HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) — Hundreds of Japanese atomic bomb survivors, known as hibakusha, and their children are planning to undergo genome analysis to determine whether exposure to the radiation from the 1945 blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki has impacted health further down the line, a research facility said recently.
The study by the Japan-U.S. joint organization Radiation Effects Research Foundation, located in the two Japanese cities, will look into the DNA of around 900 families.
The study is also expected to shed light on the effects on those caught up in nuclear reactor meltdowns or with occupational exposure to radiation and their descendants.
Previously conducted research has not found a genetic link between survivors’ exposure and their children’s risks of dying from cancer, developing lifestyle diseases, or the likelihood of birth defects. And the researchers in the foundation’s study say there is a low probability of finding serious gene mutations.
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There are an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 second-generation hibakusha in Japan alone, with some claiming illnesses caused by inherited health ramifications from their parents’ exposure.
However, they are not eligible for the health care benefits provided for atomic bomb survivors by the state, due to lack of evidence that the parents can pass down ailments genetically.
In recent years, a group of second-generation hibakusha sued the central government for excluding them from the health benefits, claiming it is unconstitutional. Their case is currently being heard in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki district courts.
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DNA from blood samples collected after 1985 will be decoded using high-speed equipment, with permission from those still alive. The facility will look into specific health ramifications if any mutations are discovered during the trial, and will attempt to predict their effects on future generations.
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The RERF was first established in Hiroshima in 1947 by the United States and was then known as the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission. The foundation collects blood and urine samples from atomic bomb survivors to study the effects of radiation.
Read more at DNA analysis to determine genetic impact of A-bomb victims to families
