Dataset Information

Indoor radiocaesium contamination in residential houses within evacuation areas after the Fukushima nuclear accident.

ABSTRACT: Indoor contaminants were investigated from July 2013 to January 2015 within ninety-five residential houses in five evacuation zones, Iitate village, Odaka district, and the towns of Futaba, Okuma, and Tomioka. A dry smear test was applied to the surface of materials and structures in rooms and in the roof-space of houses. We found that (134)Cs and (137)Cs were the dominant radionuclides in indoor surface contamination, and there was a distance dependence from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP). For surface contamination in Iitate village (29-49?km from the FDNPP), 24.8% of samples exceeded the detection limit, which is quite a low value, while in Okuma (<3.0?km from the FDNPP), 99.7% of samples exceeded the detection limit and surface contamination levels exceeded 20?Bq/cm(2) (the value was corrected to March 2011). In residential houses in Okuma, Futaba, and Tomioka, closer to the FDNPP than those in Odaka district and Iitate village, surface contamination was inversely proportional to the square of the distance between a house and the FDNPP. In the houses closest to the FDNPP, the contribution of surface contamination to the ambient dose equivalent rate was evaluated to be approximately 0.3??Sv/h.

SUBMITTER: Yoshida-Ohuchi H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4876398 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Indoor radiocaesium contamination in residential houses within evacuation areas after the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Yoshida-Ohuchi Hiroko H Kanagami Takashi T Satoh Yasushi Y Hosoda Masahiro M Naitoh Yutaka Y Kameyama Mizuki M

Scientific reports 20160523

Indoor contaminants were investigated from July 2013 to January 2015 within ninety-five residential houses in five evacuation zones, Iitate village, Odaka district, and the towns of Futaba, Okuma, and Tomioka. A dry smear test was applied to the surface of materials and structures in rooms and in the roof-space of houses. We found that (134)Cs and (137)Cs were the dominant radionuclides in indoor surface contamination, and there was a distance dependence from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power ...[more]

PMID: 27212076

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Project description:BackgroundFollowing the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has continued to affect the mental health status of residents in the evacuation zone. To examine the mental health status of evacuee after the nuclear accident, we conducted the Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey as part of the ongoing Fukushima Health Management Survey.MethodsWe measured mental health status using the Kessler 6-item psychological distress scale (K6) in a total of 73,569 (response rate: 40.7%) evacuees aged 15 and over who lived in the evacuation zone in Fukushima Prefecture. We then dichotomized responders using a 12/13 cutoff on the K6, and compared the proportion of K6 scores ≥13 and ≤12 in each risk factor including demographic information, socioeconomic variables, and disaster-related variables. We also performed bivariate analyses between mental health status and possible risk factors using the chi-square test. Furthermore, we performed multivariate regression analysis using modified Poisson regression models.ResultsThe median K6 score was 5 (interquartile range: 1-10). The number of psychological distress was 8,717 (14.6%). We found that significant differences in the prevalence of psychological distress by almost all survey items, including disaster-related risk factors, most of which were also associated with increased Prevalence ratios (PRs). Additionally, we found that psychological distress in each evacuation zone was significantly positively associated with the radiation levels in their environment (r = 0.768, p = 0.002).ConclusionThe earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident likely caused severe psychological distress among residents in the evacuation zone in Fukushima Prefecture. The close association between psychological distress and the radiation levels shows that the nuclear accident seriously influenced the mental health of the residents, which might be exacerbated by increased risk perception. To provide prompt and appropriate support, continued psychosocial intervention for evacuees is strongly recommended.

Dataset Information

Indoor radiocaesium contamination in residential houses within evacuation areas after the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Publications

Indoor radiocaesium contamination in residential houses within evacuation areas after the Fukushima nuclear accident.

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