The Fukushima nuclear plant seems to have been stabilized but there are still problems to overcome before the area will be considered safe. In addition to the other problems faced by the people residing in the areas around the nuclear plant, now they are forced to deal with food contamination. The milk from dairies in a 90 mile radius of the plant are showing five times the legal level of radiation and the Japanese officials have been forced to close them down. Also affected by radioactive contamination is spinach and chrysanthemums that are commonly consumed by the Japanese.
Ingesting these foods can cause cancer in people who consume these products. Cesium when consumed can cause the breakdown of internal organs. Another radioactive element contaminating the food sources can cause thyroid cancer is iodine. Some of these elements only take a number of weeks to decay but others may take years. Cancer is caused by a number of environmental factors and exposure to high levels of radiation through food or the air will lead to more cancer cases.
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer caused by an environmental but not attributed to radiation. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos which is present in many structure built in the first eight years of the twentieth century. Mesothelioma will kill nearly 3000 people per year and is extremely debilitating, for those exposed there are funds in existence that can provide compensation for contraction of the deadly disease.
