Cryptorchidism after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident:causation or coincidence?

Abstract

Cryptorchidism (undescended testes) is among the most common congenital diseases in male children. Although many factors have been linked to the incidence of cryptorchidism, and testicular androgen plays a key role in its pathogenesis, the cause remains unknown in most cases. Recently, a Japanese group published a speculative paper entitled, "Nationwide increase in cryptorchidism after the Fukushima nuclear accident." Although the authors implicated radionuclides emitted from the Fukushima accident as contributing to an increased incidence of cryptorchidism, they failed to establish biological plausibility for their hypothesis, and glossed over an abundance of evidence and expert opinion to the contrary. We assessed the adequacy of their study in terms of design setting, data analysis, and its conclusion from various perspectives. Numerous factors must be considered, including genetic, environmental, maternal/fetal, and social factors associated with the reporting of cryptorchidism. Other investigators have established that the doses of external and internal radiation exposure in both Fukushima prefecture and the whole of Japan after the accident are too low to affect testicular descent during fetal periods ; thus, a putative association can be theoretically and empirically rejected. Alternative explanations exist for the reported estimates of increased cryptorchidism surgeries in the years following Japan's 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis. Data from independent sources cast doubt on the extent to which cryptorchidism increased, if at all. In any case, evidence that radionuclides from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant could cause cryptorchidism is lacking.

Theoretical Screening and Experimental Synthesis of Ultrahigh-Iodine Capture Covalent Organic Frameworks

“…The latest radiological environmental contamination disaster caused by the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant has resulted in the leakage of large quantities of radioactive particles, including 131 I, 134 Cs, and 137 Cs. The disaster also has aroused health concerns among the local residents regarding possibilities of low birth weight or preterm births, , malformed fetuses, , thyroid cancer, , and so on. Therefore, it has become imperative to develop stable, effective, and ultrahigh methods for capture and storage of radioiodine.…”

CN linked covalent organic framework for the efficient adsorption of iodine in vapor and solution

“…The nuclear disaster caused by Chernobyl in 1986 and later by Fukushima in 2011 have attracted serious attention on the efficient removal and reliable storage of radioactive nuclear wastes. These disasters also have aroused health concern on local residents regarding a possibility of low birthweight or preterm births, 1,2 malformed fetuses, 3,4 thyroid cancer 5,6 and others, which may be caused by the radioactive nuclear waste leakage. Radiological iodine ( 129 I and 131 I) is one of these main waste streams with half-lives of 8 days and 15.7 million years, respectively.…”

The Effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake on Perinatal Outcomes: Results of the Pregnancy and Birth Survey in the Fukushima Health Management Survey

“…They rejected the hypothesis that cryptorchidism increased in Japan due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. 41 Hirai et al, employing the All Japanese Cardiovascular Surgery Database, revealed no increase in the number of patients with congenital heart disease from 2010 to 2013. 42 …”