One year after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, radiation concerns felt by the public seem to be here to stay. The following article is written in Q&A format, addressing frequently asked questions regarding the consequences of the nuclear plant accident. Answers are given by Mariko Takahashi, a senior staff writer of The Asahi Shimbun, who is well-versed in nuclear energy issues.
One year after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, radiation concerns felt by the public seem to be here to stay. The following article is written in Q&A format, addressing frequently asked questions regarding the consequences of the nuclear plant accident. Answers are given by Mariko Takahashi, a senior staff writer of The Asahi Shimbun, who is well-versed in nuclear energy issues.
Until now, there have been no health problems directly linked to the radiation.
While there are concerns that the number of cancer cases will increase in the future, there are no reliable estimates.
Because it will be difficult to accurately grasp the level of radiation each individual was exposed to, it is believed that no reliable estimates will be obtainable even in the future.
As a result of measurements so far, the judgment was made that the radiation exposure level among residents was much smaller than for the Chernobyl accident.
In the Chernobyl accident, about 200 workers developed symptoms of acute radiation poisoning and 31 people are believed to have died as a result.
In the Fukushima nuclear accident, no workers have been found to have come down with acute radiation sickness.
However, at least three workers have died suddenly from myocardial infarction and other illnesses likely caused by the stressful work.
According to an Asahi Shimbun article that was published on Dec. 13, 2011, while the percentage of those in favor of utilizing nuclear energy was higher than those opposed immediately after the nuclear accident, the percentage of those opposed gradually increased over time. In the public opinion poll conducted by The Asahi Shimbun on Feb. 11-12, 66 percent of the respondents favored gradually reducing the number of nuclear power plants and eventually ending all nuclear power generation. Only 23 percent were opposed to that idea.
Although the central government designated the area within a 20-kilometer radius as a no-entry zone and asked all residents to evacuate, there are plans to lift that in April. At the same time, there are plans to designate those areas with annual radiation exposure levels exceeding 50 millisieverts as those where it will be difficult for residents to return. Areas with annual radiation exposure levels between 20 and 50 millisieverts will have limits on residents living there. Residents will only be allowed to return to areas with levels under 20 millisieverts.
While residents who live in areas of the last category will soon be able to return to their homes, there is a strong possibility that families with small children will not return.
It is believed that it will take several years before residents can return to those areas designated with limits on residents living there. The first category will likely end up being areas where people will never be allowed to live.
Efforts are being made to warn people against eating mushrooms harvested from contaminated forests.
Food products that reach the market have been tested by different agencies, but so far serious contamination has not been detected. Experts are saying there will be no major health effects as long as food reaching the market is eaten.
When the nuclear accident occurred, the government was expected to simulate the spread of radiation with the SPEEDI (System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information) computer system and use the results for evacuation.
In the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the forecasts were not published on the grounds that data had not been obtained on levels of radiation released from the plant.
The forecasts were published more than a week after the accident. The government has admitted that the timing was too late.
The government cannot hide levels of radiation released into the environment because local governments and other entities conduct monitoring all the time and publish the results.
As for soil contamination, results of a survey covering 22,000 locations around the Fukushima No. 1 plant were compiled about six months after the accident.
The science and technology ministry published a detailed soil contamination map, combining the results of the survey and data obtained from monitoring by aircraft, in November.
In the case of the Chernobyl accident, a similar distribution map of radioactive materials was published about three years after the accident.
As for residents’ exposure to radiation, little progress was made because few whole-body counters (WBC) were available to measure data accurately.
A large volume of measurement data was obtained recently. The results have been published on websites of local governments and other places.
It was found that for most people, cesium levels were under measurable detection limits as of January 2012.
More than 20,000 people died as a result of the tsunami. The grief of those who lost loved ones is deep and will continue for a long time.
On the other hand, the struggle against radiation will also play out over an extended period of time. The concerns of the people who live in areas with high levels of radiation will not likely end for a very long time.
Of course, there did appear articles in weekly magazines that incited fear.
However, I believe one reason the public as a whole did not panic was because of the honest reporting conducted by major media organizations.
In the past, there was the mistaken belief that hibakusha could not get married. Now in Fukushima, there are some young people who are saying, "I may not be able to marry if people found out I am from Fukushima."
In fact, the only problems that emerged among children born to the hibakusha in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were only in those cases where the mother was exposed to large levels of radiation during a very limited period of their pregnancy. In all other periods, the exposure to radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had no effect on future generations.
Based on that fact, it is unthinkable that any effects will emerge through the radiation exposure from the Fukushima nuclear accident on babies born in the future.
I believe a major mission of the media is to eliminate discrimination based on misunderstanding.