Special Report LAST UPDATE February 11, 2009
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January 7, 2009 The Effects of Nuclear Radiation on Future Generations Yoshihiko Yagi
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I was an 11-year old fifth grader when I became a Hibakusha from the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. I was 1.5 kilometers from the hypocenter of the blast, and the bomb killed my parents and three of my siblings, so my eight year-old younger sister and I became Hibaku orphans. I'd like to tell you about how the after-effects of the radiation affected my family.

I got married in 1962 when I was 28 years old, and my wife was 21 years old. At that time, there was still severe discrimination against Hibakusha when they applied for jobs or when they wanted to get married. My wife was four years old when she became a Hibakusha, and her father was also killed by the atomic bomb. We were both Hibakusha, so we worried about the ill effects of radiation on the genes of any children we gave birth to.

Our first child was born prematurely and she weighed only 2080 grams. She was placed in an incubator for the first month and a half of her life. Our second child was stillborn six months into pregnancy, and our third child was stillborn four months into pregnancy. After three premature births, two of which were stillborns, I began to suspect the effects of radiation contamination. I asked the doctor for an explanation, but I was told that due to the medical standard at the time, it would be difficult to establish a link between these premature births and the after-effects of radiation. I was not satisfied with that answer, but I was unable to establish the cause myself, and my wife and I had to give up on having a second child.

In 1988, my only daughter married, and I was relieved that her husband's parents were not Hibakusha. Our first grandson was delivered naturally, but born with a blocked anal passage (anal atresia). Thanks to a prompt operation, however, it did not turn into a serious problem. However, I still think that it is difficult for second and third generations to completely evade the ill after-effects of radiation, and I think that post generations will continue to be affected by nuclear damage. Therefore, I hope that the residents of Mururoa and other areas in French Polynesia who have been affected by nuclear weapon testing can join with the Hibakusha from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, raise global awareness about harm of nuclear weapons, and manifest a nuclear-free world as soon as possible.
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