One third of Fukushima children (36%) tested by the government have thyroid cysts, a condition often associated with radiation exposure. The Prefecture conducted thyroid checks on 38,000 children by the end of March. If iodine 131 is taken into the thyroid gland it remains there for long time, damaging adjacent tissues by beta decay. The amount of radioactive iodine detected with 20 km of the plant reached a maximum similar to those experienced at Chernobyl. 6,000 children are thought to suffer from thyroid cancer as a result of the Chernobyl disaster. The Japanese government says none of the lumps found appear to be malignant, but testing of children living near the Fukushima disaster using whole body counters by Minami-Soma Municipal Hospital show 51% were found to have suffered internal exposure to cesium 137. A doctor said some of the children had been eating wild plants picked in the mountains and the clothes of some indicated high gamma radiation exposure. There is little scientific research on the effects of ingested radioactive cesium. Health officials are urging the government to immediately evacuate highly contaminated areas if the lessons of Chernobyl are not to be ignored.
The government has ordered tests on 4500 children in three areas outside the disaster zone
The people of Japan are responding to the Fukushima meltdown by reducing their energy consumption. Sales by 10 major power utilities in July dropped 6.3% due to a fall in demand despite higher than average summer temperatures. Anti-nuclear activists say the drop shows that Japan can supply enough electricity without nuclear power generation. The government said rolling blackouts might be necessary this summer if some nuclear power was not put back on line. It used predicted shortages to justify restarting Kansai Electric Power's two reactors at Oi in Fukui Prefecture. Even though peak power demand surpassed supply levels without nuclear generation in the Kansai region, the difference could have been made up by purchasing power from regions with an oversupply.