Abstract
In response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan issued the new “Nuclear Emergency Response Guideline.” However, there is a perception that scientific information about the health impact of radiation exposure has not been adequately shared among the local government staffs, including schoolteachers. We contacted schoolteachers at all 120 schools within the Urgent Protective Action Planning Zone of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant, Kagoshima prefecture, in 2017. We invited them to take part in a written survey to clarify their concerns and risk perceptions regarding the effects of radiation exposure on health. Five hundred and fifty schoolteachers’ replies were included in the analysis. The results revealed that 355 schoolteachers had concerns about the health effects of radiation exposure due to working within the Urgent Protective Action Planning Zone. A logistic regression analysis revealed that sex (OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.49–3.45, p < 0.001), age (OR = 3.39, 95% CI: 2.10–5.47, p < 0.001), reluctance to undergo a radiological examination at a hospital (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.23–2.88, p = 0.004), place of work (OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.46–3.27, p < 0.001), and anxiety about having to address questions about radiation from students (OR = 4.66, 95% CI: 2.83–7.67, p < 0.001) were independently associated with schoolteachers’ concerns about the health effects of radiation exposure due to working in the area around the nuclear power plant. Therefore, it is important to respond to these concerns in order to establish a meaningful education program for school children on radiation and its health effects.
Highlights
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake led to major problems at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP)
The following personal characteristics and health risk perception factors were significantly associated with a higher proportion of concern (+) as compared to concern (−) responces: participants who were 40 years and older (83.7% vs. 65.6%, p < 0.001), those who had been living in their current residence for more than 7 years (34.6% vs. 24.1%, p < 0.001), those who were concerned about daily life while working within the Urgent Protective Action Planning Zone (95.2% vs. 13.3%, p < 0.001), and those who were reluctant to undergo a radiological examination at a hospital (41.7% vs. 22.1%, p < 0.001) (Table 1)
We identified the concerns of schoolteachers regarding the health effects of radiation exposure due to working in the Urgent Protective Action Planning Zone around the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant
Summary
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake led to major problems at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP). Risk perceptions regarding radiation exposure among Japanese schoolteachers facilities, releasing a large amount of radioactive material into the environment. Almost 11,000 residents were evacuated from two cities, seven towns, and three villages around the plant during the initial phase of the accident, at present, ten of these have already totally or partially lifted their evacuation orders after exhaustive decontamination efforts and the reestablishment of infrastructure. Many surveys have shown that the exposure doses of residents are very limited due to the prompt evacuation and food regulation policy, there is a gap between residents’ risk perceptions and their actual exposure doses in Fukushima [1, 3]
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