Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Research Articles

Stigma perceptions, social media neighborhood storytelling, and future outlook in post-disaster Fukushima

ABSTRACT After more than nine years since the Great East Japan Earthquake struck Japan,the unresolved situation in FukushimaNuclear Power Plant and long-term effects of radiation continue to situate residents of Fukushima under the post-disaster context. This study examined the influence of Fukushima residents’ stigma perception and connectedness to offline and online neighborhood storytelling networks on future outlook. Based on an online survey of 936 Fukushima residents, the study found that residents who perceive higher stigma toward Fukushima from outsiders were more likely to have a negative future outlook than others. On the other hand, residents’ connectedness to the neighborhood storytelling network – consisting of interpersonal conversation, connectedness to community organizations andlocal media – was positively related to future outlook. With regard to online communication, people who engage in expressive storytelling about local affairs on social media, such as uploading stories or sharing information, were more likely to have a positive future outlook than others. Moreover, expressive storytelling about local affairs on social media was found to moderate the effect of stigma on future outlook: the negative effect of stigma on future outlook was mitigated for those who engage in expressive storytelling about local affairs. Implications of the results are discussed.

Cytogenetic effects in the needles intercalar meristem of Japanese red pine in the remote period after the Fukushima NPP accident

Background. The study of the long-term effects of chronic radiation exposure on plants and animals, which are still the subject of scientific discussion, is necessary to understand the consequences of radiation accidents. After the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, some of the young pines and spruces showed an increased frequency of apical dominance cancelling. The most probable cause of the observed morphoses is associated with damage to the apical meristem of coniferous plants by radiation in the first year of the accident, when they received the highest absorbed doses. If this hypothesis is true, then even 8 years after the accident it will be possible with high degree of probability to detect an increased level of cytogenetic abnormalities in the intercalary meristem of needles of plants from these populations. The aim of this work was to verify this hypothesis. Materials and methods. Five populations of Japanese red pine from territories contaminated with radionuclides as a result of the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant were investigated. The frequency and spectrum of cytogenetic abnormalities in the intercalary meristem of needles were determined by the ana-telophase analysis. Results. The frequency of aberrant cells in the needles intercalary meristem of Japanese red pine from the contaminated with radionuclides territory statistically significantly exceeds the control level in all impact sites and increases along with the dose rate. Although there is no correlation between the frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities in needles and the presence of cancellation of apical dominance in plants, all pine populations from radioactively contaminated territories are characterized by an increased frequency of both cytogenetic abnormalities and morphoses associated with the cancellation of apical dominance. Conclusion. Radiation damage to the apical meristems of conifers in the first year of the accident, when they received the highest absorbed doses, is the most likely cause of the increased frequency of cancellation of apical dominance in the studied populations of Japanese red pine from the zone affected by the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

エネルギー転換と社会変動――3.11以降の秋田県における「再生可能エネルギーの産業化」と「市民風車」の展開――

エネルギー転換と社会変動――3.11以降の秋田県における「再生可能エネルギーの産業化」と「市民風車」の展開――

Impact of γ-irradiation on biofilm-formation by corrosion-relevant heterotrophic bacteria

At nuclear hazard sites, such as the Chernobyl reactor sarcophagus or Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, radiation is one of the main factors influencing microbial communities including those involved in microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) of metal structures. By studying the impact of radiation on corrosion-relevant bacteria it may be possible in the future to predict changes in MIC. We believe that the composition and function of natural multi-species biofilms will change when exposed to the stress of ionizing radiation. To address this possibility, biofilm formation by Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia were studied after exposure to a range of radiation dosages. Altered planktonic cell morphologies and biofilm architectures on submerged glass surfaces were noted 3 – 7 days after low-doasage sub-lethal irradiation (5.3 Gy) of samples at the micro-colony, macro-colony and mature biofilm stages of development. Furthermore, significant differences in the percentage area covered by biofilms and the release of viable planktonic cells was also noted. These observations suggested that exposure, considered as insignificant levels of irradiation, can be enough to alter biofilm formation of corrosion-relevant bacteria. Such low dosage radiation may have significant impact on soil microbial communities in nuclear hazard sites, potentially altering the MIC of exposed metal structures, their stability and service life of underground metal constructions.

Direct comparison of bacterial communities in soils contaminated with different levels of radioactive cesium from the first Fukushima nuclear power plant accident

The Great East Japan Earthquake caused a serious accident at the first Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP), which in turn released a large amount of radionuclides. Little attention has been paid to in-situ soil microorganisms exposed to radioactive contamination by the actual NPP accident. We herein investigated bacterial communities in the radioactive cesium (Cs)-contaminated and non-contaminated soils by high-throughput sequencing. The uppermost and ectorhizosphere soil samples were collected from the base of mugwort grown in the same soil type with the same soil-use history in order to compare the bacterial communities at geographically separated areas. The concentrations of radioactive Cs in the soils ranged from 10 to 563,000 Bq 137Cs/kg dry soil, with the highest concentration being detected at 1 km from the NPP. Alpha-diversity indices, i.e., Chao1, Shannon and Simpson reciprocal, of the sequence data showed the lower bacterial diversity in the most highly Cs-contaminated soil. Principal coordinate analysis with principle components 1 and 3 based on unweighted UniFrac distances indicated the significant difference in bacterial communities of the most contaminated area from those of the other areas. Operational taxonomic unit-based assay revealed higher abundance of the radio-resistant Geodermatophilus bullaregiensis relative in the most contaminated soil. Thus, it was strongly suggested that the radioactive accident facilitated the growth and/or survival of radio-resistant bacteria in the Cs-contaminated soils. The results of this study show that information on the soil type, vegetation and soil-use history enhances the direct comparison of geographically distant soil bacterial communities exposed to different levels of radioactive contamination.

A Global Collaboration for Community-Based Disaster Preparation and Health Promotion: Fukushima to Zuunbayan in Mongolia.

Excessive radiation exposure has adverse effects on health. In Fukushima, psychological issues such as anxiety are still affecting people nine years after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011. In light of the lessons learned from Fukushima communities, a joint Japanese and Mongolian research team introduced a community program to the Zuunbayan district in Mongolia, which is located near a uranium deposit, to promote good health by strengthening radiation emergency preparedness. The program, which commenced in 2017, aimed to increase community participation, education, information dissemination, and capacity of community preparedness. After two years a monitoring study showed that, out of 227 respondents, the proportions who thought that any level of radiation was dangerous decreased from 53.3% in 2017 to 33.9% in 2019. Moreover, half of the respondents knew that there were safe and unsafe radiation levels and that their community was safe. This global collaboration demonstrated that a lesson learned from a disaster can be applied to other countries and changed people's recognition and behavior toward good health and disaster/emergency preparedness.

Higher psychological distress experienced by evacuees relocating outside Fukushima after the nuclear accident: The Fukushima Health Management Survey

BackgroundThis self-administered mail survey examined whether post-disaster residential location after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident affected psychological distress, with related factors. MethodsWe targeted 180,604 individuals, including 24,177 residents within evacuation order areas, in FY2011 and FY2015. Psychological distress trajectory was examined using a growth mixture model (GMM) on a total K6 score per year. Relationships between post-disaster residential location and psychological distress trajectory were examined. ResultsGMM analysis showed five distress trajectories: Group 1, continuously low (less distressed) K6 scores from FY2011; Group 2, higher than Group 1 but lower than other groups; Group 3, similar to Group 2 in FY2011 but increasing afterwards; Group 4, gradual decline (improvement) from high scores in FY2011; Group 5, continuously high throughout. Post-disaster residential location in FY2011 and trajectory type was significantly associated after adjusting for covariates. Within-prefecture residents outnumbered out-of-prefecture residents in Group 1 and vice versa in Group 5. Significant associations between residential location and distress trajectory disappeared when additional covariates (job loss, FY2012 social network, and FY2012 problem drinking) were entered into multinomial logistic regression models. Similar tendencies were observed with FY2015 residential location as the exposure variable: those who continued living out-of-prefecture had higher psychological distress than those living within (or returned to) the prefecture, owing to covariates. ConclusionsTo prepare for future disasters, networks and systems must be established to support problem drinkers and assist with re-employment. A seamless social network will allow evacuees access to appropriate support wherever they evacuate to.

An INRS cause tree method assessment for complex accidents analysis: Application to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants accident

This article proposes a new approach to the Cause Tree Method (CTM) or also known as the INRS method (Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité), with the aim of verifying its applicability for accidents in more complex environments, than they are often used, like work accidents. For this, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology was used as a way of supporting the comparison with other accident investigation methods, in which, selected the most impacting criteria for the analysis of complex accidents. From which it allowed the comparison of the results of the analyses performed of the Fukushima accident by the NUREG - 0492 method and the INRS method.In addition, this is an innovative approach in the study of the Fukushima accident, since it makes it possible to know the influences of the main components in the occurrence of the accident and the spread of damage. It was observed that the INRS method obtains an advantage over the NUREG - 0492 method in 2 criteria of the 3 criteria selected as relevant in the investigation of complex accidents. In addition, to the analysis made of the accident, it is understood that although the geographic location of the nuclear station anticipates the occurrence of earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis, safety plans were inefficient to contain the damage. Thus, it is verified, through the comparative analysis between methods and case study, that the INRS method is a robust and viable option to assess complex accidents.

Distrust in government and its relationship with mental health after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident.

Distrust in authorities has negative effects on mental health. In this study, we aimed to explore whether the impact of distrust in government on mental health became stronger in the area heavily affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. We examined the effects of distrust in the national government on depressive symptoms three years after the accident among community residents in Fukushima prefecture using those in the Kanto area (the area surrounding Tokyo) as a control. A questionnaire survey was administered to a random sample of 1000 residents in Fukushima prefecture and 1650 residents in the Kanto area. Distrust in the national government was assessed using a four-point single-item scale. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The associations of residential area (i.e. living in Fukushima prefecture or in the Kanto area) and distrust in the national government with depressive symptoms were examined, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and disaster-related experiences using multivariate linear regression analyses. We used the interaction term of residential area and distrust in the government to explore the difference in the association between the respondents in Fukushima prefecture and those in the Kanto area. Valid responses were obtained from 976 (36.8%) residents. Distrust in the government was associated with depressive symptoms and the association was stronger in Fukushima prefecture than in the Kanto area. The deleterious effects of distrust in the government on mental health may become more serious after a nuclear power plant accident and require careful attention during support activities in an affected area.

Hyperspectral assessment of soil fertility in farm fields in Fukushima decontaminated after the radioactive fallout

ABSTRACT Farmland in the Fukushima region of Japan experienced unprecedented radioactive contamination as a result of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster in 2011. Many fields (4,950 ha; over 30,000 fields to date) have been decontaminated by replacing the top surface soil with non-contaminated soil. However, the fertility of these fields is quite low and within-field heterogeneity is marked. Accordingly, appropriate management of soil and fertilizer is required for recovery of crop productivity in these decontaminated fields. Remote sensing can play a critical role in rapid spatial assessment of soil fertility. This preliminary study investigated the potential of spectral sensing approaches based on hyperspectral reflectance measurements (400–2500 nm) of soil samples from a decontaminated paddy field in the Fukushima region. Spectral index algorithms (the ratio spectral index [RSI] and normalized difference spectral index [NDSI]) and multivariate regression methods (partial least-squares regression [PLSR] and interval PLSR [iPLSR]) were used to identify accurate, robust predictive models. The iPLSR and PLSR showed higher predictive accuracy than the other methods (r2 val = 0.937 and 0.802, respectively). The best spectral indices explored using RSI and NDSI have good potential for assessing the spatial variability of soil carbon content (SC; r2 val = 0.730 ~ 0.844), despite using only two wavebands. The results from the RSI map (or NDSI map) approach provided useful information for creating optimal algorithms for assessing SC values using various sensors, including high-resolution optical satellite sensors. Although we must note that optimal algorithms and their applicability are often site-specific depending on soil type and surface conditions, our results imply that these spectral sensing methods can contribute to the recovery of soil fertility of decontaminated fields in the Fukushima region through careful calibration/validation procedures with sufficient in situ data.

Iodine deficiency disorders as a non-infectious epidemic: a look at the problem at the tome of COVID-19 pandemic

Radioactive iodine, flying out of the destroyed reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, like a corona virus quickly spread throughout Europe. Iodine deficiency in the regions of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia adjacent to nuclear power plants became a factor in increased uptake of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland in children and after 5 years led to an epidemic of thyroid cancer. Optimal iodine intake could become a kind of vaccination, which sharply reduces the risk of developing thyroid cancer, as has happened after the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. Endemic goiter was eliminated 50 years ago, but returned to the country in the early 1990s after the collapse of iodized salt production and has not been eliminated to this day due to the lack of a legislative framework for mandatory salt iodization. The actual average consumption of iodine by residents of Russia is from 40 to 80 mcg per day, which is 23 times less than the recommended norm. Mild and moderate iodine deficiency was detected throughout the Russian Federation, and it is more typical for the the rural population. The iodine deficiency has the greatest negative effect on the psychomotor development of the child during the critical period the first 1000 days of life from the moment of conception to the end of the second year of life. According to WHO, over the past 20 years, iodine deficiency has been eliminated in 115 countries of the world, and the number of iodine-deficient countries has dropped to 25, but Russia is still among them. We believe that after the COVID-19 pandemic, it will no longer be necessary to prove the need for effective support for the prevention of both infectious and non-infectious diseases, and the declared preventive direction of Russian medicine will indeed become such.

Mechanistic study on the removal of Cs from contaminated soil by rapid ion exchange in subcritical water

ABSTRACT As a result of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in March 2011, massive amounts of soil were contaminated with radioactive Cs. To remediate the contaminated soil, we are developing a desorption technique for removing Cs from soil using subcritical water. In the contaminated soil, the radioactive Cs is stably trapped in the interlayers of the clay minerals, making the use of traditional desorption approaches ineffective. However, we found that rapid ion exchange of Cs with multivalent cations in subcritical water is an effective desorption technique. To understand the mechanism and structural aspects of this process, in situ observations of the soil layer in subcritical water were carried out by high-energy X-ray diffraction together with pair distribution function analysis, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis at SPring-8. Simulated contaminated soil (vermiculite) loaded with non-radioactive Cs+ was packed into a column equipped with observation ports and MgCl2 solution was passed through the column at a fixed flow rate under various conditions. Both the desorption experiments and structural studies indicated that conformational changes of the layer containing Cs+ under subcritical water conditions promoted intercalation of the hydrated Mg and trapped Cs+, which facilitated a rapid ion-exchange reaction of Mg2+ and Cs+.

Environmental Issue of Coal Ash Imported From Japan after Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Disaster: A Case Review in South Korea

Since many countries were reluctant to dispose of waste with hazardous substances in their territories to protect their own country, they relied on exporting the waste to underdeveloped or developing countries in an easy way to solve this problem...

Speciation of cesium in tree tissues and its implication for uptake and translocation of radiocesium in tree bodies

Since the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents, extensive research has focused on the distribution and cycle of radiocesium in forest systems. Nevertheless, direct chemical speciation analyses of Cs by spectroscopic methods are limited by the low abundances of stable Cs as well as radiocesium in trees. In this study, we investigated coordination structures of Cs in 133Cs-doped bark, sapwood, heartwood, needle, and branch samples of trees collected in Fukushima by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. We examined four representative tree species in Fukushima, Cryptomeria japonica, Pinus densiflora, Quercus serrata, and Eleutherococcus sciadophylloides. EXAFS spectra suggested that Cs was adsorbed as an outer-sphere complex on all parts of the four species, with electrostatic binding to negatively charged functional groups in components of tree tissues. These results were supported by extraction experiments where more than 98.5% of the sorbed Cs was desorbed from all parts of each tree species using 1 M CH3COONH4. Sorption experiments of Cs on cellulose, an important component of plant cell walls, were carried out in ultrapure water, NaCl, and KCl solutions. The Kd values for cellulose and solutions were not high enough to fix Cs, considering the composition of sap in trees. Overall, the results of this study are consistent with previous field observations indicating that radiocesium is translocated in mobile form to metabolically active tree parts.

Novel design and implementation extraction 137Cs from seawater integrated with water quality checker

The main source of 137Cs radioactive releases categorized as global fallout came from nuclear weapon experiments in the past as well as nuclear accidents of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plant that occurred in 1986 and 2011. Radioactive contamination in the atmosphere will be deposited on land and dispersed through the water. The existing operational nuclear facilities and government plan to construct an Experimental Power Reactor in the Serpong Puspitek area could potentially release radioactive 137Cs through the Cisadane river towards into Jakarta Bay. Environmental monitoring of fission products is required to control the level of radioactivity of the marine environment when the new nuclear facilities and existing facilities operate. On the other hand, the old unit has a weakness of adsorption efficiency and suspected not perfectly coated in filter cartridges. Compared with the old design, this unit easily mobilized and integrated with the measurement of seawater parameters refers to pH, conductivity, and temperature. This unit fulfilled IAEA analytical guidelines with the results of decision threshold and detection limit were 0,13 mBq/l and 0,29 mBq/l respectively, also the results of the relative bias and precision test are below the permissible limit.

Coming to terms with Fukushima disaster-related trauma and earlier trauma by constructing a new identity. About a case

The incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety generally increases after disasters, and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear power plant accident were no exception. Psychological first aid providers who deliver interventions to address mental health issues do not emphasize psychiatric expertise, but instead go into the field to help residents rebuild and stabilize their daily lives and provide a link between them and supporters. When psychiatric problems do not improve with such interventions and persist for more than a few years, specialized psychiatric interventions are considered. Past studies have examined the experience of prolonged exposure therapy (a specialized cognitive behavioral therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder) among survivors of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. The participant in this study was a survivor who was evacuated from the nuclear power plant accident but had experienced multiple traumas and had been a victim of domestic violence before the disaster. Recovery in this case did not involve a simple psychiatric treatment for trauma, but rather a process of overcoming the values that caused indulgence in victimization to form a new identity.

Deposition of Fukushima nuclear power plant accident-derived radiocesium in the soils of Jeju Island, Korea, and evidence for long- and short-lived radionuclides in rainwater

In this study, we investigated the concentrations of Fukushima nuclear power plant accident (FNPPA)-derived radiocesium (134Cs, 137Cs) deposited in the topsoil of Jeju Island, Korea. We also evaluated the soil inventories of radionuclides and compared the concentrations deposited by rainwater and fallout. We present the first evidence of FNPPA-derived radionuclides directly entering the environment of Jeju Island. In the case of FNPPA-derived 134Cs in soil, only a trace amount was identified in the surface layer (1 cm depth), whereas 137Cs derived from past atmospheric deposition of nuclear testing were detected along with those derived from the nuclear power plant accident. The total measured radiocesium (134Cs + 137Cs) indicates that although the value obtained from soils was slightly lower, both values were within the same order of magnitude. Of the FNPPA-derived radiocesium deposited in the soil, the impact from April 2011 was the largest at most sampling sites indicating that the radioactive plume directly covered Jeju Island. Furthermore, a variety of long- and short-lived gamma-emitting radionuclides were detected in the rainwater samples collected on April 7, 2011. Among them, short-lived radionuclides such as 140La, 110mAg, 95Nb, 125Sb, 113Sn, 129Te, 129mTe, 132Te, 132I, and 136Cs, were observed. The findings of this study provide evidence for the direct effects of FNPPA-derived radionuclides in Jeju Island. This is the first location in Korea and the first in the entire East Asian region, excluding Japan that is confirmed to have been directly affected FNPP accident.

Radiocesium concentrations in mushrooms collected in Kawauchi Village five to eight years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011, radionuclides such as iodine-131, cesium-134 and cesium-137 were released into environment. In this study, we collected wild mushrooms from the Kawauchi Village of Fukushima Prefecture, located less than 30 km southwest of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, to evaluate their radiocesium (134Cs+137Cs) concentrations and the risk of internal radiation exposure in local residents. 342 mushroom samples were collected from 2016 to 2019. All samples were analysed for radiocesium content by a high-purity germanium detector. Among 342 mushroom samples, 260 mushroom samples (76%) were detected the radiocesium exceeding the regulatory limit of radiocesium (100 Bq/kg for general foods in Japan). The median of committed effective dose from ingestion of wild mushrooms was in the range of 0.015-0.053 mSv in 2016, 0.0025-0.0087 mSv in 2017, 0.029-0.110 mSv in 2018 and 0.011-0.036 mSv in 2019 based on the assumption that Japanese citizens consumed wild mushrooms for 1 year. Thus, our study showed that although radiocesium is still detected in mushrooms collected in Kawauchi village even after 5 to 9 years later, the committed effective dose due to consuming mushrooms was lower than 1 mSv per year. Long-term comprehensive follow-up should monitor radiocesium concentrations in wild mushrooms to support the recovery of the community after the nuclear disaster.

Impact of Electric Power Pricing Reforms on the Japan’s Industry and Household Sector

<p align="justify">After the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, Japan had an opportunity to advance its economic and energy policies to pursue stable energy supply, economic efficiency, environmental security, and safety. The accident not only raised concerns regarding the safety of nuclear power plants but also increased awareness regarding the effect of energy import growth on the economy and related issues such as the effect of imports on Japan’s international competitiveness. This study simulates the impact on electricity prices using three potential scenarios for Japan. According to the results, the consumer price index (CPI) was larger than the corporate goods price index (CGPI) for Japan in all cases. In the simulation results, the CPI was observed to have an increased effect of 0.88%–3.59% against a 0.84%–3.41% increase in the CGPI. The surge in electricity prices significantly impacted the supply of electricity, gas, and heating and also the business services sector. The cost of policies that maintain safety, the increase in costs resulting from the overseas importation of fossil fuels, and the cost of promoting renewable energy in conjunction with the reutilization of nuclear power plants leading to higher electricity prices will also be considered in the future.</p>

Current Status of Reactors Deployment and Small Modular Reactors Development in the World

Abstract Due to emerging climate change concerns coupled with increased global energy demand, eventually the world needs to move to low-carbon-emission electricity-generating sources—nonrenewables, such as nuclear power, and renewables, as hydro, wind, geothermal, solar, and tidal. The only source is nuclear power that is reliable, concentrated, and can be of large installed capacity and operate with high capacity factors. This paper updates and presents the current status of nuclear-power deployment and small modular reactors (SMRs) development in the world. Unfortunately, within last 9 years, electricity generation with nuclear power has decreased from ∼14% before the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) severe accident in March of 2011 to about ∼10%. Therefore, it is important to follow up with and understand the latest trends in nuclear power including SMRs development.