【Purpose】 To analyze the results of a survey of hospital employees’ attitudes toward continuing to work or attending work in the event of a nuclear disaster and to identify issues related to ...continuing hospital operations. 【Methods】 A questionnaire survey was administered to all employees of Hospital A. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the χ2 test. 【Results】The survey was distributed to 697 employees, and 600 responded (86.1% response rate, 99.7% valid response rate). Of the respondents, 64 (10.7%) were able to continue working or attend work, 139 (23.2%) were not able to, and 397 (66.2%) were able to with conditions. Significant differences were found between the two counties in terms of willingness to continue working in health professions and other professions. 【Considerations】 The conditions for continuing to work were concentrated on safety and information. The significant difference between the two counties was presumably due to differences in radiation-related knowledge and the availability of learning opportunities. 【Conclusion】 It is suggested that education on nuclear disasters for all employees is necessary to ensure the continuity of hospital operations in the event of a nuclear disaster.
Radiation dose rates were evaluated in three areas neighboring a restricted area within a 20- to 50-km radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in August-September 2012 and projected to ...2022 and 2062. Study participants wore personal dosimeters measuring external dose equivalents, almost entirely from deposited radionuclides (groundshine). External dose rate equivalents owing to the accident averaged 1.03, 2.75, and 1.66 mSv/y in the village of Kawauchi, the Tamano area of Soma, and the Haramachi area of Minamisoma, respectively. Internal dose rates estimated from dietary intake of radiocesium averaged 0.0058, 0.019, and 0.0088 mSv/y in Kawauchi, Tamano, and Haramachi, respectively. Dose rates from inhalation of resuspended radiocesium were lower than 0.001 mSv/y. In 2012, the average annual doses from radiocesium were close to the average background radiation exposure (2 mSv/y) in Japan. Accounting only for the physical decay of radiocesium, mean annual dose rates in 2022 were estimated as 0.31, 0.87, and 0.53 mSv/y in Kawauchi, Tamano, and Haramachi, respectively. The simple and conservative estimates are comparable with variations in the background dose, and unlikely to exceed the ordinary permissible dose rate (1 mSv/y) for the majority of the Fukushima population. Health risk assessment indicates that post-2012 doses will increase lifetime solid cancer, leukemia, and breast cancer incidences by 1.06%, 0.03% and 0.28% respectively, in Tamano. This assessment was derived from short-term observation with uncertainties and did not evaluate the first-year dose and radioiodine exposure. Nevertheless, this estimate provides perspective on the long-term radiation exposure levels in the three regions.
BackgroundLittle information is available on the role of community-based rehabilitation after a nuclear disaster. Here, we report the case of an older couple living in an area repopulated after the ...Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011 who received outpatient rehabilitation.Case presentationAn 84-year-old woman underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) after she fell and sustained a trochanteric fracture while caring for her husband with Alzheimer's disease. The 85-year-old husband experienced worsening behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) following his wife's hospitalization. The couple received rehabilitation at an outpatient facility in a nearby village using a shuttle service. The woman’s postoperative anxiety was relieved and her physical function improved. Moreover, the husband's BPSD symptoms decreased.ConclusionA wife and husband showed improvement in physical function after THA and alleviation of BPSD, respectively, following rehabilitation. In post-disaster, resource-scarce areas, older adults may benefit from utilizing the outpatient rehabilitation services available in the surrounding area.
This book raises questions about what really matters through its account of Japan's March 11, 2011, triple catastrophe of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown, exploring the relationship between ...culture, community, and disaster.
The triple disaster that struck Japan in March 2011 began with the most powerful earthquake known to have hit Japan and led to tsunami up to 40 meters in height that devastated a wide area and caused ...thousands of deaths. The ensuing accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant was Japan’s worst and only second to Chernobyl in its severity.
But has this triple disaster also changed Japan? Has it led to a transformation of the country, a shift in how Japan functions? This book, with fresh perspectives on extraordinary events written by diplomats and policy experts at European embassies to Japan, explores subsequent shifts in Japanese politics and policy-making to see if profound changes have occurred or if instead these are limited.
The book addresses those policy areas most likely to be affected by the tragedy – politics, economics, energy, climate, agriculture and food safety – describes how the sector has been affected and considers what the implications are for the future.
The interface between science and law has been much debated in various fields of international law and the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been one of the main forums. Notably, WTO disputes, such ...as 'EC - Hormones' and 'EC - Biotech', have drawn controversies and criticisms over the role of science in WTO law. 'Korea - Radionuclides' - also known as the 'Fukushima' case - calls upon us to reconsider an under-analysed perspective regarding science and law. While the Fukushima accident marked the first massive radionuclide release into the ocean with significant uncertainties and complexities, 'Korea - Radionuclides' did not touch upon any 'science-based' obligations under the 'Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures' (SPS Agreement). Thus, it stands out as a unique dispute in the 25 years of the SPS case law. This article unpacks 'Korea - Radionuclides', challenging and rethinking the assumed dichotomy between science-based and non-science-based obligations under the SPS Agreement. Our critical examination of 'Korea - Radionuclides' suggests that science plays an important role even in the discussions of non-science-based obligations. In contrast to the conventional wisdom of the science/non-science dichotomy, we further argue that the normative integrity and 'raison d'etre' of the SPS Agreement in fact rest upon the inextricable nexus and integration between science-based and non-science-based obligations.
Three large high radioactivity particulate fragments, each several 100 μm in diameter, have been recovered from the region immediately surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Through ...the application of high-resolution electron and ion-beam methods, this work has sought to investigate the structure and composition of this fibrous surface morphology. By evaluating this, a potential material source can be determined, alongside important information relating to the conditions/events at the time of the reactor explosions and catastrophic release of radioactive materials. The results of this study show that the fibrous features associated with these large radiocesium-containing particles share a common elemental composition. With respect to the surrounding particle, the fibers are enriched in Si, Cl, and Fe, while depleted in both Zn and Al. Based on composition, these fibers are ascribed to thermal insulating material used within the plant, which was sufficiently heated during the loss of coolant incident at the plant to be incorporated into the molten ejecta material that rapidly solidified upon quenching in air. Elemental analysis of these fibers does not reveal any evidence of leaching or the presence of actinide materials.
Crisis Communication, Liberal Democracy, and Ecological Sustainability provides a detailed and empirical analysis of the institutions, governing logics, risk-management practices, and crisis ...communication strategies involved in the 2007–2008 financial crisis, the 2010 BP oil crisis, and the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis. These human-engineered crises threaten sustainability through resource depletion, environmental degradation, and the growth of geo-political conflicts. Yet, the corporations responsible have returned to profitability by externalizing risks to communities and governments. In response to this pattern of crisis management, Nadesan argues that contemporary financial and energy complexes pose significant threats to liberal democracy and ecological sustainability. This book will be of interest to scholars of communication studies, cultural studies, sociology, political science, anthropology, and economics.
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