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Autoethnography of Industry

AKPdL

The environmental legacies left behind by industrial production are pervasive in the air, the soil, and the water. This elemental elixer surrounds us.

In the field of STS, it is perhaps obvious to suggest that institutions have cultures, norms, standards, and professional ways of being. Yet, what are we to make of the results of industry telling its own past publically. The corporate origin story could be a footnote in Joseph's Campbells work. The allure of the lone individual working tirelessly until an innovation is produced and the market takes over. 

Yet, the Wood River Refinery tells a different story. One about place, about people, about the terrible minutia of life lived within bureaucracy. Yes, the story told is glossy and teleological, but the question emerges. What can be learned about the stories industry tells about itself? What do these artifacts contribute to histories and what weight do we give to these stories within the Anthropocene?

The factory at Wood River is both a place where labor is maximized for profit, but also where worker devote 40 precious hours of their week. Lives persist and even thrive in the factory. Are the stories of these lives at Wood River? 

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tamar.rogoszinski

This study is published in the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology. This journal is for clinical oncologists and publishes articles about medical oncology, clinical trials, radiology, surgery, basic research, epidemiology, and palliative care. It was established in 1971 as the first journal from Japan to publish clinical research on cancer in English. It is a sister-journal to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. It is also linked through the Oxford Journals. 

pece_annotation_1472844704

tamar.rogoszinski

The object of this study is to observe whether or not there was an overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. They did this by comparing the observed prevalance of thyroid cancer in the Thyroid Screening Programme with the estimated historical controls on the assumption that there was neither nuclear accident nor screening intervention. 

pece_annotation_1472844848

tamar.rogoszinski

The article is published in the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology. It is meant for clinical oncologists and publishes articles on medical oncology, clinical trials, radiology, surgery, basic research, epidemiology, and palliative care. It was established in 1971 and is the first journal from Japan to publish clinical research on cancer in English. Since 1977, JJCO is a sister-journal to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and is linked through Oxford Journals. 

pece_annotation_1472845180

tamar.rogoszinski

They calculated the observed/expected (O/E) ratio of thyroid cancer prevalence for residents in Fukushima Prefecture that were below the age of 20. Observed prevalence was calculated by the number of thyroid cancer cases detected by the end of April 2015. The number of detected cases was corrected for screening rate by multiplying the inverse of the age-specific screening rate. The expected prevalence was obtained from another report, which was calulated using a life-table method using national estimates from 2001-10. Age-specific prevalence of thyroid cancer was estimated using the cumulative risk from 2010. The annual percent change of increasing cases of thyroid cancer was taken into account as well. 

pece_annotation_1472845426

tamar.rogoszinski

This study would be useful because it shows the prevalence of overdiagnosis. It shows that while the nuclear disaster did cause an increase in the observed thyroid cancers, this was well above the expected number of cases. While they did not present the dangerous implications of overdiagnosis, this is something that could be researched further. It can be considered a good thing that these cases were found through the Program put in place, but can also cause harm if unnecessary radiation was administered.