Individual Radiation Exposure Dose Due to Support Activities at Safe Shelters in Fukushima Prefecture

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 6; no. 11; p. e27761
• Main Authors: Monzen, Satoru, Hosoda, Masahiro, Tokonami, Shinji, Osanai, Minoru, Yoshino, Hironori, Hosokawa, Yoichiro, Yoshida, Mitsuaki A., Yamada, Masatoshi, Asari, Yasushi, Satoh, Kei, Kashiwakura, Ikuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 16.11.2011; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Biological effects; Biology; Civilian evacuation; Contamination; Drug dosages; Emergency medical care; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Exposure - prevention & control; Exposure; Health risk assessment; Health sciences; Humans; Institutions; Life sciences; Medicine; Nuclear accidents; Nuclear accidents & safety; Nuclear electric power generation; Nuclear energy; Nuclear power; Nuclear power plants; Physics; Power plants; Radiation; Radiation (Physics); Radiation Dosage; Radiation effects; Radiation exposure; Radiation Injuries - etiology; Radiation Injuries - prevention & control; Radiation measurement; Radiation Monitoring; Radiation Protection; Radioactive Fallout - prevention & control; Radioactive Hazard Release - prevention & control; Radioactive materials; Radioactive substances; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Safety Management; Seismology; Shelters; University graduates; Urban areas
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027761
• ISSN: 1932-6203

Immediately after the accidents in the nuclear power stations in Fukushima on March 11, the Japanese Government ordered the evacuation of the residents within a 20-km radius from the station on March 12, and asked various institutions to monitor the contamination levels of the residents. Hirosaki University, which is located 355 km north of Fukushima City, decided to send support staff to Fukushima. This report summarizes the results of the exposure of 13 individual teams from March 15 to June 20. The support teams surveyed more than 5,000 people during this period. Almost all subjects had external contamination levels of less than 13 kcpm on Geiger-Müller (GM) survey meter, which is categorized as "no contamination level." The 1(st) team showed the highest external exposure dose, but the 4(th) team onward showed no significant change. Subsequently, the internal radiation exposure was measured using a whole body counter that indicated undetectable levels in all staff members. Although the measured external radiation exposure dose cannot have serious biological effects on the health of an individual, a follow-up study of the residents in Fukushima and other regions where the radioactive material has spread will be required for a long time.