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Local organizers harmed by global corporations can find solidarity and resources among other impacted localities. Formosa Plastics Group (FPG), a transnational petrochemical conglomerate from Taiwan, has caused environmental disasters and subsequent opposition movements in Vietnam, the U.S., and in their home country. Crossing physical and cultural borders, activists from these communities are using their shared knowledge and power to demand retribution. The International Monitor Formosa Alliance, or IMFA, represents the coordination of global anti-FPG activists to address localized issues. On October 31st, for example, activists converged in front of a FPG facility in Point Comfort, Texas to lead a Global Hunger Strike against the company's actions in Vietnam. Bringing together various networks and knowledges, the strike calls for justice years after the Ha Tinh Steel Plant in Vietnam released toxic pollutants, causing mass fish death in 2016. Diane Wilson, strike leader and Goldman Environmental Prize winner, has coordinated with Nancy Bui, leader of Justice for Formosa’s Victims, and other global activists to demand compensation for Vietnamese victims and release of imprisoned protestors. Their collaboration can serve as a model for other communities opposing global industry. 

Image source: Zoe Friese. 

Pictured: Activists (left to right) Nancy Bui, DIane Wilson and Sharon Lavigne with enviromental lawyer (far right) Marco Simons speaking at a confressional briefing about the 2016 Ha Tihn Steel Plant incident hosted by the IMFA.

Friese, Zoe. 2023. "The International Monitor Formosa Alliance: Addressing Local Issues with Global Alliances." In 4S Paraconference X EiJ: Building a Global Record, curated by Misria Shaik Ali, Kim Fortun, Phillip Baum and Prerna Srigyan. Annual Meeting of the Society of Social Studies of Science. Honolulu, Hawai'i, Nov 8-11. 

This study was funded by Grants-in-aid for the Cancer Control Policy from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan. 

The object of this study is to determine whether or not there was overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer in Fukushima dollowing the nuclear disaster in 2011. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

This work was supported by Grants-in-aid for the Cancer Control Policy from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan.

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. 

While this study does not address vulnerable populations, per say, it does study cancer in patients under the age of 20, which can be considered a vulnerable population as they were young when the disaster occurred. 

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.