Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 19, 2025

Establishment of a Robust and Reproducible Model of Radiation-Induced Skin and Muscle Fibrosis
Published on: August 31, 2022
Stable Iodine Intake During Pregnancy and Children's Thyroid Screening Outcomes After the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear
Yoshitaka Nishikawa1,2,3, Chiaki Suzuki4,5, Fumiya Oguro1
1Department of Internal Medicine, Hirata Central Hospital, Fukushima, Japan.
Objectives:
Stable iodine intake is an essential preventive strategy against thyroid cancer following a nuclear disaster. However, the rate of stable iodine intake during pregnancy and thyroid outcomes among their children have remaifned unclear.
Methods:
This observational study used data from a thyroid screening program at Research Institute of Radiation Safety for Disaster Recovery Support in Fukushima, Japan. The participants were children from Miharu Town, which implemented stable iodine intake during the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, born between March 15, 2011 and March 31, 2012. Thyroid ultrasound results were stratified according to stable iodine intake.
Results:
This study included 86 children born after the disaster. A total of 34.9% (30 of 86) of their mothers reported taking stable iodine during pregnancy. As for thyroid screening outcomes, none of the children required detailed thyroid examination.
Conclusions:
The intake rate of stable iodine during pregnancy was about 1/3 within the traceable municipality after the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, which was lower than the previously reported number of 63.5% among children. Awareness-raising and effective communication toward pregnant women would be important for nuclear disaster preparedness. There were no participants who required further thyroid examination in this study.
Related Concept Videos
Synthesis and Regulation of Thyroid Hormones
Upon reaching the thyroid gland, TSH stimulates the follicular cells' active uptake of iodide ions from the blood. The ions diffuse to the apical surface of the cells and are oxidized to iodine. The...
Radiological Investigation I: X-ray and CT
Functions of Thyroid Hormones
TH is indispensable for the normal development and maturation of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems during fetal and childhood growth. It facilitates bone mineral turnover and regulates protein synthesis in developing tissues, contributing significantly to overall growth and...
Isotopes and Radioisotopes
An isotope containing...
Biological Effects of Radiation
Teratogenicity

