Researchers believe Fukushima nuclear power meltdown that occurred in 2011 will not affect cancer rates.
The UN report said it did not expect a change in hereditary disease, genetic defects, or cancer rates as a result of the disaster, a United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) news release reported.
The meltdown was set off by a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami that greatly damaged the Fukushima power plant on March 11, 2011, Reuters reported.
The report did suggest the risk of thyroid cancer in children most strongly exposed to radiation was most likely elevated; thyroid cancer is extremely rare in children. The researchers called for a follow-up of these subjects, the news release reported.
"People are rightly concerned about the impact on their health and their children's health," Carl-Magnus Larsson, Chair, UNSCEAR, said in the news release. "Based on this assessment, however, the Committee does not expect significant changes in future cancer statistics that could be attributed to radiation exposure from the accident."
About 35,000 children under the age of five lived in the area believed to be most affected by the Fukushima disaster, Reuters reported. In this area thyroids were believed to have absorbed between 45 and 55 milliGrays (mGy) of radiation each.Variances in individuals' radiation levels led researchers to believe only about 1,000 children had been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.
"Prompt protective action" by Japanese authorities immediately following the incident is believed to be responsible for the relatively low cancer risk, the news release reported.
"The Committee concluded that no discernible increase in cancer or other diseases is expected; however, the most exposed workers will receive regular health checks," Wolfgang Weiss, Chair of the Assessment said in the news release.
The researchers also looked at how the nuclear meltdown affected both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Plants and animals living in marine ecosystems along the shoreline close to the power plant were believed to have been affected, but not in the long-term.
