Radiation Protection Dosimetry Advance Access published April 17, 2015 Radiation Protection Dosimetry (2015), pp. 1–3
doi:10.1093/rpd/ncv083
LESSONS LEARNED FROM FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ACCIDENT: EFFICIENT EDUCATION ITEMS OF RADIATION SAFETY FOR GENERAL PUBLIC K. Ohno and K. Endo* Kyoto Collage of Medical Science, Kyoto, Japan *Corresponding author: [email protected]
PURPOSE The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FNP-1) accident, while as tragic as the tsunami, was a manmade disaster, created by ignorance of the effects of radiation and radioactive materials(1). Therefore, it is important that all specialists in radiation protection in medicine sympathise with the anxiety of the general public regarding the harmful effects of radiation, and advise people accordingly. MATERIALS AND METHODS All questions and answers were collected related to inquiries from the general public that were posted to reliable websites, from March 2011 to November 2012. [Websites from which questions and answers were collected: 1. Governmental sites; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (www.jhps.or.jp), The office of the Prime Minister (www.kantei.go.jp), Food Safety Commission of Japan (www.fsc.go.jp) and Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (www.enecho.meti. go.jp). 2. Research organisations; National Institute of Radiological Sciences (www.nirs.go.jp), Japan Radiation Research Society (www.enecho.meti.go.jp) and Radiation Effects Research Foundation (www.rea.or.jp). 3. Professional organisations; Japan Health Physics Society (www.jhps.or.jp), The Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine (www.jsnm.org), Japan Radiological Society (www.radiology.jp) and Japan Society of
Obstetrics and Gyneacology (www.jsog.or.jp)]. The questions were summarised and classified by similarity of content. RESULTS There were a total of 372 questions. In terms of content, the questions could be broadly classified into health effects; health effects on children, infants and pregnant women; food safety; radiation-related knowledge; and radiation-related knowledge involving children, pregnant women and breastfeeding. The questions without fear was classified to ‘radiation-related knowledge’ (Figures 1–6). The change over time was investigated in the 290 questions for which the time of inquiry was known. Directly after the earthquake, the questions were primarily from people seeking radiation-related knowledge. Later, questions related to health effects increased. The content was broadly classified into three categories: inquiries for radiation-related knowledge and about health effects and foods. Inquiries by patients with thyroid disease about the effects on their own condition accounted for 8 % of the total. Internal radioactive exposure even on the order of a few Becquerel is enough to cause anxiety in the general public. Questions related to drinking water accounted for about 30 % of the total. There were also questions about vegetables from kitchen gardens for which the
# The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected]
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Oakland University on June 5, 2015
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FNP-1) accident, while as tragic as the tsunami, was a man-made disaster created by the ignorance of the effects of radiation and radioactive materials. Therefore, it is important that all specialists in radiation protection in medicine sympathize with the anxiety of the general public regarding the harmful effects of radiation and advise people accordingly. All questions and answers were collected related to inquiries from the general public that were posted to reliable websites, including those of the government and radiation-related organizations, from March 2011 to November 2012. The questions were summarized and classified by similarity of content. (1) The total number of questions is 372. The content was broadly classified into three categories: inquiries for radiation-related knowledge and about health effects and foods. The questions asked to obtain radiation-related knowledge were the most common, accounting for 38 %. Thirty-six percentage of the questions were related to health effects, and 26 % involved foods, whereas 18 % of the questions were related to children and pregnancy. (2) The change over time was investigated in 290 questions for which the time of inquiry was known. Directly after the earthquake, the questions were primarily from people seeking radiation-related knowledge. Later, questions related to health effects increased. The anxiety experienced by residents following the nuclear accident was caused primarily by insufficient knowledge related to radiation, concerns about health effects and uncertainties about food and water safety. The development of educational materials focusing on such content will be important for risk communication with the general public in countries with nuclear power plants. Physicians and medical physicist should possess the ability to respond to questions such as these and should continue with medical examinations and treatments in a safe and appropriate manner.
K. OHNO AND K. ENDO
Figure 1. Breakdown of all questions (372 Questions).
Figure 2. Health effects (117 Questions).
Figure 5. Health effects on young children and pregnant women (39 Questions).
These questions were from people seeking up-todate expertise, and were not related to personal anxieties. For example, the threshold dose of malformation. The content of the questions was wide ranging, the most common subject was concerning about exposure resulting from outdoor exercise. More than half of the questions sought explanations for radiation-related terminology or inquired about radiation measurement methods. DISCUSSION Figure 3. Foods and drinking water (95 Questions).
contamination was unknown, and about rice, the staple of the Japanese diet (Rice and wild mushrooms are the product sold in a supermarket).
Analysing the content of questions obtained from reliable websites in Japan following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will yield effective material for risk communication with the general public in countries with nuclear power plants. More than 1/3 of the questions sought radiation-related knowledge, and most of these were asked immediately after the accident
Page 2 of 3
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Oakland University on June 5, 2015
Figure 4. Infants, young children and pregnant women (48 Questions).
LESSONS LEARNED FROM FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ACCIDENT
CONCLUSION
FUNDING Figure 6. Radiation-related knowledge (93 Questions).
occurred. This will probably be an effect of the peculiarity that in Japan, nuclear power generation and radiation are not included in the formal educational curriculum. There were many questions about health effects and drinking water and foods and they were primarily related to children and pregnant women, as was the case during the turmoil following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident(2, 3). Many people thought the people in Fukushima will suffer from infertility (Figure 2 misinformation). It could be said that the lessons from Chernobyl and other previous nuclear power plant accidents were not effectively utilised. An effective strategy would be to consider the details indicated in this report and overhaul radiation-related educational content for students and the general public.
This work was funded by the Study (Group) of the Health Effects of Radiation Organized by Ministry of the Environment, Japan. REFERENCES 1. Health Risk Assessment from the Nuclear Accident After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Based on a Preliminary Dose Estimation. WHO, 8 –9 (2013). 2. Chernobyl’s Legacy: Health, Environmental and SocioEconomic Impacts and Recommendations to the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The Chernobyl Forum: 2003– 2005 Second revised version, 19–21 (2006). 3. Guidance on Practical Radiation Protection for People Living in Long-Term Contaminated Territories. EC SAGE Project: Project no: FIS5-2002-00040, 6 – 10 (2007).
Page 3 of 3
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Oakland University on June 5, 2015
The anxiety experienced by residents following the nuclear accident was caused primarily by insufficient knowledge related to radiation, concerns about health effects and uncertainties about food and water safety. The development of educational materials focussing on such content will be important for risk communication with the general public in countries with nuclear power plants. In addition, to ensure that examinations and treatments in the field of nuclear medicine develop under such circumstances, physicians specialising in nuclear medicine and medical physicists should possess the ability to respond to questions such as these, and should continue with such examinations and treatments in a safe and appropriate manner.
doi:10.1093/rpd/ncv083
LESSONS LEARNED FROM FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ACCIDENT: EFFICIENT EDUCATION ITEMS OF RADIATION SAFETY FOR GENERAL PUBLIC K. Ohno and K. Endo* Kyoto Collage of Medical Science, Kyoto, Japan *Corresponding author: [email protected]
PURPOSE The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FNP-1) accident, while as tragic as the tsunami, was a manmade disaster, created by ignorance of the effects of radiation and radioactive materials(1). Therefore, it is important that all specialists in radiation protection in medicine sympathise with the anxiety of the general public regarding the harmful effects of radiation, and advise people accordingly. MATERIALS AND METHODS All questions and answers were collected related to inquiries from the general public that were posted to reliable websites, from March 2011 to November 2012. [Websites from which questions and answers were collected: 1. Governmental sites; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (www.jhps.or.jp), The office of the Prime Minister (www.kantei.go.jp), Food Safety Commission of Japan (www.fsc.go.jp) and Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (www.enecho.meti. go.jp). 2. Research organisations; National Institute of Radiological Sciences (www.nirs.go.jp), Japan Radiation Research Society (www.enecho.meti.go.jp) and Radiation Effects Research Foundation (www.rea.or.jp). 3. Professional organisations; Japan Health Physics Society (www.jhps.or.jp), The Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine (www.jsnm.org), Japan Radiological Society (www.radiology.jp) and Japan Society of
Obstetrics and Gyneacology (www.jsog.or.jp)]. The questions were summarised and classified by similarity of content. RESULTS There were a total of 372 questions. In terms of content, the questions could be broadly classified into health effects; health effects on children, infants and pregnant women; food safety; radiation-related knowledge; and radiation-related knowledge involving children, pregnant women and breastfeeding. The questions without fear was classified to ‘radiation-related knowledge’ (Figures 1–6). The change over time was investigated in the 290 questions for which the time of inquiry was known. Directly after the earthquake, the questions were primarily from people seeking radiation-related knowledge. Later, questions related to health effects increased. The content was broadly classified into three categories: inquiries for radiation-related knowledge and about health effects and foods. Inquiries by patients with thyroid disease about the effects on their own condition accounted for 8 % of the total. Internal radioactive exposure even on the order of a few Becquerel is enough to cause anxiety in the general public. Questions related to drinking water accounted for about 30 % of the total. There were also questions about vegetables from kitchen gardens for which the
# The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected]
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Oakland University on June 5, 2015
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FNP-1) accident, while as tragic as the tsunami, was a man-made disaster created by the ignorance of the effects of radiation and radioactive materials. Therefore, it is important that all specialists in radiation protection in medicine sympathize with the anxiety of the general public regarding the harmful effects of radiation and advise people accordingly. All questions and answers were collected related to inquiries from the general public that were posted to reliable websites, including those of the government and radiation-related organizations, from March 2011 to November 2012. The questions were summarized and classified by similarity of content. (1) The total number of questions is 372. The content was broadly classified into three categories: inquiries for radiation-related knowledge and about health effects and foods. The questions asked to obtain radiation-related knowledge were the most common, accounting for 38 %. Thirty-six percentage of the questions were related to health effects, and 26 % involved foods, whereas 18 % of the questions were related to children and pregnancy. (2) The change over time was investigated in 290 questions for which the time of inquiry was known. Directly after the earthquake, the questions were primarily from people seeking radiation-related knowledge. Later, questions related to health effects increased. The anxiety experienced by residents following the nuclear accident was caused primarily by insufficient knowledge related to radiation, concerns about health effects and uncertainties about food and water safety. The development of educational materials focusing on such content will be important for risk communication with the general public in countries with nuclear power plants. Physicians and medical physicist should possess the ability to respond to questions such as these and should continue with medical examinations and treatments in a safe and appropriate manner.
K. OHNO AND K. ENDO
Figure 1. Breakdown of all questions (372 Questions).
Figure 2. Health effects (117 Questions).
Figure 5. Health effects on young children and pregnant women (39 Questions).
These questions were from people seeking up-todate expertise, and were not related to personal anxieties. For example, the threshold dose of malformation. The content of the questions was wide ranging, the most common subject was concerning about exposure resulting from outdoor exercise. More than half of the questions sought explanations for radiation-related terminology or inquired about radiation measurement methods. DISCUSSION Figure 3. Foods and drinking water (95 Questions).
contamination was unknown, and about rice, the staple of the Japanese diet (Rice and wild mushrooms are the product sold in a supermarket).
Analysing the content of questions obtained from reliable websites in Japan following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will yield effective material for risk communication with the general public in countries with nuclear power plants. More than 1/3 of the questions sought radiation-related knowledge, and most of these were asked immediately after the accident
Page 2 of 3
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Oakland University on June 5, 2015
Figure 4. Infants, young children and pregnant women (48 Questions).
LESSONS LEARNED FROM FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ACCIDENT
CONCLUSION
FUNDING Figure 6. Radiation-related knowledge (93 Questions).
occurred. This will probably be an effect of the peculiarity that in Japan, nuclear power generation and radiation are not included in the formal educational curriculum. There were many questions about health effects and drinking water and foods and they were primarily related to children and pregnant women, as was the case during the turmoil following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident(2, 3). Many people thought the people in Fukushima will suffer from infertility (Figure 2 misinformation). It could be said that the lessons from Chernobyl and other previous nuclear power plant accidents were not effectively utilised. An effective strategy would be to consider the details indicated in this report and overhaul radiation-related educational content for students and the general public.
This work was funded by the Study (Group) of the Health Effects of Radiation Organized by Ministry of the Environment, Japan. REFERENCES 1. Health Risk Assessment from the Nuclear Accident After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Based on a Preliminary Dose Estimation. WHO, 8 –9 (2013). 2. Chernobyl’s Legacy: Health, Environmental and SocioEconomic Impacts and Recommendations to the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The Chernobyl Forum: 2003– 2005 Second revised version, 19–21 (2006). 3. Guidance on Practical Radiation Protection for People Living in Long-Term Contaminated Territories. EC SAGE Project: Project no: FIS5-2002-00040, 6 – 10 (2007).
Page 3 of 3
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Oakland University on June 5, 2015
The anxiety experienced by residents following the nuclear accident was caused primarily by insufficient knowledge related to radiation, concerns about health effects and uncertainties about food and water safety. The development of educational materials focussing on such content will be important for risk communication with the general public in countries with nuclear power plants. In addition, to ensure that examinations and treatments in the field of nuclear medicine develop under such circumstances, physicians specialising in nuclear medicine and medical physicists should possess the ability to respond to questions such as these, and should continue with such examinations and treatments in a safe and appropriate manner.
