CRI听力:WHO: Cancer Risk Hikes around Fukushima

A World Health Organization report shows the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 is likely to increase the risk of specific cancers for people in polluted areas.

However, the report predicts no additional risks for other parts in Japan and neighboring countries, including China.

The report evaluated the cancer risks posed on three age groups, including one-year-old babies, 10-year-old children and 20-year-old adults.

Maria Neira, director of Public Health and Environment at WHO explains.

"In these two most affected locations, for leukemia, for instance, lifetime risk what we can predict is that in the sex group of males and infants, we can predict an increase of 7 percent over the baseline risk. For breast cancer, we saw a predicted increase risk of 6 percent for females again for infant females, one-year old."

The report also shows lifetime risks for leukemia, thyroid cancer and all solid cancers for the emergency workers in the nuke plant are likely to be higher.

Angelika Tritscher, WHO Coordinator of Risk Assessment and Management said cancer risks from the accident can be neglected for Japan's neighboring countries.

"The rest of Fukushima prefecture and in particular, neighboring countries and the rest of the world, the estimated increase cancer risk is negligible so it is within the variation of normal background rates."

The Japanese Environment Ministry is questioning the WHO report, saying it "is not a chart predicting the future".

The ministry says it is not confirmed that low-dose radiation of 100 millisieverts or lower has impacts on health.

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami in mid-March, 2011 severely damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and caused a nuclear leakage.