the increased radiation exposure after the nuclear disaster is even closer than the TV presenter Otsuka. For Masao Yoshida had coordinated the cleanup and repairs after the earthquake and tsunami on March 11 of this year and in the subsequent meltdown in several reactors. The radiation exposure on site was enormous, since large amounts of radioactivity were released when several fuel rods were melted. A direct correlation between the EX Director's cancer and the radiation exposure is nonetheless, according to operator Tepco „extremely unlikely“. First, it is not clear, according to Tepco, whether the direct exposure to radioactive radiation causes esophageal cancer at all. Second, cancer development would take at least five, and on average ten, years to reach Masao Yoshida's stage, a Tepco spokeswoman said, citing doctors.

Yoshida himself, who ran the Fukushima nuclear power plant since June 2010, apparently tried his best to put an end to speculation that his cancer was linked to radiation exposure following the nuclear disaster. According to Tepco, Yoshida actually wanted to focus on his treatment in peace, but in the face of media speculation, he decided to openly deal with his condition in order to prevent further rumors. How exactly the treatment of the former nuclear plant director should look like and whether he had to be operated on was not apparent from the statements of the Tepco spokeswoman.

Radiation exposure as a possible cause of the cancer
The public's confidence in the statements of the operating company has been extremely limited since the nuclear catastrophe at the beginning of the year, because Tepco was also hesitant to publicize the actual situation during the reactor accident and often seemed to downplay the extent of the catastrophe. Thus, even with the cancer of the known TV presenter Otsuka and the former nuclear director Yoshida doubt exist. Many Japanese are convinced that a connection with the radiation exposure is very likely. The extraordinarily rapid development of the cancer in this case raises some questions. Thus, the development of esophageal cancer is actually considered a growth phase of at least five years before it breaks out, and even in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, such rapid development would be extremely unusual or could only be explained by a massive radiation exposure.

Although small amounts of radioactivity cause damage to the genome and corresponding tissue changes, the development of the cancer would take much longer. As the oncologist Alwin Krämer, head of the Clinical Cooperation Unit Molecular Hematology and Oncology at the DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital opposite „VIP News“ He explained that no case is known to him from the medical literature in which a common cancer has developed so rapidly. However, leukemia can also occur within eight months if there is significant radiation exposure. For example, such diseases have been observed in blood cancer in the past, for example in the treatment of cancer patients with chemo- and radiotherapy, said the experts of the DKFZ. (Fp)

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Image: Thommy Weiss