Fukushima Update: Radioactive Fallout and Mortality Increases in the United States: Is There a Correlation?

Abstract

Our publication of “An Unexpected Mortality Increase in the United States Follows Arrival of the Radioactive Plume from Fukushima: Is There a Correlation?” in the International Journal of Health Services 42(1) reported an unusually elevated number of excess deaths in 122 U.S. cities during the 14 weeks following the mid-March 2011 arrival of airborne radioactive fallout from Japan. The publication has received considerable attention from scientists, media, and the public, since it is the first peer-reviewed publication to examine population-based data before and after the meltdowns at Fukushima. Most of the responses have been objective or supportive, with a minority offering criticisms of the methods and results. In this paper, we respond to several of the critiques, offering supportive evidence from our research and supportive research in the medical literature. We hope our comments are constructive and we view our research as a correlation, and potential evidence of a causal link, between radioactive exposures from Fukushima and increased health risk, underscoring the need for additional and prompt reports on the topic.