Fukushima kids fatter as radiation fears cut exercise

It compared the number of obese children, defined as weighing at least 20% more than the average for their age and height, among the 47 prefectures.

what's nation's average? confidential.

It's not confidential but you would have to read and understand Japanese to get the statistics. I am pretty sure that f you google it, the information for previous years is available online.

Well there is a big differents in "American Fat" and "Japanese Fat" and im sure the later one is worse.

later they will complain about increased cancer and CVD rates and blame it on the radiation...

Jason Stiles: are you SURE Japanese fat kids are worse off than American fat kids????

Here we go! Already compiling stats to counter any future health related abnormality claims that may arise because of the radiation. The schools have gyms. Use them!

This article is not very accurate at all. The true reason that kids in Japan are getting fatter is not only because of Fukushima. It`s because many parents of children in Japan today seem to not have much time and responsibility to take care of their children on a daily bases.

If on one believes me, just look around and you will see that there are so many young parents that lack the ability to be responsible parents. Many of the parents of these children are too caught up in their own things, more than anything else. That are always on their mobile phones and or gossiping about each other, rather than looking after their own kids.

They all spoil their kids with computer games and do nothing at all when it comes to disciplining a child. Many of them expect other people to teach their children how to behave when it is them that should teach their children about the realities of life.

It is so sad that in today`s society in Japan, there are more children that are more mature then theor own parents.

Irrelevant. Please stay on topic.

I thought most kids these days just sit inside and play their Game Boy anyway...

Stress and anxiety have also risen for the mothers -- as documented on numerous Japanese broadcast networks -- because worrying about how much radiation your child is consuming and then trying to calculate if that will be damaging to the health of your child . . . my heart really goes out to these poor communities, ravaged, and then to add insult to injury to have to endure the nuclear trolls and the nuclear power industry that constantly presents misleading figures.

SS above nailed it

This clearly isnt JUST about exercise, can you imagine the stress ALL family members are suffering from, I imagine many want to move, want to stay, but cant move for various reasons, parents pulling their hair out EVERY day because they feel helpless & this is affecting their kids too OBVIOUSLY(in many many ways!).

A complex set of problems with no easy answers, but one thing is clear the govt doesn give a rats about its own people, THAT is obvious!

So, they admit there are dangerous levels of radiation and the kids shouldn't go outside to play. TEPCO also admits the catastrophe was man-made. Isn't that criminal negligence? Damn sure I wouldn't be letting my kids live there and I would be chasing TEPCO for every yen it cost to relocate. And now, the J-public have just voted in the same government that let it happen? The international community recommended a safety zone of 80k. It seems their estimates are much closer to that of the J-Gov. It is criminal! It is no different to Minamata. They did the same thing back then and they are doing nit again now!

Yeah, Zichi, you are right. There are still people from Minamata chasing their claims

OnniyamaDec. 26, 2012 - 09:18AM JST

Here we go! Already compiling stats to counter any future health related abnormality claims that may arise because of the radiation.

Well, being 15% overweight is the same, health impact wise, as living in a place with 146mSv per year. More than confounding radiation measurements, the radiation measurements will confound overweight issues.

The schools have gyms. Use them!

They indeed do. And also fields, and other places they can exercise outdoors and be far healthier in return.

DisillusionedDec. 26, 2012 - 11:10AM JST

So, they admit there are dangerous levels of radiation and the kids shouldn't go outside to play.

Other than the few places with averages above 20mSv/yr, nowhere is dangerous. You have a higher chance of dying from falling down stairs, so maybe children shouldn't be allowed to use the stairs either.

Basroil - Other than the few places with averages above 20mSv/yr, nowhere is dangerous.

Is that so? Then why aren't the kids allowed to play outside?

This article is not very accurate at all. The true reason that kids in Japan are getting fatter is not only because of Fukushima. It`s because many parents of children in Japan today seem to not have much time and responsibility to take care of their children on a daily bases.......This is right;We needs take in account this affair.

I found this very helpful when trying to get a handle on relative radiation levels: http://xkcd.com/radiation/

146mSv/year is clearly ABOVE the safe level, and is above the level where they've shown an increased risk of cancer in adults. Kids are more sensitive (there's no firm figure for children).

Here's an idea: check them for things that are relevant, like testing their thyroids, and get them the hell out of there NOW.

I apologize in advance JT Moderator for going off topic real quick but, I will quickly go back to the topic at hand.

To correct my previous comment above for anyone who may have be confused or misinterpreted it. I meant the "Later" as being American Fat. I apologize to anyone who may thought I meant the other.

Now Back to the topic, If the education ministry believes that the children are gaining weight, then they should do more indoor sports/activities. If I recall most junior highs have indoor gyms right? Plus for their Science class, teach them the Fundamental about Radiation.

If parents are also concern about allowing there children to remain in certain areas they fear may have radiation then have a family fun time at home with the children, this I consider a double win because the the parent will be more involved with their children and they can make sure they get the exercise they need.

This is just some of my opinions about this topic. Merry Christmas All.

FrungyDec. 26, 2012 - 01:51PM JST

146mSv/year is clearly ABOVE the safe level, and is above the level where they've shown an increased risk of cancer in adults. Kids are more sensitive (there's no firm figure for children).

That level is also double the maximum rate anywhere in Japan. While children are considered more sensitive, they also tend to have less serious complications and therefore lower death rates overall.

OnniyamaDec. 26, 2012 - 01:43PM JST

random 146 mSv/year BS out there?

http://www.icrp.org/consultation_viewitem.asp?guid={6D8775CC-1B19-49FE-A137-A56C7567F082}

From that source you can see that it's mathematically equivalent in average loss of life expectancy.

It's also available from:

http://www.umich.edu/~radinfo/introduction/risk.htm

DisillusionedDec. 26, 2012 - 01:24PM JST

Then why aren't the kids allowed to play outside?

Stupidity on the part of most people for the most part. Media insistence on hiding the truth is also a big part.

Four out of five nuclear refugee's have been observed with developing thyroid abnormalities.

Can you imagine the sort of person that suggests that radiation is OK for children in Fukushima? It would be interesting to see some sort of graph that documents how much money it takes for a person to argue against the health of children.

SS Abe. Hard to believe there are people like that, isn't it?

I'd rather live off welfare than sit there like a lame duck with regards to my child possibly getting sick because of a royal screw up from TEPCO and the government. The government AND TEPCO should hang their heads in shame. Then again, I can't for the life of me understand why these people stay in the area when surely, moving would be better. There is support out there and many are refusing to take it - I know of three folks personally who have offered up their homes for their families members and they refuse to leave.

SS AbeDec. 26, 2012 - 03:23PM JST

It would be interesting to see some sort of graph that documents how much money it takes for a person to argue against the health of children.

Apparently negative money when it comes to cigarettes, which a pack a week for just a year is enough to submit a child to the equivalent of over 50mSv a year for the rest of their lives.

I'd rather live off welfare than sit there like a lame duck with regards to my child possibly getting sick because of a royal screw up from TEPCO and the government

INDEED!

And as you noted many wont make the move, over my years here I haved noted a distinctly fatalistic attitude from many(not all but lots) Japanese, it goes a long way into understanding why so many let the govt & Jpn Inc run rough shod all over them & do next to nothing about it

never heard of gym?

Cramp, it doesn't seem you know how PE runs in this country. They often have two classes for PE at the same time (and sometimes more if they split the boys and girls) so it is hard to use the gym in a decent way for these kids to get any real benefits out of "gym".

What exactly are the parents feeding these kids though is a good point raised by a few. If kids are eating well, they shouldn't be fat just because they aren't getting time to run around outside.

Zichi, good point. I remember watching a show that had schools using blue tarps to cover hot spots. Made me ill just thinking about how these schools are deemed "safe" when clearly they are not. Again, why are these people staying and putting their kids at risk? Are they really that clueless and unaware and if so, why aren't they educating themselves on the risk their putting their kids in? We all know the government, with their disgusting yellow bird isn't doing a good job with regards to it all.

I would like to bring to your attention that not only Japan has been contaminated with lethal radioactive substances but our whole biosphere aswell, since the first nuclear explosion. The horrible continuous leakage at reactor 4 of radioactive elements in the ocean and atmosphere has been contaminating fish stocks and even seaweed. The governments of the world seem to accept that it is a necessary evil. Because they want us to beleive that we dont have the engineers and the technologies, and the money to make energy in a cleaner way. Also it seems they want us to believe that we have lost our collective reason and that the intelligentsia has decided for the reigning political parties that civilian populations are expandable. Just like the G.I's in the early nuclear tests in the Nevada desert and the hero laborers at Chernobyl explosion. When will the era arrive when a life span on earth will be marked by 4 decades. There is Dr. John W. Aspley II who has devoted a lot of study on decontaminating and protecting the human body from exposure to radioactive contaminants. The point here, is that obesity diminishes enjoyement of life and expectancy. But, the crucial point is that to develop thyroid cancer or leukemia due to the contamination problem; and excuse me the pun; but obesity doesnt weigh much in the balance when cancer sets in. The contamination and decontamination process should addressed seriously by the Japanese government and/or some very proactive Japanese COOP organizations. And this, to start to organize centres where information and supplies will made available to help monitor and control the radioactive contamination. Dr. Aspley has written an ebook available which explains the whole system of decontamination of affected populations that are living in areas conatminated by wind, dust, and water. http://www.amazon.com/Fukushima-Meltdown-Modern-Radiation-Generations/dp/0945704070 By acting directly to what is one of the major problem now, and not stick our heads in the radioactive sand like ostriches. I hope this will be a turning point in the mentality of the Japanese nation, governments and corporations in making the decisions to fix this urgent health situation which can be achieved with very inexpensive treatments. We, all know we have to wait for the technology transfer timeline. But the continous protection, and implementation of a netwok of specialized centers for decontaminating the affected people from those 'hot particles' is vital for the future of Japan. Also it should not become a fait accompli that lethal radioactivity is allowed to go rampant on our living biosphere. It is not to late. We don't want to turn our panet into Mars. Please read the book or get to know about it and tell your English and Japanese friends. P.S http://tuberose.com/Radiation.html

Shame!!!!! The effects of low doze radiation exposure have even not been explored before lying to the world that abnormal increase in size of the fukushima kids is due to little exercise! More independent tests needed....

It is quite unfortunate, but parental concern is not unfounded. The problem with estimates of exposure to children thus far is that they are calculations of exposure from sources external to the body. The fields of Fukushima are filled with dust containing easily inhaled radioactive particles that nobody is considering. In this regard, the Hiroshima/Nagasaki exposure data are not applicable, nor are those of Chernobyl, because the Soviet Union evacuated people at a much lower threshold than Japan. Nobody can say what those particles will do to children. Also, nobody has yet explained the seemingly high incidence of thyroid abnormalities. Thyroid lumps are not uncommon in adults. The epidemiologist and the endocrine surgeon to whom I have spoken both indicated that the figure is unusually high in children but they don't fit what is currently known about the presentation of such symptoms after exposure levels that the government is assuming. Were children being exposed to radioactive iodine by the plants long before they melted through? Or were they exposed to more iodine than has currently been disclosed? A study of children in Nagasaki is apparently being done for comparison. However, Ishihara Nobuteru is now Environmental and Nuclear Minister, so we can be certain only that truths inconvenient to nuclear power supporters will not intentionally be revealed for the time being. Meanwhile, families will be hindered and punished for moving to safer areas and children's health will continue to suffer. These are part of the costs that nuclear power exacts from such an unusually seismically active land.