A study released Thursday by a U.S. research team links protracted exposure to low-level radiation to a higher risk of leukemia among workers engaged in the cleanup of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and points to the need to protect those involved in dealing with the Fukushima crisis.
In the U.S. study, scientists did a followup health survey covering 110,645 cleanup workers through 2006 and found 137 developed leukemia.
After excluding genetic and other factors, it estimated that around 16 percent of the leukemia cases confirmed during the 20-year followup period were attributable to radiation exposure from the disaster.