Fomenting groundless fear in Japan

Some of the Japanese Press continues to shamelessly promote radiophobia. Monday, the Mainichi Shimbun alleged that the health effects of radiation exposures below 100 millisieverts remain “unknown”. The Mainichi states, “…the health effects of radiation — including from relatively low doses — are a matter of concern for many, and unknowns remain.” This contradicts a small mountain of evidence showing exposures below 100 msv are essentially harmless and further evidence that it may actually improve human health. But the Mainichi doesn’t stop there. They assert that radiation irreversibly damages DNA and mistakes can occur during DNA repair that can cause chromosomal abnormalities, mutation, and/or death. This contradicts recent discoveries in America (Livermore Laboratories) showing that DNA repair processes are more efficient with increased exposures and the degree of radiation-induced mistakes actually decrease. What’s worse, the aiding and abetting of fear proliferation has wormed its way in to the minds of “officials” who should know better. Yasuhito Sasaki, director at the Japan Radioisotope Association and former member of the ICRP, says, “There is no safe amount of radiation exposure. The less radiation one is exposed to, the better.” The Mainichi has been at the fear-inducing forefront of Japanese news media since March 11. This is but the latest example..