Dataset Information

Preliminary assessment of ecological exposure of adult residents in Fukushima Prefecture to radioactive cesium through ingestion and inhalation.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

This study aims to estimate the ecological exposure of adult residents of Fukushima Prefecture to ¹³?cesium (Cs) and ¹³?Cs through ingestion and inhalation between July 2 and July 8, 2011.

Methods

Fifty-five sets of meals with tap water, each representing one person's daily intake, were purchased in local towns in Fukushima Prefecture. Locally produced cow's milk (21 samples) and vegetables (43 samples) were also purchased. In parallel, air sampling was conducted at 12 different sites using a high-volume sampler. Nineteen sets of control meals were collected in Kyoto in July 2011. ¹³?Cs and ¹³?Cs levels in the samples were measured using a germanium detector.

Results

Radioactivity was detected in 36 of the 55 sample meals from Fukushima, compared with one of 19 controls from Kyoto. The median estimated dose level (?Sv/year) was 3.0, ranging from not detectable to 83.1. None of the cow's milk (21) or vegetable (49) samples showed levels of contamination above the current recommended limits (Bq/kg) of 200 for milk and 500 for vegetables. The total effective dose levels by inhalation were estimated to be <3 ?Sv/year at nine locations, but samples at three other locations close to the edge of the 20-km radius from the crippled nuclear power plant showed higher levels of contamination (?Sv/year): 14.7 at Iitate, 76.9 at Namie, and 27.7 at Katsurao.

Conclusions

Levels of exposure to ¹³?Cs and ¹³?Cs in Fukushima by ingestion and inhalation are discernible, but generally within recommended limits.

SUBMITTER: Koizumi A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3390562 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Preliminary assessment of ecological exposure of adult residents in Fukushima Prefecture to radioactive cesium through ingestion and inhalation.

Koizumi Akio A Harada Kouji H KH Niisoe Tamon T Adachi Ayumu A Fujii Yukiko Y Hitomi Toshiaki T Kobayashi Hatasu H Wada Yasuhiko Y Watanabe Takao T Ishikawa Hirohiko H

Environmental health and preventive medicine 20111110 4

<h4>Objective</h4>This study aims to estimate the ecological exposure of adult residents of Fukushima Prefecture to ¹³⁴cesium (Cs) and ¹³⁷Cs through ingestion and inhalation between July 2 and July 8, 2011.<h4>Methods</h4>Fifty-five sets of meals with tap water, each representing one person's daily intake, were purchased in local towns in Fukushima Prefecture. Locally produced cow's milk (21 samples) and vegetables (43 samples) were also purchased. In parallel, air sampling was conducted at 12 d ...[more]

PMID: 22071665

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Project description:BackgroundTo shed light on the mental health of evacuees after the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), we evaluate the results of the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS) of the residents at Kawauchi village in Fukushima, which is located less than 30 km from the FDNPS.MethodsWe conducted the cross-sectional study within the framework of the FHMS. Exposure values were "anorexia," "subjective feelings about health," "feelings about sleep satisfaction," and "bereavement caused by the disaster," confounding variables were "age" and "sex," and outcome variables were "K6 points." We collected data from the FHMS, and employed the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) and the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist Stressor-Specific Version (PCL-S) to carry out the research. A total of 13 or greater was the cut-off for identifying serious mental illness using the K6 scale. The study subjects included residents (n = 542) of over 30 years of age from Kawauchi village, and data were used from the period of January 1, 2012 to October 31, 2012.ResultsA total of 474 residents (87.5%) scored less than 13 points in the K6 and 68 (12.6%) scored 13 points or more. The proportion of elderly residents (over 65 years old) among people with K6 score above the cut-off was higher than that among people with K6 score below the cut-off (44.1 vs 31.0%, p < 0.05). In addition, the proportion of residents with anorexia and mental illness among people with K6 score above the cut-off was higher than among people with K6 score below the cut-off (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). The amount of residents who scored 44 points or more in the PCL-S among people with K6 score above the cut-off was also considerably higher than among people with K6 score below the cut-off (79.4 vs 12.9%, p < 0.001). Interestingly, the proportion of residents who scored more than among people with K6 score above the cut-off and the among people with PCL-S score above the cut-off in Kawauchi was higher than in previous studies in other locations.ConclusionsThese results suggest that there are severe mental health problems, such as depression and PTSD, among adults as a consequence of the accident at the FDNPS. Our study showed that residents who lived in the evacuation zone before the disaster are at high risk psychological distress. To facilitate local residents' recovery from Fukushima, there is a need to continue providing them with physical and mental support, as well as communication regarding the health risks of radiation.

Dataset Information

Preliminary assessment of ecological exposure of adult residents in Fukushima Prefecture to radioactive cesium through ingestion and inhalation.

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Preliminary assessment of ecological exposure of adult residents in Fukushima Prefecture to radioactive cesium through ingestion and inhalation.

Similar Datasets

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