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Among those most at risk in Japan in the aftermath of the nuclear reactor failures are pregnant women. Radiation exposure means that harmful rays can pass directly to a fetus through a mother’s body, dramatically increasing the risks of birth defects, cognitive disorders, and cancers. Radioactive particles carried by the wind and inhaled or ingested by a pregnant mother can reach a developing fetus through the mother’s circulatory system. In those areas where radiation levels have been recorded to be higher than the equivalent of more than 500 chest X-rays, the risks of cancer become significant. There is already speculation of the potential long-term effects of the radiation exposure to a new generation of Japanese. So far about 140,000 people have been evacuated from about a 20 mile radius of the reactors, and evacuated pregnant women are being advised to remain indoors to avoid inhaling or ingesting radioactive wind-borne particles. Much depends on how Japan responds to the crisis during these days in the immediate aftermath. There is still a social stigma in Japan against disabilities afflicting people as a result of the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Authorities fear that as in the past, parents of so-called “hibakusha” may not take advantage of any special health benefits.

GUEST: Karen Charman, Managing Editor of the Journal Capitalism Nature Socialism, and an award-winning independent investigative environmental journalist with a special interest in nuclear issues

Read her article about women and Three Mile Island here: http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/2011spring/2011spring_Charman.php