Fukushima and Hiroshima: Radiation exposure of 2 million people in Fukushima to be surveyed
Jun. 1, 2011
by Seiji Shitakubo, Yo Kono, Staff Writers
On May 27, Fukushima Prefecture announced its decision to conduct a survey that will target the population of the entire prefecture, a total of about 2.02 million people, in order to estimate doses of radiation exposure involving residents. This will be done by tracing people's actions since the accident occurred on March 11 at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant. The survey will employ the history-taking method established when a health survey was conducted for the A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The data will then be utilized to provide a scientific basis for managing people's health and for offering compensation. The survey will be launched at the end of June, starting with those who have lived in areas showing high levels of radiation.
This decision was made at the first meeting of the committee formed to study and manage the health of residents in Fukushima Prefecture. The committee, comprised of Hiroshima University, Nagasaki University, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (in Minami Ward, Hiroshima), and other entities, held the meeting in the city of Fukushima. The survey will be conducted mainly by Fukushima Medical University, with the support of various institutes, including those in Hiroshima and Nagasaki which have developed expertise in the medical care of A-bomb survivors, the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (in the city of Chiba), and the Fukushima Medical Association.
People will be asked to take part in the survey on a voluntary basis. Public health nurses and others will conduct the interview, and the questions will address such things as the length of time people were outdoors in places where radiation levels were high, and what kinds of foods they ate. Using other relevant data, including radiation levels in the air, an individual's exposure dose will be estimated. The survey will commence in late June and, initially, will focus on those who were in areas which have recorded high levels of radiation.
If the survey determines that an individual's exposure may indicate higher health risks in the future, that person will be examined closely. Their internal exposure will also be assessed by taking blood and urine samples, and using whole-body counters. The results will be communicated to each individual, and the overall statistics will be made public.
After the meeting, Kenji Kamiya, director of Hiroshima University’s Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine and a specialist in the damaging effects of radiation, said, “We would like to make the best use of the expertise accumulated in Hiroshima in order to protect the health of the people in Fukushima Prefecture.”
To implement the survey, questions remain to be addressed, such as how to obtain the agreement of over two million people in the prefecture and how to secure a sufficient number of staff to carry out the survey. Shunichi Yamashita, a professor of radiation medicine at Nagasaki University, was appointed chairman of the committee. He emphasized at the press conference: “We must keep in mind that the survey will involve individual residents of the prefecture. We need to take necessary precautions, such as establishing an ethics committee, to protect their personal information.”
(Originally published on May 28, 2011)
On May 27, Fukushima Prefecture announced its decision to conduct a survey that will target the population of the entire prefecture, a total of about 2.02 million people, in order to estimate doses of radiation exposure involving residents. This will be done by tracing people's actions since the accident occurred on March 11 at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant. The survey will employ the history-taking method established when a health survey was conducted for the A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The data will then be utilized to provide a scientific basis for managing people's health and for offering compensation. The survey will be launched at the end of June, starting with those who have lived in areas showing high levels of radiation.
This decision was made at the first meeting of the committee formed to study and manage the health of residents in Fukushima Prefecture. The committee, comprised of Hiroshima University, Nagasaki University, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (in Minami Ward, Hiroshima), and other entities, held the meeting in the city of Fukushima. The survey will be conducted mainly by Fukushima Medical University, with the support of various institutes, including those in Hiroshima and Nagasaki which have developed expertise in the medical care of A-bomb survivors, the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (in the city of Chiba), and the Fukushima Medical Association.
People will be asked to take part in the survey on a voluntary basis. Public health nurses and others will conduct the interview, and the questions will address such things as the length of time people were outdoors in places where radiation levels were high, and what kinds of foods they ate. Using other relevant data, including radiation levels in the air, an individual's exposure dose will be estimated. The survey will commence in late June and, initially, will focus on those who were in areas which have recorded high levels of radiation.
If the survey determines that an individual's exposure may indicate higher health risks in the future, that person will be examined closely. Their internal exposure will also be assessed by taking blood and urine samples, and using whole-body counters. The results will be communicated to each individual, and the overall statistics will be made public.
After the meeting, Kenji Kamiya, director of Hiroshima University’s Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine and a specialist in the damaging effects of radiation, said, “We would like to make the best use of the expertise accumulated in Hiroshima in order to protect the health of the people in Fukushima Prefecture.”
To implement the survey, questions remain to be addressed, such as how to obtain the agreement of over two million people in the prefecture and how to secure a sufficient number of staff to carry out the survey. Shunichi Yamashita, a professor of radiation medicine at Nagasaki University, was appointed chairman of the committee. He emphasized at the press conference: “We must keep in mind that the survey will involve individual residents of the prefecture. We need to take necessary precautions, such as establishing an ethics committee, to protect their personal information.”
(Originally published on May 28, 2011)
