I am disappointed that The Japan Times gave such a big headline to the March 2 front-page AP article "Fukushima cancer risk marginal: WTO." People who don't know the relationship between the World Health Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency might innocently be taken in.
In the eyes of some people, the 1959 treaty between WHO and IAEA (http://www.crms-jpn.com/doc/IAEA-WHO1959.pdf) could put WHO's independence as a nuclear radiation authority in doubt.
For instance, University of Manchester professor Richard Wakeford, who is quoted in the article, worked for British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. for nearly 30 years. Might WHO have hired researchers who are favorable to the nuclear industry?
Another person cited in the article, Wade Allison, a professor emeritus of physics at Oxford University, worked two years for Argonne National Laboratory in the United States, which was part of the Manhattan Project and is famous for having built the first atomic bomb.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.