Initiative to enhance radiological resilience

Abstract

The recent events at the Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, have highlighted the need to enhance the resilience to radiological and nuclear events. The incidence and the associated large releases of radioactive materials had and still have an enormous societal and economical impact in Japan and globally. Although no casualties and health effects have been and likely will be attributable directly to radiation, these events have manifold and substantial impact on local communities and have provoked ongoing anxiety and concerns globally. We have established a new initiative on radiological resilience in Berkeley in collaboration with Japanese partners to address the needs for better scientific and technological capabilities to assess, predict, and minimize the impact of radiological contamination and to enhance the understanding of radiation and associated risks in the public. We will motivate the need for such an initiative and the associated opportunities and challenges in Japan and globally.