Abstract
Resettlement to their radiation-contaminated hometown could be an option for people displaced at the time of a nuclear disaster; however, little information is available on the safety implications of these resettlement programs. Kawauchi village, located 12–30 km southwest of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, was one of the 11 municipalities where mandatory evacuation was ordered by the central government. This village was also the first municipality to organize the return of the villagers. To assess the validity of the Kawauchi villagers’ resettlement program, the levels of internal Cesium (Cs) exposures were comparatively measured in returnees, commuters, and non-returnees among the Kawauchi villagers using a whole body counter. Of 149 individuals, 5 villagers had traceable levels of Cs exposure; the median detected level was 333 Bq/body (range, 309–1050 Bq/kg), and 5.3 Bq/kg (range, 5.1–18.2 Bq/kg). Median annual effective doses of villagers with traceable Cs were 1.1 x 10-2 mSv/y (range, 1.0 x 10-2-4.1 x 10-2 mSv/y). Although returnees had higher chances of consuming locally produced vegetables, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test showed that their level of internal radiation exposure was not significantly higher than that in the other 2 groups (p=0.643). The present findings in Kawauchi village imply that it is possible to maintain internal radiation exposure at very low levels even in a highly radiation-contaminated region at the time of a nuclear disaster. Moreover, the risks for internal radiation exposure could be limited with a strict food control intervention after resettlement to the radiation-contaminated village. It is crucial to establish an adequate number of radio-contaminated testing sites within the village, to provide immediate test result feedback to the villagers, and to provide education regarding the importance of re-testing in reducing the risk of high internal radiation exposure.
Highlights
Radiation exposure can generate long-term risks for disorders such as tumors depending on personal exposure doses[1]
In order to study the levels of chronic internal radiation exposure among Kawauchi returnees after their return was issued, we reviewed medical records from the radiation exposure screening program conducted at Hirata Central Hospital from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013
A higher level of internal radiation exposure was expected among Kawauchi village returnees owing primarily to consumption of potentially radiation-contaminated, locally grown produce, the validity of the Kawauchi villagers’ resettlement program had yet to be assessed until now
Summary
Radiation exposure can generate long-term risks for disorders such as tumors depending on personal exposure doses[1]. Evacuation from radiation-contaminated areas at the time of a nuclear disaster is an effective strategy to reduce the risks of radiation exposure[2], there is a risk-benefit trade-off between the long-term effects of low-dose radiation and the serious short-term health effects an evacuation may cause[3]. Little information is available regarding the safety of such resettlement programs to the radiation-contaminated hometowns Under such circumstances, the case of Kawauchi village, Fukushima Prefecture, provides useful information concerning the validity of the resettlement program. Primarily because of consumption of potentially radiation-contaminated locally grown food products, a higher level of internal radiation exposure was expected among returnees after their resettlement to Kawauchi village. We present and discuss the effective countermeasures to avoid internal contamination among residents after the resettlement, which could be useful for nuclear incidents in the future
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