Major Conclusions of the Reports of International Organizations

The WHO Reports published in 2012 and 2013, along with the UNSCEAR 2013 Report, state that their assessments of exposure doses contain certain uncertainties due to uncertainties inherent to basic data. However, the UNSCEAR 2020/2021 Report shows conclusions with less uncertainties on many issues as a broader range of knowledge became available.

The UNSCEAR 2020/2021 Report compiles all pieces of scientific information concerning levels and effects of radiation exposure due to the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)'s Fukushima Daiichi NPS that were published by the end of 2019 and assesses the influence on the knowledge and conclusions of the UNSCEAR 2013 Report.

Based on new knowledge, etc. on exposure dose assessment that became clear after the publication of the UNSCEAR 2013 Report, it became possible for the UNSCEAR to conduct improved and more realistic assessment of levels and effects of radiation exposure after the accident in its 2020/2021 Report. Based on the fact that public exposure doses that were reviewed based on new knowledge were lower or at the same level compared with those in the 2013 Report, the UNSCEAR concluded that “future health effects directly related to radiation exposure are unlikely to be discernible.” With regard to many cases of thyroid cancer detected in Thyroid Ultrasound Examination, which was conducted as part of the Fukushima Health Management Survey, the UNSCEAR assessed that “these cases are not stem from the result of radiation exposure but rather arise from the result of sensitive ultrasound screening procedures.” Furthermore, the UNSCEAR concluded that “there has been no evidence of excess congenital anomalies, stillbirths, preterm deliveries related to radiation exposure among general public.”

• Included in this reference material on March 31, 2023