Risk perception in long-term evacuees of Futaba town, Fukushima: a cross-sectional study reveals greater concerns outside the prefecture, 12 years after the accident.

For over 12 years since the 2011 East Japan Earthquake, the decontamination of radioactive materials is still incomplete. Although evacuation orders had been lifted in ~15% of Futaba town, the site of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, by August 2022, anxiety regarding the effects of nuclear radiation persists among evacuees, and their intention to return (ITR) remains low. As of August 2023, only 90 residents lived there. As the only town with government functions relocated outside Fukushima Prefecture, Futaba has more residents who evacuated outside the prefecture. Although numerous factors affect risk perception and ITR to the place of previous residence, the impact of evacuation destination on risk perception remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of evacuation destination on radiation risk perception. In 2022, a survey was conducted on 404 evacuees aged >18 years. The responses were compared between groups outside and inside Fukushima using the chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Significant relationships were found between the evacuation destination and risk perception of genetic effects in the next generation (odds ratio [OR] = 1.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-3.20) and of the health effects of radiation (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.10-2.84), which were both higher in those who had evacuated outside Fukushima. These findings stress the importance of evacuation destination choice and information access for evacuees' risk perception. Enhanced education and support efforts are necessary to help evacuees not only in Fukushima but also throughout Japan.

Thoughts, perceptions and concerns of coastal residents regarding the discharge of tritium-containing treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean.

BACKGROUND: As a part of the decontamination process after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident of 2011, 1.32 million tonnes of tritium-containing water will be discharged from the power plant into the Pacific Ocean. Although radiobiological impacts of the treated water discharge on the public and the environment were reported to be minimal, Tomioka and Okuma locals expressed unease regarding the long-term recovery of their towns, which are economically dependent on the agricultural, fishery, and tourism sectors. This study presents thoughts, perceptions and concerns of Tomioka and Okuma locals regarding the discharge of FDNPP-treated water containing tritium into the Pacific Ocean to facilitate a more inclusive decision-making process that respects local stakeholder interests. METHODS: Conducted from November to December 2022, surveys were mailed to current residents and evacuees aged 20 years or older registered with the town councils. RESULTS: Out of 1268 included responses, 71.5% were from those > 65 years. 65.6% were unemployed, 76.2% routinely visited hospitals, and 85.5% did not live with children. 61% did not want to return to Okuma/Tomioka. Anxiety about radiation-related health effects (38.7%), consuming food produced in Okuma/Tomioka (48.0%) and genetic effects (45.3%) were low. >50% reported poor physical and mental health. 40% were acceptive, 31.4% were unsure, and 29.7% objected to the discharge plans. Multinomial regression analysis revealed that, compared to acceptive responders, those who objected were more likely to be female, unemployed, and have anxiety about radiation-related genetic effects and poor mental health. Unsure responders were similarly more likely to be female, anxious about radiation-related genetic effects and have poor mental health. CONCLUSION: The poor mental health of the locals, connected to high levels of risk perception and anxiety about the loss of economic opportunities related to the discharge plans, must be addressed. The 30-year discharge process could handicap local industries and hamper post-disaster socioeconomic recovery due to the circulation of false rumours among consumers. These results highlight the need to actively involve residents in the towns' recovery process to address local concerns. The focus should be on the judicious combination of transparent science with the human aspect of recovery and narratives highlighting dialogues between local stakeholders and experts to enable the locals and the general public to make informed decisions about their protection and future.

Assessment of Radiation Risk Perception and Interest in Tritiated Water among Returnees to and Evacuees from Tomioka Town within 20 km of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

In this study, we aimed to investigate radiation risk perception, mental health, and interest in tritiated water among evacuees from and returnees to Tomioka town, Japan, as well as to evaluate the intention to return (ITR) among evacuees living inside and outside Fukushima Prefecture. Of the 1728 respondents, 318 (18.4%) and 1203 (69.6%) participants reported living outside and inside Fukushima Prefecture, and 207 (12.0%) reported living in Tomioka. The ITR was not significantly different between those who lived inside and outside the prefecture among the evacuees. Similarly, there were no significant differences in radiation risk perception, mental health, and interest in tritiated water. However, the evacuees were independently associated with a motivation to learn about tritiated water (OR = 1.242, 95%Cl: 1.041-1.438, p = 0.016), reluctance to consume food from Tomioka (OR = 1.635, 95%Cl: 1.372-1.948, p < 0.001), and concern that adverse health effects would occur because of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident (OR = 1.279, 95%Cl: 1.055-1.550, p = 0.012) compared to returnees, according to logistic regression analysis. Interestingly, the returnees were found to have better mental health but lower life satisfaction than the evacuees. These findings suggest the importance of ongoing risk communication about radiation exposure and tritiated water among residents regardless of their place of residency.

Supporting societal and economic dynamics of recovery: lessons from Chernobyl and Fukushima.

This paper does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.Beyond the consideration of radiological aspects, the rehabilitation of living and working conditions after a large nuclear accident is a complex process in which all dimensions of individual and community life are involved and interconnected. Responsibles of socio-economic entities are facing various difficulties/challenges, including the implementation of protective actions for ensuring the protection of employees, the continuity of production of good-quality products in affected areas, and restoring the confidence of consumers. For affected local communities, the deployment of a socio-economic programme is essential to enable a sustainable future while recognising that a return to the pre-accident situation is generally not achievable. In this context, supporting the societal and economic dynamics of the recovery process requires the adoption of specific governance mechanisms respecting a series of ethical and social values, as highlighted by lessons from the post-accident management of the Chernobyl and Fukshima accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants.

Roles and Activities of International Organizations After the Fukushima Accident.

After the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, overseas experts and representatives of international organizations visited Japan to provide advice, technical support, and resources. Several international meetings on radiological protection and health issues have since been held in Fukushima to provide further advice. The content discussed has changed alongside local developments in health-related issues from radiation health effects and radiological protection to risk communication and psychological, public health, and social issues. The support of international organizations and experts has been valuable in implementing public health and support programs in Fukushima. The Fukushima accident showed that after a nuclear accident, authorities need to balance the risks of radiation with other health effects and develop programs to mitigate the overall effects on health (whole-health management), but there was little evidence of the importance of this at the time. Future research should examine international collaboration to assess this.

FIRST THOMAS S. TENFORDE TOPICAL LECTURE: The Ethics of Radiological Protection.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection system of radiological protection is based on three pillars: science, ethical and social values, and experience. As far as ethics and the protection of humans are concerned, the system combines the values of beneficence/non-maleficence, prudence, justice, and dignity. Beneficence and non-maleficence are directly related to the aim to prevent deterministic effects and to reduce the risk of stochastic effects. Prudence allows taking into account uncertainties concerning both the deterministic and stochastic effects of radiation on health. Justice is the way to ensure social equity and fairness in decisions related to protection. Over the past decade, the system has also integrated procedural values such as right to know, informed consent, stakeholder involvement and self-help protection, and reflecting the importance to properly inform and also preserve the autonomy and dignity of the individuals potentially or actually exposed to radiation. In practice, the search for reasonable levels of protection and tolerable exposure levels is a permanent questioning that depends on the prevailing circumstances in order to act wisely; i.e., with the desire to do more good than harm (beneficence/non-maleficence), to avoid unnecessary exposure (prudence), to seek fair distribution of exposures (justice), and to treat people with respect (dignity).

Application of the Commission's recommendations: the activities of ICRP Committee 4.

Committee 4 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) is responsible for developing principles, recommendations, and guidance on the protection of man against radiation exposure; and considering their practical application in all exposure situations. The Committee also acts as a major point of contact between ICRP and other international organisations and professional bodies concerned with protection against ionising radiation. The current work of the Committee involves the development of a series of reports on implementation of the 2007 Recommendations, and a reflection on the ethical foundations of the radiological protection system. Following the accident in Fukushima, Committee 4 also initiated an analysis of management of the consequences of the accident, with the objective of revising, if necessary, the Commission's publications on emergency and post-accident situations.

Protection of people living in long-term contaminated areas after a nuclear accident: the guidance of ICRP Publication 111.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection provides guidance for the protection of people living in long-term contaminated areas after nuclear accidents or radiological emergencies in ICRP Publication 111 (Ann. ICRP 2009, 39(3)). The prolonged exposures resulting from such events are defined as existing exposure situations and the driving principle for managing exposure situations is the optimization of protection. In conjunction with optimization, the Commission recommends the use of reference levels to restrict individual doses. To be effective, protection strategies to maintain and reduce exposure as low as reasonably achievable should include actions implemented by public authorities and private businesses, but also by the affected population itself. The process through which inhabitants living in a contaminated environment identify problems and apply their own protective actions has been named 'self-help protection' by the Commission. Such a process supposes that affected individuals are fully aware of the situation and are well informed. It is the responsibility of the authorities to establish programmes for continuous radiation monitoring, information and education of the population. The involvement of local professionals and inhabitants in the definition and implementation of protection strategies is a key factor for the sustainability of long-term rehabilitation programmes.

How long is long-term? Reflections based on over 20 years of post-Chernobyl management in Norway.

The radiation protection community has only recently started the important work of preparedness for long-term post-accidental management of radioactively contaminated areas, like for instance the EC projects STRATEGY, FARMING and EURANOS and the French authorities' CODIRPA and PAREX programmes. There are, however, different views concerning how long a long-term management might last. Based on the Norwegian and former Soviet Union experience after the Chernobyl accident, it is clear that a nuclear accident can entail decades of necessary management and rehabilitation of living conditions. The time period is dependent on a number of factors, e.g. amount of fallout, type of radionuclides, land use of contaminated area, number and density of people affected and available techniques and resources for implementing countermeasures. This paper discusses the management strategy implemented in Norway after the Chernobyl accident, the need for changing strategy over time and the important involvement of affected groups. Careful planning and reflections should be undertaken before actions are taken in the recovery phase, keeping in mind the possibility of decades with problems.

Rehabilitation of living conditions in territories contaminated by the Chernobyl accident: the ETHOS project.

The ETHOS Project, supported by the radiation protection research program of the European Commission (EC), was implemented in the mid-1990's with the support of the Belarus authorities as a pilot project to initiate a new approach for the rehabilitation of living conditions in the contaminated territories of the Republic. This initiative followed a series of studies performed in the context of the EC Community of Independent States cooperation program to evaluate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident (1991-1995), which clearly brought to the fore that a salient characteristic of the situation in these territories was the progressive and general loss of control of the population on its daily life. Furthermore, due to the economic difficulties during the years following the breakdown of the USSR, the population was developing private production and, in the absence of know-how and adequate means to control the radiological quality of foodstuffs, the level of internal exposure was rising significantly. The aim of the project was primarily to involve directly the population wishing to stay in the territories in the day-to-day management of the radiological situation with the goal of improving their protection and their living conditions. It was based on clear ethical principles and implemented by an interdisciplinary team of European experts with specific skills in radiation protection, agronomy, social risk management, communication, and cooperation in complex situations, with the support of local authorities and professionals. In a first phase (1996-1999), the ETHOS Project was implemented in a village located in the Stolyn District in the southern part of Belarus. During this phase, a few tens of villagers were involved in a step-by-step evaluation of the local radiological situation to progressively regain control of their daily life. In a second phase (1999-2001), the ETHOS Project was extended to four other localities of the District with the objective to evaluate the feasibility of the application of the ETHOS approach by local professionals and authorities. The ETHOS experience has shown that the direct involvement of the population in the day-to-day management of the radiological situation was a necessary approach to complement the rehabilitation program implemented by public authorities in contaminated territories. It also demonstrated that to be effective and sustainable, this involvement must rely on the dissemination of a "practical radiological protection culture" within all segments of the population, and especially among professionals in charge of public health and education. This paper discusses the post-Chernobyl context in the early- and mid-1990's, which led Belarus authorities to look for new approaches to protect the population residing in the long-term contaminated territories of the Republic. It then describes the ETHOS methodology and its main results. It also summarizes the general conclusions that can be drawn from the ETHOS Project.