Download - Radiation Contamination in Fukushima
Radiation Contamination in Fukushima
Mitsuyoshi Urashima MD, PhD, MPHChief of Molecular Epidemiology, Pediatric Oncologist,Associate Professor, Jikei University School of MedicineTokyo, JAPAN
Earthquake 2:46PM
Hydrogen ExplosionAt 1st reactor
Hydrogen ExplosionAt 3rd reactor
ExplosionAt 2nd reactor
330microSv/hr
270microSv/hr
255microSv/hr
50 km
Nuclear Power Plants
20 km
30 km
March 15th
Earthquake 2:46PM
Radio-ContaminationIn food supplyAnd water
Hydrogen ExplosionAt 1st reactor
Hydrogen ExplosionAt 3rd reactor
Hydrogen ExplosionAt 2nd reactor
Risk Communication by Government
This level of irradiation has no hazardous effects on health for now.
People think: That’s means some problems later, cancer, congenital anomalies, infertility?
This level of irradiation in water and food has no hazardous effects on health if you do not take long term. However, if you can avoid taking, please do so. But if you can’t, it’s OK. Doesn’t matter.
People think: This must be quite danger.
Earthquake 2:46PM
ContaminationIn food supplyAnd water
Broadcast“Close Up Today” NHK
Hydrogen ExplosionAt 1st reactor
Hydrogen ExplosionAt 3rd reactor
Hydrogen ExplosionAt 2nd reactor
Phone callFrom NHK
Water radio-contaminationIn Tokyo
Audience rate = 14%2011/3/24 (Thur) 8 – 9 PM
Risk communication
Demonstrate Chernobyl as scientific evidence
Increase of thyroid cancer in childrenNo significant increase of cancer in adultsNo significant increase in congenital anomalies
What we need to do is protecting children.
1. People outside the area of disaster do not have to worry about yourself.
2. We should have sympathy to the causalities with serious anxiety as if they are our family or friends.
3. If the society be confused and depressed, the situation will be much more worsened. So, we should seek more positive side of things.
Try to keep unequivocal attitude to wipe out anxiety and suspicion of the people in their hard time
1. Power of Media Many e-mails and phone calls
I felt the atmosphere of Japanese society had been changed totally after that.
2. Dynamic changes of behavior in such a short period. Go home earlier.
People seek behavior: Do the right things, Justice.
3. Things have both negative and positive side.
Crisis made us notice what is the most important in lifeand gave us a chance to change dramatically.
At Home of Prof. Craig Van DykeEarly April
Aftermath of Tsunami, Iwaki city
In a Refuge, Fukushima city
2011 Nov 5th
mSv/hr
mSv/hr → mSv/year9.5 503.8 201.9 101.0 50.5 2.50.2 10.1 0.5
Kouri cityFukushima city
Seminar at Fukushima city Health CenterFor Staffs, Early June
< 3,700Bq/L < 300Bq/L
Chernobyl Fukushima
3,700Bq/L < < 100Bq/L
Milk
Powdered milk
1 ~ 2 weeksStart 1 day or 5 days
Thoroughness ? Better ?
Threshold of iodide131
<15 at the accident
Incidence of thyroid cancer: 5127Death: 9
<19 at the accident
Incidence of thyroid cancer: 6848Death: 15
20 years after Chernobyl accident
Fatality : 0.2 %Survival rate : 99.8 %
Report by UN
Oct, Nov and Dec 2011
Thyroid tumor screening test for 0 ~ 18 years oldECHO
Till 2014 March, first 3 years
Every 2 years
Ever 5 years
20 years old
Screening of Thyroid Cancer in children
No nodules or cysts: 2,622 (69.6%)
Nodules < 5mm or Cysts < 20mm: 1,117 (29.7%)
Nodules 5mm < or Cysts 20mm <: 26 (0.7%)
Need to proceed next step: 0 (0%)
ECHOBlood and Urine Exams
To make sure
During summer vacation, children in Fukushima spent their time in west side of Japan. NGO associating Chernobyl measured thyroid function of these children. Ten of 130 were out of normal range. Mother whose child was out of normal commented to media’s interview “When I was told the results by a doctor, my brain was totally white”.
We do not have preventive way for radiation inducible-cancers.
Never before have people been asked to live with such ambiguity. The TMI accident – an accident we cannot see or taste or smell … is an accident that is invisible. I think the fact that it is invisible creates a sense of uncertainty and fright on the part of people that may well go beyond the reality of the accident itself.
Why risk perception is much higher than real risk?
Radiation is invisible: Smoking is avoidable because it can be seen.
Radiation is not controllable: Food poisoning by pathogenic E Coli was avoidable by heating meat.
Children’s issue: Dividing cells may be more sensitive to radiation induced toxicity, theoretically.
Long lasting: Not 1 year’s problem, but will continue decades.
Uncertainty: We have only a few evidence of low dose radio-contamination in history.
Why risk perception is much higher than real risk?
Reliability: The national government is doing little and unreliable.
Cancer: People may have devastative image to cancer.
Human made disaster: People feel sorrow lost families and friends by the earthquake and tsunami, but never complain. However, people complain invisible radiation before health hazard. Why? I believe people look that this accident is human made but not nature made.
Be an Advisorof Kouri town
1.One whole body counter2.Two machine to measure radiation levels in food and water
Kouri town bought
I advised we should visualize radiation.
Radiation of drain
May/13: 21 mSv/h
May/30: 1.38 mSv/h
Wash with High pressured water
ground
High radiation level
30cm lower than the other sideRainwater pool
I advised we should control radiation.
Dig
Pile Up
Sheet
Radiation levels reduced to 10%.
Till June, schools and parks has been changed into safe places for children.
Lateral view of ground
Dig 3m in depth, and pile up the dug soil.
Put nylon sheet.
Put them into dug hole.
Peel superficial soil.
0. 2
. 4. 6
Exte
rnal
dos
e
Preginfant
醸芳 睦合 半田醸芳 伊達崎 区域外
050
100
150
200
Freq
uenc
y
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Predicted External exposure mSv/Year
0.5
1Fr
eque
ncy
0 .5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7
Max 3.6mSv/y
Sep + Oct (adjusted into 1 year by 6 times)
Nov + Dec + Jan (adjusted into 1 year by 4 times)
Dreams by Akira Kurosawa in 1990
Mount Fuji in RedThe film's second nightmare sequence. A large nuclear power plant near Mount Fuji has begun to melt down, painting the sky a horrendous red and sending the millions of Japanese citizens desperately fleeing into the ocean. Three adults and two children are left behind on land, but they soon realize that the radiation will kill them anyway.
Village of the Watermills This is the last of eight dreams.A young man finds himself entering a peaceful, stream-laden village. The traveler meets an old, wise man who is fixing a broken watermill wheel. The elder explains that the people of his village decided long ago to forsake the polluting influence of modern technology and return to a happier, cleaner era of society. They have chosen spiritual health over convenience, and the traveler is surprised but intrigued by this notion.
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Accident of Nuclear Power Plant
Three mile island
Chernobyl
Fukushima
Health
MentalPsycho motor diseaseAnxietyDepression
SocietyCollapse of community, unemployment
DiseaseThyroid cancer in children
Family with children