Cancer risks higher in worst hit Fukushima area: WHO

GENEVA (Reuters) – People in the area worst affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident two years ago have a higher risk of developing certain cancers, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. A magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, killed nearly 19,000 people and devastated the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, triggering meltdowns, spewing radiation and forcing about 160,000 people to flee their homes. It was the worst nuclear accident since a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine in 1986. …