30% of North Korean Defectors from Near Nuclear Test Site Show Chromosome Mutations... "Cause-and-Effect Relationship Unconfirmed"

It has been revealed that 30 percent of North Korean defectors from areas near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where North Korea conducted six nuclear tests, exhibit chromosome mutations that can be caused by radiation exposure.

However, the impact of radiation exposure has not been proven, as the abnormalities could be due to other causes such as smoking or diagnostic radiation.

The Ministry of Unification reported last year's results of the radiation exposure survey project for North Korean defectors to the National Assembly today (July 31) and released them to the media.

The radiation exposure survey project for North Korean defectors is an initiative that investigates the health impacts of radiation exposure among residents who lived in eight cities and counties near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site (Kilju County, Hwadae County, Kimchaek City, Myonggan County (formerly Hwasong County), Myongchon County, Orang County, Tanchon City, and Paegam County) and defected after North Korea's first nuclear test on October 9, 2006. The results of its fifth year were made public today.

According to the Ministry of Unification, the "stable chromosome aberration test," a diagnostic examination (biological dosimetry) that measures the degree of chromosomal abnormalities to estimate past lifetime cumulative radiation doses, showed values above the minimum detection limit (0.25 Gy) in 26 out of 59 examinees.

This means that chromosome mutations may have occurred due to exposure through water, air, and other pathways to nuclides released by nuclear tests, such as iodine-131, cesium-137, strontium-90, and plutonium-239.

Additionally, in the "unstable chromosome aberration test," which measures chromosome mutations caused by radiation exposed over the past three to six months, six people showed values above the minimum detection limit.

This indicates that chromosomal abnormalities that could be caused by radiation exposure appeared in 26 examinees, and among them, six experienced chromosomal abnormalities within the past three to six months as well.

However, among the 26 examinees who showed chromosomal abnormalities, none were diagnosed with cancer known to have a correlation with radiation exposure.

Synthesizing the test results from the past five years, chromosomal abnormalities caused by radiation exposure were observed in 64 out of a total of 214 examinees tested, or 29.9 percent.

Because chromosome mutations measured by stable and unstable chromosome aberration tests can also be caused by medical radiation such as computed tomography (CT) scans and exposure to hazardous chemicals from smoking, this result does not prove radiation exposure resulting from nuclear tests.

While examining environmental information, including drinking water sources near Punggye-ri, would be effective in identifying a cause-and-effect relationship, this is realistically impossible.

An official from the National Radiation Emergency Medical Center of the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, which conducted the project, stated, "Raising the possibility of radiation exposure from nuclear tests as the background for the high rate of chromosomal abnormalities (at about 30 percent) is a scientifically reasonable suspicion," adding that continuing the testing project and conducting statistical analysis research are necessary to infer the impact or cause-and-effect relationship of the nuclear tests.

The research team expects that as test data accumulates in the future and statistical analyses, such as comparing the results with a South Korean population group, are conducted, it will help in evaluating the cause-and-effect relationship.

There are approximately 800 North Korean defectors from the eight cities and counties near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site who have entered South Korea.

The target numbers for new examinations and follow-up precision health checkups this year are 50 and 10 people, respectively.
 
(Photo: Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.