Nuclear Disasters

Abstract

The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake was an unprecedented triple disaster, with an earthquake and tsunami, followed by a nuclear accident in Fukushima. Human beings have experienced nuclear disasters caused by atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and major nuclear accidents in Chernobyl and Fukushima. Children and fetuses have been widely recognized as more vulnerable to radiation hazards, both externally and internally. As children are more susceptible to ionizing radiation than adults, each nuclear accident demands special attention and care of the vulnerable population. In the early period after a nuclear accident, the primary concern should be to prevent the exposure of children to radioactive iodine through inhalation and ingestion. The Chernobyl accident released large amounts of radioactive materials into the environment. More than 6,000 cases of thyroid cancer have been observed in children who had suffered internal radiation exposure through radioiodine-contaminated milk intake following the accident. The total amount of radioactivity released into the atmosphere in Fukushima was approximately one-tenth of that during the Chernobyl disaster. Consequently, internal radiation exposure through ingestion has been considered negligible in the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Based on the lessons learned from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the Fukushima Health Management Survey was developed to evaluate the health and environmental consequences of the Fukushima accident. This consisted of a basic survey and four detailed surveys: a comprehensive health check, mental health and lifestyle survey, pregnancy and birth survey, and thyroid ultrasound examination for all children. A thyroid ultrasound examination will be conducted every 2 years until children reach the age of 20, and every 5 years after that. Children have been largely ignored in preparations for large-scale nuclear disasters; therefore, pediatric surgeons and pediatricians should be prepared to treat children in the event of future nuclear crises.