(LinkAsia: August 31, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Over in Japan, the concerns of anxious parents are finally being heard. Japan is conducting thyroid tests on more than four thousand children who live outside Fukushima prefecture. The test results will be compared with those of children living within the area surrounding last year’s nuclear disaster. According to Japanese broadcaster, NHK, the goal is to reassure parents in Fukushima. 

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: August 27, 2012

Reporter:
Healthcare professionals discovered lumps in the thyroid glands of 1 in 3 children in the prefecture. Radioactive iodine released from Fukushima-Daiichi can accumulate in the glands of children and raise their risk of developing cancer. So healthcare professionals are testing all children aged 18 or younger. They had checked 38,000 of them by the end of March. They didn't diagnose anyone with cancer, but they found lumps in the thyroid glands of 36% of those tested. Prefectural officials explained that lumps can be found in healthy children. Still, parents were concerned. Thyroid checks will now be conducted on 4500 children in three areas outside Fukushima. Researchers will compare the data with the results from Fukushima.