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RERF to begin health study on second-generation A-bomb survivors in new fiscal year

by Sakiko Masuda, Staff Writer

On March 3, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) began a meeting of its Scientific Council, a third-party organization, which gives advice on the research and operations of RERF, at the institute in Minami Ward, Hiroshima. RERF disclosed that a fresh start to the health study on second-generation A-bomb survivors would be delayed until the new fiscal year. The council will continue closed-door deliberations through March 5.

In the opening statement, Toshiteru Okubo, chair of RERF, explained that RERF would continue the health study on second-generation A-bomb survivors once every four years in order to shed light on the risk second-generation A-bomb survivors have of developing lifestyle-related diseases. At a meeting of the board of directors last June, RERF decided to initiate the study by the end of March this year by asking for the cooperation of second-generation A-bomb survivors who lived in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and served as the survey subjects of the health study conducted between 2000 and 2006. However, the institute has lagged behind schedule, partly due to the delay in establishing an external committee.

RERF also reportedly presented research at the meeting on the effects of aging and radiation on the immune system, which is being conducted with a grant from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The Scientific Council is comprised of a total of ten researchers, five each from Japan and the United States. On March 5, the council will finalize its recommendations for the future direction of RERF.

(Originally published on March 4, 2010)

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