Health risks in Japan

What happens in Japan seems to me a hard luck of Japanese. As a student of literature I want to share a quote of  Shakespeare, "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, They kill us for their sport...."

One cannot help but only think about them "how  they are  trying to live in the area where death is searching its victim. Japanese Government and neighboring countries are trying to help people but they cannot recover their dear ones who are no more in this world.

According to the BBC World News, concern remains over the potential effect on human health from radiation leaks at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.Residents living within 30km (18 miles) have been advised to leave the area, or to stay indoors, and try to make their homes airtight.

Health effects of exposure to radiation:

One thing I must mention first, the standard measure of absorbed radiation is called "gray". Exposure to moderate levels of radiation above one gray can result in radiation sickness, which produces a range of symptoms. Nausea and vomiting often begin within hours of exposure, followed by diarrhoea, headaches and fever. After these symptoms, there may be a brief period with no apparent illness, but this may be followed within weeks by new, more serious symptoms. On the other hand, at higher levels of radiation, all of these symptoms may be cause fatal damage to internal organs. Beware exposure to a radiation dose of four gray will typically kill about half of all healthy adults.

Radiation sickness treatment:

Try to minimize contamination by removing clothes and shoes, and gently washing the skin with soap and water. Radiation can disturb the immune system by causing different types of infections. Drugs are available that increase white blood-cell production to counter any damage and  reduce the risk of further infections due to immune-system damage. There are also specific drugs that can help to reduce the damage to internal organs caused by radioactive particles.

Professor Richard Wakeford expert in radiation exposure at the University of Manchester said " in those circumstances the only people likely to be at risk of serious health effects were nuclear workers at the plant or emergency workers exposed to high levels of radiation". The top priority would be to evacuate people from the area and to make sure they did not eat contaminated food. Distribution of iodine pills would also help to minimize the risk of thyroid cancer in the general population.

 "God bless them" we can pray for them only!