Objective: The Great East Japan Earthquake (magnitude, 9.0) followed by a large-scale tsunami caused a severe nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Tokyo Electric Company). This study aimed to...Objective: The Great East Japan Earthquake (magnitude, 9.0) followed by a large-scale tsunami caused a severe nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Tokyo Electric Company). This study aimed to evaluate the obstetric outcomes in women in Fukushima prefecture during and after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Methods: We collected information for 12,300 pregnant women who conceived during the 9 months before and after the disaster in Fukushima prefecture. The data of the subjects were analyzed according to the conception date for each pregnancy. Results: Among the women who conceived within 9 months before the disaster, adverse obstetric outcomes were not observed. In contrast, in the case of women who conceived within 6 months after the disaster, an increase in the incidence of preterm birth (less than 37 weeks) and low birth weight (less than 1500 g and less than 2500 g) was observed. Moreover, these women showed an increased incidence of medical complications, such as respiratory diseases and mental disorders. Conclusion: The results of the present study show that the occurrence of adverse obstetric outcomes was higher in the women who conceived within 6 months after the disaster than in those who were pregnant at the time of the disaster. The results may be related to emotional stress such as anxiety about the disaster and emphasize the need for continued investigations and careful management of pregnant woman in disaster areas in the future.展开更多
After the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant(Fukushima nuclear accident)in 2011,Japan quickly took emergency measures to reduce radiation hazards posed by the released radioactive materials....After the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant(Fukushima nuclear accident)in 2011,Japan quickly took emergency measures to reduce radiation hazards posed by the released radioactive materials.As a neighboring country of Japan across the East China Sea,China has also taken some corresponding prevention and control measures.China has continuously strengthened the monitoring of radioactivity in food in recent years.This paper discusses the revision of standards for radioactivity in food,the improvement of methods and equipment,and the updating of monitoring systems performed in China and Japan over the last ten years after the Fukushima Daiichi accident.In addition,this paper outlines the recent problems left over from the nuclear accident,puts forward some views on the progress of important topics,and gives some thoughts and prospects on the further improvement of the monitoring systems of radioactivity in food in China.展开更多
Nuclear power was designed to produce electric power. Each part of the chain from uranium mining to handling of the waste is linked to serious contamination risks, however. Uranium mining is generally linked to local ...Nuclear power was designed to produce electric power. Each part of the chain from uranium mining to handling of the waste is linked to serious contamination risks, however. Uranium mining is generally linked to local to regional contamination. The fuel production also produces depleted uranium at a ratio of 1:7. The reactors are operating under danger of accidents. Numerous minor accidents and endless temporary shut-downs are occasionally mixed with disastrous accidents. The Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) accidents are notorious. The radioactive contamination from those accidents is still incomprehensible and will keep serious destructions of the environment for centuries to come. The handling of the high-level nuclear waste remains unsolved. Methods proposed in Sweden, Finland and France seem likely to lead to disastrous radioactive contaminations in the future. The only way out of this dilemma seems to be a disposal where the waste, though effectively sealed-off in the bedrock, remains accessible and controllable. At present, the “cost & benefit” balance seems strongly tilted over to the “far too costly side”, however.展开更多
For a more systematic understanding of the levels of environmental tritium and its behavior in East Asia,a database on environmental tritium was established based on the literature published in the past 30 years.Subse...For a more systematic understanding of the levels of environmental tritium and its behavior in East Asia,a database on environmental tritium was established based on the literature published in the past 30 years.Subsequently,the levels and behavior of the environmental tritium were further studied by statistical analyses.The results indicate that the distribution of environmental tritium is inhomogeneous and complex.In areas without nuclear facilities,the level of environmental tritium has decreased to its background level,even though a certain number of atmospheric nuclear tests were performed before 1980.In general,the level of atmospheric tritium was marginally higher than the levels in precipitation and surface water;the levels in shallow groundwater and seawater were considerably lower.Furthermore,the levels of tritium in the atmosphere,precipitation,and inland surface water were strongly correlated with latitude and distance from the coastline.In soil and living organisms,the level of tissue-free water tritium(TFWT)was comparable to the tritium levels in local rainfall,whereas the persistence of organically bound tritium(OBT)in the majority of organisms resulted in an OBT/TFWT ratio greater than one.Conversely,extremely high levels of environmental tritium were observed near certain nuclear power plants and the Fukushima accident sites.These results highlight the requirement to know the tritium baseline level and its behavior in the environment beforehand to better assess the impact of tritium discharge.Further investigations of environmental tritium in East Asia using more efficient and adequate monitoring methods are also required.展开更多
After 10 years of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident,Japan decided to release the nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on 13 April 2021.It is apparent that Japan has chosen the most cost-efficient way to deal with th...After 10 years of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident,Japan decided to release the nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on 13 April 2021.It is apparent that Japan has chosen the most cost-efficient way to deal with the contaminated water,however,great opposition and concerns have been raised internationally due to the ecotoxicological features of radioactive materials and their harmful impacts on the environment.Here we an-alyze the ecological impacts caused by the nuclear accident and the potential impacts of releasing the nuclear wastewater into the ocean.Science-based solutions are proposed through a third-party evaluation and strict envi-ronmental assessment,multi-stakeholder public participation,integrated monitoring of the neighboring coastal countries,long-term international collaborative research,and setting up international convention for ecological compensation.展开更多
<strong>Aim: </strong>To clarify transformation of the participants’ consciousness for rebuilding the community and its factors from the discussion contents by actions for male elderly people in Town A in...<strong>Aim: </strong>To clarify transformation of the participants’ consciousness for rebuilding the community and its factors from the discussion contents by actions for male elderly people in Town A in Fukushima prefecture. <strong>Design: </strong>This study was an action research. <strong>Method: </strong>The author verbalized discussion contents of the action conducted in 2018-2019 and analyzed them for each year by the text mining method. <strong>Results: </strong>The word appearance frequency was high in the order of “Person” and “Town A” in both years. One large word network was formed in 2018 and its topic was about what the participants feel in their life in Town A. Two large word networks were formed in 2019 and their topic was about the community participation including difficulty in motivating others such as how people who do not participate can feel like joining it.展开更多
At the site of nuclear accidents,fjrefjghters situated near nuclear power plants(NPPs)assume responsibility for suppressing fjres and rescuing workers from leaked radiation.Their timely responses to nuclear emergencie...At the site of nuclear accidents,fjrefjghters situated near nuclear power plants(NPPs)assume responsibility for suppressing fjres and rescuing workers from leaked radiation.Their timely responses to nuclear emergencies can prevent or minimize the catastrophic impacts of these accidents.Despite their important role in nuclear emergency management,little is known about the factors that influence fjrefjghters'nuclear emergency responses.We recruited 179 Korean fjrefjghters(96%male)situated near NPPs.We examined whether and how knowledge regarding nuclear accidents and trust in the authorities operating nuclear power plants were related to fjrefjghters'risk perceptions of nuclear accidents to predict their preparedness and willingness to respond to nuclear emergencies.Our results indicate that trust moderated the effect of knowledge on the perceived risk of nuclear accidents,and that the perceived risk mediated the relationship between knowledge and fjrefjghters'preparedness and willingness to respond to nuclear emergencies.The results revealed a pattern of moderated mediation,in which perceived risk mediated the indirect effect of knowledge on preparedness and willingness when the fjrefjghters'trust was low,but not when it was high.展开更多
Modern society is confronted with emerging threats from chemical,biological,and radiological(CBR)hazardous substances,which are intensively utilized in the chemical,medical,and energy industries.The atmospheric dis-pe...Modern society is confronted with emerging threats from chemical,biological,and radiological(CBR)hazardous substances,which are intensively utilized in the chemical,medical,and energy industries.The atmospheric dis-persion of released CBR hazardous pollutants can influence a large percentage of the population owing to their rapid process with extensive spatial coverage.It is important to comprehensively understand the behaviors of the released CBR pollutants in the atmosphere to fully evaluate the risks and protect public safety.In this study,we reviewed the advancements in the atmospheric transport of CBR pollutants,including the urban atmospheric boundary layer,unique concepts,and models for CBR pollutants.We underlined the development of innovative methodologies(e.g.,inverse estimation and data assimilation methods)for the atmospheric transport of acciden-tally released CBR pollutants to reduce uncertainties in emissions and accumulated errors during dispersion by combining numerical models with monitoring data.Finally,we introduced progress in quantitative risk assess-ment,including exposure assessment and dose-response relationships for CBR hazardous pollutants.A framework,source,assimilation,fundamentals,exposure,and risk(SAFER),has been proposed to integrate the key compo-nents in the risk assessment of airborne CBR hazardous pollutants.These methods and models can contribute to effective risk preparedness,prevention,evidence-based policymaking,and emergency response to airborne CBR pollutants.展开更多
In the long-term phases,clear risk communication in the post-Fukushima era is necessary and significant.It is the most urgent in this post-accident phase is for residents to access to all the information available wit...In the long-term phases,clear risk communication in the post-Fukushima era is necessary and significant.It is the most urgent in this post-accident phase is for residents to access to all the information available within the scope of current knowledge in order to support their life decisions.For full recovery,authorities,specialists,international organizations,media,and the public will need to work together.The speed of innovation in risk communication should catch up to the development speed of the internet.Long-term communication will be necessary.Learning about the Fukushima nuclear accident experience is essential for the prevention and risk communication of possible accidents in the future.展开更多
Radiocesium is frequently present in radioactive wastewater,while its removal is still a challenge due to its small hydrated radius,high diffusion coefficient,and similar chemical behavior to other alkali metal elemen...Radiocesium is frequently present in radioactive wastewater,while its removal is still a challenge due to its small hydrated radius,high diffusion coefficient,and similar chemical behavior to other alkali metal elements with high background concentrations.This review summarized and analyzed the recent advances in the removal of Cs+from aqueous solutions,with a particular focus on adsorption and membrane separation methods.Various inorganic,organic,and biological adsorbents have undergone assessments to determine their efficacy in the removal of cesium ions.Additionally,membrane-based separation techniques,including reverse osmosis,forward osmosis,and membrane distillation,have also shown promise in effectively separating cesium ions from radioactive wastewater.Additionally,this review summarized the main approaches,including Kurion/SARRY system+desalination system and advanced liquid processing system,implemented after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in Japan to remove radionuclides from contaminated water.Adsorption technology and membrane separation technology play a vital role in treatment of contaminated water.展开更多
文摘Objective: The Great East Japan Earthquake (magnitude, 9.0) followed by a large-scale tsunami caused a severe nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Tokyo Electric Company). This study aimed to evaluate the obstetric outcomes in women in Fukushima prefecture during and after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Methods: We collected information for 12,300 pregnant women who conceived during the 9 months before and after the disaster in Fukushima prefecture. The data of the subjects were analyzed according to the conception date for each pregnancy. Results: Among the women who conceived within 9 months before the disaster, adverse obstetric outcomes were not observed. In contrast, in the case of women who conceived within 6 months after the disaster, an increase in the incidence of preterm birth (less than 37 weeks) and low birth weight (less than 1500 g and less than 2500 g) was observed. Moreover, these women showed an increased incidence of medical complications, such as respiratory diseases and mental disorders. Conclusion: The results of the present study show that the occurrence of adverse obstetric outcomes was higher in the women who conceived within 6 months after the disaster than in those who were pregnant at the time of the disaster. The results may be related to emotional stress such as anxiety about the disaster and emphasize the need for continued investigations and careful management of pregnant woman in disaster areas in the future.
文摘After the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant(Fukushima nuclear accident)in 2011,Japan quickly took emergency measures to reduce radiation hazards posed by the released radioactive materials.As a neighboring country of Japan across the East China Sea,China has also taken some corresponding prevention and control measures.China has continuously strengthened the monitoring of radioactivity in food in recent years.This paper discusses the revision of standards for radioactivity in food,the improvement of methods and equipment,and the updating of monitoring systems performed in China and Japan over the last ten years after the Fukushima Daiichi accident.In addition,this paper outlines the recent problems left over from the nuclear accident,puts forward some views on the progress of important topics,and gives some thoughts and prospects on the further improvement of the monitoring systems of radioactivity in food in China.
文摘Nuclear power was designed to produce electric power. Each part of the chain from uranium mining to handling of the waste is linked to serious contamination risks, however. Uranium mining is generally linked to local to regional contamination. The fuel production also produces depleted uranium at a ratio of 1:7. The reactors are operating under danger of accidents. Numerous minor accidents and endless temporary shut-downs are occasionally mixed with disastrous accidents. The Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) accidents are notorious. The radioactive contamination from those accidents is still incomprehensible and will keep serious destructions of the environment for centuries to come. The handling of the high-level nuclear waste remains unsolved. Methods proposed in Sweden, Finland and France seem likely to lead to disastrous radioactive contaminations in the future. The only way out of this dilemma seems to be a disposal where the waste, though effectively sealed-off in the bedrock, remains accessible and controllable. At present, the “cost & benefit” balance seems strongly tilted over to the “far too costly side”, however.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11375048 and 11775053).
文摘For a more systematic understanding of the levels of environmental tritium and its behavior in East Asia,a database on environmental tritium was established based on the literature published in the past 30 years.Subsequently,the levels and behavior of the environmental tritium were further studied by statistical analyses.The results indicate that the distribution of environmental tritium is inhomogeneous and complex.In areas without nuclear facilities,the level of environmental tritium has decreased to its background level,even though a certain number of atmospheric nuclear tests were performed before 1980.In general,the level of atmospheric tritium was marginally higher than the levels in precipitation and surface water;the levels in shallow groundwater and seawater were considerably lower.Furthermore,the levels of tritium in the atmosphere,precipitation,and inland surface water were strongly correlated with latitude and distance from the coastline.In soil and living organisms,the level of tissue-free water tritium(TFWT)was comparable to the tritium levels in local rainfall,whereas the persistence of organically bound tritium(OBT)in the majority of organisms resulted in an OBT/TFWT ratio greater than one.Conversely,extremely high levels of environmental tritium were observed near certain nuclear power plants and the Fukushima accident sites.These results highlight the requirement to know the tritium baseline level and its behavior in the environment beforehand to better assess the impact of tritium discharge.Further investigations of environmental tritium in East Asia using more efficient and adequate monitoring methods are also required.
基金This study was supported by the National Natural Science Founda-tion of China(Grant No.71761147001 and 42030707)the Interna-tional Partnership Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.121311KYSB20190029).
文摘After 10 years of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident,Japan decided to release the nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on 13 April 2021.It is apparent that Japan has chosen the most cost-efficient way to deal with the contaminated water,however,great opposition and concerns have been raised internationally due to the ecotoxicological features of radioactive materials and their harmful impacts on the environment.Here we an-alyze the ecological impacts caused by the nuclear accident and the potential impacts of releasing the nuclear wastewater into the ocean.Science-based solutions are proposed through a third-party evaluation and strict envi-ronmental assessment,multi-stakeholder public participation,integrated monitoring of the neighboring coastal countries,long-term international collaborative research,and setting up international convention for ecological compensation.
文摘<strong>Aim: </strong>To clarify transformation of the participants’ consciousness for rebuilding the community and its factors from the discussion contents by actions for male elderly people in Town A in Fukushima prefecture. <strong>Design: </strong>This study was an action research. <strong>Method: </strong>The author verbalized discussion contents of the action conducted in 2018-2019 and analyzed them for each year by the text mining method. <strong>Results: </strong>The word appearance frequency was high in the order of “Person” and “Town A” in both years. One large word network was formed in 2018 and its topic was about what the participants feel in their life in Town A. Two large word networks were formed in 2019 and their topic was about the community participation including difficulty in motivating others such as how people who do not participate can feel like joining it.
基金supported by the Nuclear Safety Research Program through the Korea Foundation of Nuclear Safety (KOFONS) using the financial resources granted by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of the Republic of Korea (No. 1605002)a 2019 Research Grant from Kangwon National University
文摘At the site of nuclear accidents,fjrefjghters situated near nuclear power plants(NPPs)assume responsibility for suppressing fjres and rescuing workers from leaked radiation.Their timely responses to nuclear emergencies can prevent or minimize the catastrophic impacts of these accidents.Despite their important role in nuclear emergency management,little is known about the factors that influence fjrefjghters'nuclear emergency responses.We recruited 179 Korean fjrefjghters(96%male)situated near NPPs.We examined whether and how knowledge regarding nuclear accidents and trust in the authorities operating nuclear power plants were related to fjrefjghters'risk perceptions of nuclear accidents to predict their preparedness and willingness to respond to nuclear emergencies.Our results indicate that trust moderated the effect of knowledge on the perceived risk of nuclear accidents,and that the perceived risk mediated the relationship between knowledge and fjrefjghters'preparedness and willingness to respond to nuclear emergencies.The results revealed a pattern of moderated mediation,in which perceived risk mediated the indirect effect of knowledge on preparedness and willingness when the fjrefjghters'trust was low,but not when it was high.
文摘Modern society is confronted with emerging threats from chemical,biological,and radiological(CBR)hazardous substances,which are intensively utilized in the chemical,medical,and energy industries.The atmospheric dis-persion of released CBR hazardous pollutants can influence a large percentage of the population owing to their rapid process with extensive spatial coverage.It is important to comprehensively understand the behaviors of the released CBR pollutants in the atmosphere to fully evaluate the risks and protect public safety.In this study,we reviewed the advancements in the atmospheric transport of CBR pollutants,including the urban atmospheric boundary layer,unique concepts,and models for CBR pollutants.We underlined the development of innovative methodologies(e.g.,inverse estimation and data assimilation methods)for the atmospheric transport of acciden-tally released CBR pollutants to reduce uncertainties in emissions and accumulated errors during dispersion by combining numerical models with monitoring data.Finally,we introduced progress in quantitative risk assess-ment,including exposure assessment and dose-response relationships for CBR hazardous pollutants.A framework,source,assimilation,fundamentals,exposure,and risk(SAFER),has been proposed to integrate the key compo-nents in the risk assessment of airborne CBR hazardous pollutants.These methods and models can contribute to effective risk preparedness,prevention,evidence-based policymaking,and emergency response to airborne CBR pollutants.
文摘In the long-term phases,clear risk communication in the post-Fukushima era is necessary and significant.It is the most urgent in this post-accident phase is for residents to access to all the information available within the scope of current knowledge in order to support their life decisions.For full recovery,authorities,specialists,international organizations,media,and the public will need to work together.The speed of innovation in risk communication should catch up to the development speed of the internet.Long-term communication will be necessary.Learning about the Fukushima nuclear accident experience is essential for the prevention and risk communication of possible accidents in the future.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51578307)the National Key Research and Development Program(No.2016YFC1402507).
文摘Radiocesium is frequently present in radioactive wastewater,while its removal is still a challenge due to its small hydrated radius,high diffusion coefficient,and similar chemical behavior to other alkali metal elements with high background concentrations.This review summarized and analyzed the recent advances in the removal of Cs+from aqueous solutions,with a particular focus on adsorption and membrane separation methods.Various inorganic,organic,and biological adsorbents have undergone assessments to determine their efficacy in the removal of cesium ions.Additionally,membrane-based separation techniques,including reverse osmosis,forward osmosis,and membrane distillation,have also shown promise in effectively separating cesium ions from radioactive wastewater.Additionally,this review summarized the main approaches,including Kurion/SARRY system+desalination system and advanced liquid processing system,implemented after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in Japan to remove radionuclides from contaminated water.Adsorption technology and membrane separation technology play a vital role in treatment of contaminated water.
