A Study on Evacuation Strategies to Minimize Disaster-Related Deaths During Nuclear Disasters
Researchers from the Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology (School of Information and Data Sciences) and the Atomic Bomb Disease Institute at Nagasaki University conducted a study titled “Exposure Doses among Hospitalized Patients and Medical Personnel after the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.” The study results have been published in the international peer-reviewed journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.
Following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) in 2011, evacuation orders were issued for areas within a 20 km radius of the plant, forcing approximately 110,000 residents to evacuate. Among them were many elderly patients who were hospitalized at the time. Numerous deaths occurred during or after evacuation due to a deterioration in physical condition, which are referred to as disaster-related deaths.
To assess evacuation strategies that could minimize such deaths, the study examined early-phase radiation dose rates data from Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, where hospitals were located near the nuclear plant. Using this data, they estimated the radiation exposure doses in several scenarios, including cases in which individuals were hospitalized as patients or were working as medical personnel at the time of the accident.
The results indicated that, despite exceptionally high ambient doses immediately following the accident, the radiation exposure of hospitalized patients and medical personnel remained relatively low due to the shielding effect of the hospital building. Even in the scenario where patients remained in the hospital for one month without evacuation, the estimated radiation doses were significantly lower than levels considered to increase cancer risk. These findings provide important insights into evacuation strategies aimed at minimizing disaster-related deaths.
This study was conducted as part of a commissioned research project funded by the Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI).
Title: Exposure Doses among Hospitalized Patients and Medical Personnel after the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
Authors:
Maho Takeshita, M.E.
Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Nagasaki University
Byungdug Jun, Ph.D.
School of Information and Data Sciences, Nagasaki University
Hitomi Mastunaga, Ph.D.
Department of Disaster Resilience and Science, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
Noboru Takamura, M.D.
Department of Disaster Resilience and Science, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
For more details, please see the full article in Nagasaki University’s Academic Output SITE.
