Internal Radiation Exposure Dose in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture after the Accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant

Abstract

As a result of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) on 11 March 2011, a huge amount of radionuclides, including radiocesium, was released and spread over a wide area of eastern Japan. Although three years have passed since the accident, residents around the FNPP are anxious about internal radiation exposure due to radiocesium. In this study, we screened internal radiation exposure doses in Iwaki city of Fukushima prefecture, using a whole-body counter. The first screening was conducted from October 2012 to February 2013, and the second screening was conducted from May to November 2013. Study participants were employees of ALPINE and their families who underwent examination. A total of 2,839 participants (1,366 men and 1,473 women, 1–86 years old) underwent the first screening, and 2,092 (1,022 men and 1,070 women, 1–86 years old) underwent the second screening. The results showed that 99% of subjects registered below 300 Bq per body in the first screening, and all subjects registered below 300 Bq per body in the second screening. The committed effective dose ranged from 0.01–0.06 mSv in the first screening and 0.01–0.02 mSv in the second screening. Long-term follow-up studies are needed to avoid unnecessary chronic internal exposure and to reduce anxiety among the residents by communicating radiation health risks.

Evaluation of the Relationship between Current Internal 137Cs Exposure in Residents and Soil Contamination West of Chernobyl in Northern Ukraine

“…Selected foodstuffs (e.g., milk, vegetables, grains, meat, fish) containing radioactive material exceeding the provisional regulation values recommended on 17 March 2011 by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare were prohibited from distribution on 21 March 2011 and from consumption on 23 March 2011. As a consequence of this strategy, internal exposure to 134 Cs and 137 Cs among residents of Fukushima has been very limited [ 16 – 18 ]. On the other hand, our study shows that the 137 Cs body burden in residents living in the contaminated area still correlates with the 137 Cs soil contamination level of their family farm even now, almost 30 years after the nuclear power plant accident.…”

Radiocesium concentrations in wild mushrooms after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station: Follow-up study in Kawauchi village

“…Due to these policies, internal exposure doses among the residents of Fukushima were relatively limited. Internal radiation exposure doses from the activity concentration of artificial radionuclides have been evaluated by whole body counters (WBCs) in Fukushima Prefecture 3 – 7 . Fukushima Prefecture reported the results of internal radiation doses measured from June 2011 to October 2016 in 307,208 individuals.…”

Whole-Body Counter(WBC) and food radiocesium contamination surveys in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture

“…A few months after the accident, the level of I-131 decreased due to its short life, and Cs-134 and Cs-137 became the main radionuclides detected in the environment around FDNPP [7]. Fortunately, Cs-134 and Cs-137 are strong γ-emitters, which allows for their fast, straightforward, and reliable detection and quantification using γ-spectroscopy.…”

“…Several studies have assessed internal radiation exposure to radiocesium using WBC [7]. However, there are few that have discussed the internal exposure of Cs and the contamination of everyday food products [9].…”