Radiation Contamination in Fukushima

Mitsuyoshi Urashima MD, PhD, MPHChief of Molecular Epidemiology, Pediatric Oncologist,Associate Professor, Jikei University School of MedicineTokyo, JAPAN

urashima@jikei.ac.jp

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