Combating ‘fake news’ and social stigma after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant incident— the importance of accurate longitudinal clinical data [PDF]

The health effects of radiation-release incidents are diverse and long-term. Many victims of previous radiation-release incidents faced long-term impacts.1 Although managing direct and indirect radiation effects is crucial after radiation-release incidents at an individual level,1 it is also important to appropriately cope with social impacts on the local community and the public. While social impacts are represented by stigma toward radiation such as avoidance of consuming tap water and local products, avoiding affected areas, and misconception regarding radiation exposure including bullying among evacuated victims after nuclear disaster,2–5 little information is available on possible contributors and necessary countermeasures to reduce such public stigma after radiation-release incidents. Here, we would like to introduce our experience eight years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) incident and lessons to be learned from it.