Decontamination Work and the Long-term Increase in Hospital Visits for Hymenoptera Stings Following the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

AbstractObjectiveAnimals, including arthropods, are one health threat that can be affected by disasters. This institution-based study aimed to assess trends in Hymenoptera stings following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.MethodsWe reviewed the medical records of patients with hymenopteran stings who visited Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, located 23 km from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, from March 2005 to March 2016. Patient and sting characteristics of post-disaster patients were examined, and the annual incidence of hospital visits for hymenopteran stings was compared with the pre-disaster baseline, calculating an incidence rate ratio (IRR) for each year.ResultsWe identified 152 pre-disaster patients (2005-2011) and 222 post-disaster patients (2011-2016). In the post-disaster period, 160 males (72.1%) were identified, with a median age of 59 years (range: 2-89 years). A total of 45 patients (20.3%) were decontamination workers. Post-disaster increases were found in the IRR for hymenopteran stings, peaking first in 2011 (IRR: 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.9-4.2) and later in 2014 (IRR: 3.2; 95% CI: 2.4-4.3) and 2015 (IRR 3.3; 95% CI: 2.5-4.4).ConclusionsLong-term increases were found in the IRR of hospital visits for hymenopteran stings in an institution affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Decontamination workers appear to have been particularly affected by this phenomenon. Better disaster field worker monitoring and education about potential environmental health hazards may help to identify and prevent worker exposure to insect stings and other vectors in these settings. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:545–551)

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The holistic risk analysis of spent fuel pool considering the fuel route risk

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part O Journal of Risk and Reliability ◽

10.1177/1748006x21998512 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1748006X2199851

Author(s):

Zhixin Xu ◽

Ming Wang ◽

Binyan Song ◽

WenYu Hou ◽

Chao Wang

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Power ◽

Comprehensive Evaluation ◽

Point Of View ◽

Spent Fuel ◽

Nuclear Disaster ◽

Evaluation Approach ◽

Fuel Assemblies ◽

Spent Fuel Pool ◽

Large Water ◽

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

The Fukushima nuclear disaster has raised the importance on the reliability and risk research of the spent fuel pool (SFP), including the risk of internal events, fire, external hazards and so on. From a safety point of view, the low decay heat of the spent fuel assemblies and large water inventory in the SFP has made the accident progress goes very slow, but a large number of fuel assemblies are stored inside the spent fuel pool and without containment above the SFP building, it still has an unignored risk to the safety of the nuclear power plant. In this paper, a standardized approach for performing a holistic and comprehensive evaluation approach of the SFP risk based on the probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) method has been developed, including the Level 1 SFP PSA and Level 2 SFP PSA and external hazard PSA. The research scope of SFP PSA covers internal events, internal flooding, internal fires, external hazards and new risk source-fuel route risk is also included. The research will provide the risk insight of Spent Fuel Pool operation, and can help to make recommendation for the prevention and mitigation of SFP accidents which will be applicable for the SFP configuration risk management.

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Healing Fukushima: Radiation hazards and disaster medicine in post-3.11 Japan

Social Studies of Science ◽

10.1177/0306312719854540 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 333-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shi Lin Loh ◽

Sulfikar Amir

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Radiation Risk ◽

Disaster Medicine ◽

Radiation Hazards ◽

Medical Practitioners ◽

Life And Death ◽

Nuclear Disaster ◽

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

What happens when expertise is forced to face disasters of unprecedented scales? How is knowledge produced in critical moments when every action and decision is a matter of life and death? And how are local social networks mobilized to cope with unforeseen crisis? This paper addresses these questions by examining the emergence of disaster medicine expertise in the aftermath of Fukushima nuclear disaster that struck Japan in 2011. Studies on Fukushima’s impact have to date revolved around the suffering of Tōhoku citizens and the development of Japan’s nuclear energy industry. Acknowledging the gravity of such work, this paper offers an alternative, but equally crucial angle on the disaster: that of the medical caregiving and public health system built in response to radiation hazards resulting from the triple meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. Through detailed interviews conducted with eight medical practitioners in Fukushima Prefecture, this paper analyses the significance and impact of Japan’s most recent radiation disaster on its public health infrastructure. To describe the contingent nature of radiation disaster medicine developed in response to radiation risk in Fukushima, we draw on Jasanoff’s characterization of scientific knowledge as ‘serviceable truths’ with regards to public policy and the law, suggesting that expertise in relation to disasters is usefully understood in analogous terms.

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Japan’s News Media, The Information Disclosure Law, and The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

Issues in Legal Scholarship ◽

10.1515/ils-2015-0003 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lawrence Repeta

Keyword(s):

News Media ◽

Information Disclosure ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Power Plants ◽

Regulatory Body ◽

Regulatory Oversight ◽

Nuclear Disaster ◽

Invaluable Tool ◽

Government Records ◽

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

AbstractOfficial investigations that followed the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster revealed that it could have been prevented by reasonable safety measures. Investigators concluded that close relationships between government officials and industry executives led to very weak regulatory oversight and the failure to address the risk of violent earthquakes and tsunami such as those that struck the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station on March 11, 2011. News reporters conducted their own investigations in the months following the disaster. Japan’s information disclosure law provided an invaluable tool that enabled them to obtain government records related to regulation of Japan’s nuclear power plants. This article describes some of the stories they produced. Appearing on the front pages of newspapers with daily circulations in the millions, this work provided an authoritative inside view of the failed regulatory process to the Japanese people. The work of the investigative bodies and the news media drove the demand for change that led to disbanding of the regulatory agencies that failed and their replacement by an entirely new regulatory body. This article highlights the importance of “right to know” laws such as Japan’s information disclosure law in creating the opportunity for news reporters and others to demand the release of otherwise confidential government records that can enlighten everyone on matters of great public interest.

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A fragile seed of social and solidarity economy in post-disaster affected areas of Tohoku, Japan

Revista Calitatea Vieții ◽

10.46841/rcv.2020.02.01 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 97-114

Author(s):

Fumihiko Saito

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Power ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Positive Sign ◽

Solidarity Economy ◽

Root Cause ◽

The North ◽

North Eastern ◽

Market Capitalism ◽

Post Disaster

The world today faces a series of crises, and many observers have started to realize that the root cause of these crises is market capitalism. In such a context, the triple disasters of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant accident hit the north-eastern part of Japan on 11 March 2011. “3.11” has accelerated the long-term structural changes of rural Japan such as depopulation. Nine years since the disasters, one positive sign is the emergence of networks between producers and consumers who are now reciprocally connected. This article pays particular attention to a new monthly delivery package of magazine and food called, Tohoku Food Communication (TFC), first released in July 2013. The experiences of TFC can be interpreted as a fragile yet significant seed to promote social and solidarity economy (SSE). This paper critically examines both possibilities and limitations of SSE, which may contribute to making our society more sustainable than now. Keywords: “3.11”; natural disaster; Tohoku Food Communication (TFC); social and solidarity economy (SSE); sustainability.

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Facing a Crisis with Calmness? The Global Response to the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

Japanese Journal of Political Science ◽

10.1017/s1468109912000187 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 441-466 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

YUICHI KUBOTA

Keyword(s):

Risk Perception ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Nuclear Energy ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Efficient Production ◽

Structural Factors ◽

Nuclear Disaster ◽

Level Of Economic Development ◽

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

AbstractLiterature expects that an attitude toward nuclear power is in direct proportion to the perceived risk of accidents at an operational nuclear power plant; that is, the oppositional attitude is based on the view that nuclear technology is risky and support for nuclear power is related to a perceived low risk and/or potential benefit. However, it is misleading to assume that individuals’ risk perception alone can linearly explain their position after such an accident. The association between risk perception and attitude toward nuclear power varies significantly according to country but, until now, has been largely unexamined. This article takes into consideration the effects of structural factors on that relationship by examining public attitudes toward nuclear energy after the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011 and reveals that the need for the efficient production of electricity (i.e., nuclear energy) outweighs concern for the potential danger of a nuclear incident. Although a country's dependence on nuclear power for the production of electricity engenders anti-nuclear attitudes, it is evident that a level of economic development largely alleviates any negativity relative to that energy source.

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Long-Term Mass Displacements—The Main Demographic Consequence of Nuclear Disasters?

The Demography of Disasters ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-49920-4_2 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 15-48

Author(s):

Dávid Karácsonyi ◽

Kazumasa Hanaoka ◽

Yelizaveta Skryzhevska

Keyword(s):

Soviet Union ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Construction Sites ◽

Nuclear Disaster ◽

The Soviet Union ◽

Natural Reproduction ◽

Long Time ◽

Demographic Trajectories ◽

Scientific Attention

Abstract Human history has witnessed several major disasters that have affected the economic, social and environmental conditions of their respective regions. The nuclear disaster of Chernobyl (1986, Ukraine, that time the Soviet Union) and Fukushima (2011, Japan) appears to be the most significant disasters in terms of negative outcomes produced for their population over a long time. Despite this, the analysis of the socio-economic outcomes of these disasters has attracted much less scientific attention than health or radiation-related issues (UNDP 2002a; Lehman and Wadsworth 2009, 2011). Although nuclear accidents are deemed to be rare events, the Fukushima disaster occurred only 25 years after Chernobyl. These disasters highlighted the need for a detailed long-term socio-economic analysis of these accidents to acquire sufficient knowledge to be applied when considering new construction sites for nuclear power facilities (Lehman and Wadsworth 2011). This chapter focuses on the problem of permanent resettlement resulting from nuclear disasters and its effects on regional demographic trajectories and spatial shifts. Based on the results of this study we argue that mass displacement after a nuclear disaster rather than the radiation itself has a much more significant impact on deteriorating health, natural reproduction and economic performance of the affected population. Furthermore, given the differences in radio-ecological conditions, reconstruction policy and the time framework, Fukushima may demonstrate demographic consequences that are different from the Chernobyl case.

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YouTube Videos Related to the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: Content Analysis (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.26481 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Limeng Cui ◽

Lijuan Chu

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Power ◽

Video Quality ◽

The Public ◽

Video Sharing ◽

Nuclear Disaster ◽

Video Recorder ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The World ◽

Youtube Videos ◽

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

BACKGROUND YouTube (Alphabet Incorporated) has become the most popular video-sharing platform in the world. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) disaster resulted in public anxiety toward nuclear power and radiation worldwide. YouTube is an important source of information about the FDNPP disaster for the world. OBJECTIVE This study's objectives were to examine the characteristics of YouTube videos related to the FDNPP disaster, analyze the content and comments of videos with a quantitative method, and determine which features contribute to making a video popular with audiences. This study is the first to examine FDNPP disaster–related videos on YouTube. METHODS We searched for the term “Fukushima nuclear disaster” on YouTube on November 2, 2019. The first 60 eligible videos in the relevance, upload date, view count, and rating categories were recorded. Videos that were irrelevant, were non-English, had inappropriate words, were machine synthesized, and were <3 minutes long were excluded. In total, 111 videos met the inclusion criteria. Parameters of the videos, including the number of subscribers, length, the number of days since the video was uploaded, region, video popularity (views, views/day, likes, likes/day, dislikes, dislikes/day, comments, comments/day), the tone of the videos, the top ten comments, affiliation, whether Japanese people participated in the video, whether the video recorder visited Fukushima, whether the video contained theoretical knowledge, and whether the video contained information about the recent situation in Fukushima, were recorded. By using criteria for content and technical design, two evaluators scored videos and grouped them into the useful (score: 11-14), slightly useful (score: 6-10), and useless (score: 0-5) video categories. RESULTS Of the 111 videos, 43 (38.7%) videos were useful, 43 (38.7%) were slightly useful, and 25 (22.5%) were useless. Useful videos had good visual and aural effects, provided vivid information on the Fukushima disaster, and had a mean score of 12 (SD 0.9). Useful videos had more views per day (P<.001), likes per day (P<.001), and comments per day (P=.02) than useless and slightly useful videos. The popularity of videos had a significant correlation with clear sounds (likes/day: P=.001; comments/day: P=.02), vivid information (likes/day: P<.001; comments/day: P=.007), understanding content (likes/day: P=.001; comments/day: P=.04). There was no significant difference in likes per day (P=.72) and comments per day (P=.11) between negative and neutral- and mixed-tone videos. Videos about the recent situation in Fukushima had more likes and comments per day. Video recorders who personally visited Fukushima Prefecture had more subscribers and received more views and likes. CONCLUSIONS The possible features that made videos popular to the public included video quality, videos made in Fukushima, and information on the recent situation in Fukushima. During risk communication on new forms of media, health institutes should increase publicity and be more approachable to resonate with international audiences.

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Post-Fukushima discourse in the US press: Quantified knowledge, the technical object, and a panicked public

Public Understanding of Science ◽

10.1177/0963662520936186 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (7) ◽

pp. 670-687

Author(s):

Jonathan Tollefson

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Power ◽

Nuclear Energy ◽

Public Discourse ◽

Expert Knowledge ◽

Public Support ◽

The United States ◽

Nuclear Industry ◽

Technical Object ◽

Nuclear Disaster ◽

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

Many thought that the 11 March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan might be the end of the “global nuclear renaissance.” In Europe, mass media after Fukushima increasingly presented negative framing of nuclear energy and highlighted declining support for the nuclear industry. In the United States, however, nuclear production and public support for the industry remained steady. This article analyzes US media documents to understand the construction of public discourse on nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Through a content analysis of US newspapers, it demonstrates that post-Fukushima media framed the crisis in a way that privileged expert knowledge and opinion, while delegitimizing non-expert engagement with nuclear energy issues. A comparison between national newspapers and newspapers located in two regions with controversial nuclear plants and active anti-nuclear citizens’ movements additionally demonstrates the power and reach of the identified framework across the spectrum of views on nuclear power.

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