Are 3D mammograms better than standard imaging? A diverse study aims to find out_我的网站
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Japan as soon as this week will begin the controversial release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.
The Japanese government approved the plan two years ago, saying it is necessary to decommission the power plant, which is operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company. Releases will start Thursday “if they encounter no obstacles,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced this week.
“I have asked TEPCO to swiftly prepare for the water discharge in accordance with the plan approved by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, and expect the water release to start on Aug. 24, weather conditions permitting,” Kishida said.
Despite pushback from neighboring nations and fishing groups, Japanese officials said the plan is safe.
What Is the Release Process?
The wastewater has gone through treatment and is stored in large tanks. Japanese officials say the water needs to be removed so the plant can be decommissioned.
The water will be diluted and released through an underwater tunnel off the coast of Japan. Officials say it will not be near areas where routine fishing occurs.
The entire process is expected to take decades.
Is the Treated Water Safe?
The release plan has been approved by Japan’s nuclear regulation agency and given the go-ahead by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the global nuclear watchdog.
The IAEA’s two-year review of the plan – which involved sampling and testing the treated water – found it to be consistent with the agency’s safety standards with “negligible” impacts to humans and the environment.
“Based on its comprehensive assessment, the IAEA has concluded that the approach and activities to the discharge of ALPS treated water taken by Japan are consistent with relevant international safety standards,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement last month.
“Furthermore, the IAEA notes the controlled, gradual discharges of the treated water to the sea, as currently planned and assessed by TEPCO, would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment,” he added.
The agency will monitor the water’s release and have a continuous presence on-site at the discharge facility.
“This will ensure the relevant international safety standards continue to be applied throughout the decades-long process laid out by the Government of Japan and TEPCO,” Grossi said.
Nearly all radioactivity has been removed from the treated water – except tritium.
Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen that occurs naturally and is also a byproduct of producing electricity at nuclear power plants. It cannot be filtered out of the nuclear wastewater.
Japan plans to dilute the water to bring the level of tritium below regulatory standards. This practice is done at other nuclear power plants, including in the U.S.
One of the biggest critics of the plan is Beijing, a top consumer of exports from Japanese fisheries. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin recently called Japan’s decision “selfish and irresponsible.”
“In disregard of the strong concerns and firm opposition from the international community, the Japanese government announced the decision to start releasing the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean from Aug. 24,” Wang said during a press conference this week, according to a transcription. “This is extremely selfish and irresponsible, as the discharge will spread the risks of nuclear contamination to the rest of the world. And by doing so, Japan is putting its selfish interests above the long-term well being of the entire humanity. China is gravely concerned and strongly opposed to this.”
Hong Kong’s leader this week said the city would "immediately activate" import controls on Japanese seafood to begin on Thursday – the same day as the planned water release.
South Korean activists have also protested the plan, but Seoul recently concluded from its own study that there aren’t any scientific issues.
"Our government has judged that the Japanese side will discharge the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant as originally planned and has determined that there are no scientific or technical problems with the planned discharge of the contaminated water," Office for Government Policy Coordination Park First Deputy Park Ku-yeon said this week.
Asked about the situation during a trilateral meeting with President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Kishida at Camp David last week, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol answered diplomatically but with obvious concern – assigning the issue the “highest priority” and calling for transparency.
“The Fukushima plant's treated water, if it's going to have some type of impact, it would flow through the entire Pacific Ocean having an impact not just on our three countries but all countries around the world,” Yoon said through a translator. “As such, for the sake of safety and health of the people of our three countries and all members of the international community, that should be something that we need to place the highest priority on. Regarding this treated water, based on scientific principles, all of the processing should be carried out accordingly. And at the same time, internationally recognized and reliable IAEA's investigation results are something that we can trust. And I would like to make sure that everything is conducted and carried out in accordance with the procedures established by the IAEA.”
Japan’s plan has faced strong opposition from local fishing groups.
Kishida met with leaders of the Japanese fishery industry on Monday to pledge long-term support for fishing communities.
But Masanobu Sakamoto, head of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, said his group remained opposed to the plan, even though some members have gained confidence about its safety.
“Scientific safety and the sense of safety are different,” Sakamoto said. “Even if it’s safe, reputational damage occurs.”
What Was the 2011 Fukushima Disaster?
A magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Japan triggered a tsunami that hit the Fukushima power plant, triggering meltdowns in three reactors that contaminated the cooling water.
The accident was given the highest rating on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale due to the high radioactive releases from the plant.
。 Are 3D mammograms better than standard 2D imaging for catching advanced cancers?A clinical trial is recruiting thousands of volunteers — including a large number of Black women who face disparities in breast cancer death rates — to try to find out.People like Carole Stovall, a psychologist in Washington, D.C., have signed up for the study to help answer the question.“We all need a mammogram anyway, so why not do it with a study that allows the scientists to understand more and move closer to finding better treatments and ways of maybe even preventing it?” Stovall said.The underrepresentation of women and minorities in research is a long-simmering issue affecting health problems including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and COVID-19. Trials without diversity lead to gaps in understanding of how new treatments work for all people. “Until we get more Black women into clinical trials, we can’t change the science. And we need better science for Black bodies,” said Ricki Fairley, a breast cancer survivor and advocate who is working on the issue.Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women and tend to be diagnosed younger. But it’s not clear whether 3D mammography is better for them, said Dr. Worta McCaskill-Stevens of the National Cancer Institute.“Are there populations for whom this might be important to have early diagnosis?" asked McCaskill-Stevens. "Or is it harmful,” causing too many false alarms or unneeded follow-up tests and treatments?McCaskill-Stevens, who is Black, leads NCI’s efforts to boost access to cancer research in minority and rural communities. She has joined the study herself.The newer 3D technique has been around for a decade, but there’s never been conclusive evidence that it's better than 2D at detecting advanced cancers. The screening technique combines multiple pictures of the breast taken from different angles to create a 3D-like image. Both 3D and 2D mammograms compress the breast and use low doses of radiation.Prior studies suggest that 3D finds more cancers than 2D, but catching more cancers doesn’t necessarily mean more lives saved. Some cancers missed by standard screening may not progress or need treatment. Previous studies did not randomly assign patients to a screening method, the gold standard for research.The notion “that if it’s new, it’s shiny, then it’s better,” isn’t necessarily true, McCaskill-Stevens said. “Until we have the evidence to support that, then we need well-designed randomized trials.”The trial has enrolled nearly 93,000 women so far with a goal of 128,000. The NCI-funded study is now running in Canada, South Korea, Peru, Argentina, Italy and 32 U.S. states. A site in Thailand will soon begin enrolling patients.“We added more international sites to enhance the trial’s diversity, particularly for Hispanic and Asian women,” said Dr. Etta Pisano, who leads the study. Overall, 42% of participants are Hispanic. As recruiting continues, enrolling Black women and other women of color will “absolutely” continue as a priority, Pisano said.Participants are randomly assigned to either 2D or 3D mammograms and are followed for several years. The number of advanced cancers detected by the two methods will be compared.At the U.S. study sites, 21% of study participants are Black women — that's higher than a typical cancer treatment study, in which 9% of participants are Black, McCaskill-Stevens said.The University of North Carolina has signed up more Black women than any other study site. Nearly a quarter of the nearly 3,000 women enrolled at UNC’s two locations are Black.“Women in North Carolina want to take part in something that’s bigger than them,” said Dr. Cherie Kuzmiak, who leads the UNC arm of the study. “They want this active role in helping determine the future of health care for women.”In Washington, D.C., word of mouth has led to successful recruiting. A chance encounter at her hair salon persuaded Stovall to join the research. While waiting for a hair appointment, she met Georgetown University cancer researcher Lucile Adams-Campbell. The two, both Black, started chatting.“She explained how important it was to get women of color into the program,” said Stovall, who jumped at the chance to catch up on her mammograms after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed screening for her and thousands of others.For Stovall, there was a personal reason to join the research. Her sister recently completed treatment for triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive type that affects Black women at higher rates than white women. Women ages 45 to 74 without a personal history of breast cancer are eligible for the study, which launched in 2017. Many women also are providing blood and cheek swab samples for a database that will be mined for insights.“It’s a dream that people had since the beginning of screening that we wouldn’t fit everybody into the same box,” Pisano said. The study's findings could “reduce disparities if we’re successful, assuming people have access to care.”Stovall, 72, had a brief scare when her mammogram, the traditional 2D type, showed something suspicious. A biopsy ruled out cancer.“I was extremely relieved,” Stovall said. “Everybody I know has heard from me about the need for them to go get a mammogram.”___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.。
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