Report: Woman Speaks Out on Her Health Problems in Post-Accident Fukushima

Report from Fukushima (2) Minami Soma: A Woman Speaks Out on Her Health Problems in Post-Accident Fukushima (EX-SKF, Jan. 2, 2012):

Teeth and toenails falling off and clumps of hair coming off, she reports in her blog. She doesn’t seem to care any more if people dismiss her as fabricating the story, and just tells as a matter of fact what’s been happening to her and her husband, probably both in their early 40s. They live in Minami Soma City in Fukushima Prefecture, within 25 kilometers from the wrecked plant. The district she and husband live have somehow escaped the designation of any “evacuation zone”, even though she says the radiation is just as high or higher. She was a high school teacher until 2 years ago, and now she teaches children at her home.

My Japanese blog readers sent me the link to her blog some time ago. I read the posts, researched the response to her blog from people I trust on the net. I have little reason to doubt this is a fake, she sounds sincere, though it is my personal judgment and I could be wrong.

There are many who have attacked her as rumor- and fear-mongering, to which she responds “Look at the reality. Study physics and think for yourselves. No point in getting emotional and wasting time.”

She isn’t claiming her conditions is due to the radiation exposure since the accident. She just describes her conditions and asks for rational explanations for the conditions, which haven’t been forthcoming, as you can see in the very first post linked and translated below.

Well, all spring and summer last year, nosebleed, diarhhea and bruises were “baseless rumors”. Meltdown was a baseless rumor, radiation contamination was a baseless rumor.

The following passages are from her blog, “Numayu no blog“:

From the entry on 1/2/2012:

Went to see the dentist on duty for the holidays, as I just couldn’t stand the pain of my “dens caninus” tooth which was all exposed to the nerve.

However, no matter how I explained to the dentist, he kept insisting that it would never go bad like this in such a short period of time (3 months).

When I told him that my dental treatment had been completed before March 11, he didn’t believe it. He just said “It’s not possible”.

He said this could only happen if one didn’t brush one’s teeth for 2 to 3 years.

I simply lost interest in trying to explain. My husband was there, and he tried to tell him, but he shut up when the doctor said “I only accept objective data.”

Until this summer, my teeth were healthy. My teeth were sturdy. Until this summer.

From the entry on 12/31/2011, on her friend’s hair:

A very good friend of mine since high school just dropped by to say hello. We occasionally talked over the phone about my head (balding and hair falling off) and her condition. She’s 42 years old.

She came wearing a wig. When she took it out, I had no words to say.

She evacuated [after the accident] to the inland area near the Fukushima-Miyagi border. But when the reactors were exploding and when the vent was being done, she was right near by [in Minami Soma].

With her permission, I’m sharing these sad photos.

She and I both started to lose hair in large quantities starting October. This is the head of a healthy, 42-year-old woman. She is quite active, and she works.

Can you believe it? In 3 months she has lost so much hair. Now you understand why I wanted to cut my hair short to 3 centimeters long. Right now, I have more hair than her, but if I had kept it long I would have lost much more hair.

When I saw her in October, she had her own hair in a bun.

What is it that’s happening?

From the entry on 12/27/2011:

I went to see my doctor. The severe pain in the jaw is back, and it hurts like mad. My entire face below the nose hurts.

The doctor gave me two kinds of pain killer this time. Now I’m better.

He also drew blood for testing. We can’t even begin to guess what it is, until we have the data.

My doctor is appalled at what has happened to me in the last month – my teeth, thinning hair, bleeding that doesn’t stop, severe pain in the jaw, fingernails dropping off. He said, “It’s just unbelievable”.

Anyway, we will wait for the result of the blood test.

I said to him, “I have a wig, so it will be OK”. Then he replied, “Yes, and you can have full dentures!”

Both my doctor and I are positive. So is my dentist. I’ll never give up hope and live positively. I am living and learning, and remain positive.

From the entry on 12/20/2011, responding to one of the trolls on her blog:

Just now, there was a comment from someone claiming to be a doctor in Minami Soma City, who said “There is no one with the condition like that”. There was no link to that person’s blog.

If he/she is really a doctor, he/she would neither confirm or deny.

Do you want to see the photo?

Treatment of the cavities was done by March 11. There was nothing wrong with my gum and my teeth. Just a normal set of teeth. But now it’s like this.

Two front teeth are both artificial “ceramic”. So are the white teeth in the back. But for the other tooth… Treatment just cannot keep up. My dentist managed to keep the roots to plant a post [for implants, probably].

And do you still say “there is no negative effect on heath”? People in the Japanese government, please give me a “logical” answer.

The photo is rather shocking. You can view it in her post here.

From the entry on 12/17/2011, about her hair and toenails:

It was really bad yesterday. I felt dizzy standing or sitting. Well it’s the same today too.

Last night, I tried loosening up my hair with my fingers after shampooing. The hair came out in clumps. I was shocked.

I cut my hair short about 2 weeks ago, for I wanted to stop the hair loss. I wear a wig (long hair) when I go out. There is not much forelock either. I can clearly see the hairline. In 9 months I lost so much hair.

Something felt wrong on my feet after the bath, so I took a look at the nails. In almost all toenails part of the nails was missing. When I tried to cut the nails using a nail clipper, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Toenails on the second toes of both feet were coming off. When I touched them, they did come off.

Went to the dentist today. The receptionist looked dead tired. She was such an energetic person. She was barely able to speak. Children are not cheerful. They are not as playful as before.

The Japanese government announced “a cold shutdown ‘state'”. There is no such word. It’s “a cold shutdown” or not. It is just a sly sophistry from liberal arts graduates.

Ouch. She clearly teaches science or math.

Her blog contains more information than just health issues. In fact, health issues are minor compared to the other topics like radiation contamination in Fukushima, what happened in Minami Soma in the early days of the accident, what is happening in Fukushima right now among evacuees, etc. She writes in a very intelligent and feminine way.

She also worries about her husband who tires very easily these days; the soles of his feet remain numb. She says he was outside within 3.5 kilometers from the plant when the accident happened (that’s where he worked) and he has been made to go to the company’s office inside 3.5 kilometers multiple times to retrieve some documents since the accident. He is now working in Koriyama City, where the air radiation level is three times that of Minami Soma, she says.

I think I will pick out several more of her posts later.

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