Fukushima - Fallout of Fear

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) / Nuclear Power - Economics, Design, & Industry

Geoff Brumfiel reported that after the Fukushima Tsunami and damage to the nuclear power plant, Japan kept people safe from the physical effects of radiation, but not from the psychological impacts. In the immediate aftermath of the nuclear accident, public-health experts worried about the possible risk from radiation. Subsequent analyses have shown that the prompt evacuation of areas around the reactors probably limited the public exposure to a relatively safe level. But uncertainty, isolation and fears about the invisible threat of radioactivity are jeopardizing the mental health of the 210,000 residents who fled from the nuclear disaster. Researchers and clinicians are trying to assess and mitigate the problems, but it is unclear whether the Japanese government has the will, or the money, to provide the necessary support. Nor is it certain that the evacuees will accept any help, given their distrust of the government and their reluctance to discuss mental problems. This combination, researchers fear, could drive up rates of anxiety, substance abuse and depression. The few attempts made so far, however, have generally shown minimal risk.

The health surveys latest assessment suggests that the dose for nearly all the evacuees was very low, with a maximum of only 25 millisieverts (mSv), well below the 100-mSv exposure that has been linked to an increased risk of cancer in survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The World Health Organization also issued a reassuring report in May, saying that most evacuees from places like Namie received estimated doses between 10 and 50 mSv. It did note, however, that infants might have received a dose that could increase the risk of cancer in their still-developing thyroids. Radiation specialists say that it is difficult to predict the health effects from such low doses.

Original URL: https://www.nature.com/news/fukushima-fallout-of-fear-1.12194