Study titled “What the public wants to know about the recycling of contaminated soil” published in PLOS One
The Atomic Bomb Disease Institute of Nagasaki University conducted a study titled “What the public wants to know about the recycling of contaminated soil.” The findings were published in the international journal PLOS One.
Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011, the Japanese government implemented decontamination measures, such as removing surface soil, to eliminate radioactive cesium from the environment. As a result, approximately 14 million cubic meters of contaminated soil are now stored at an interim storage facility that straddles Okuma and Futaba towns in Fukushima Prefecture. Soil with relatively low concentrations of radioactive cesium (8,000 Bq/kg or less) has been designated for recycling in public works and other reconstruction projects. However, public awareness and understanding of this policy continue to be insufficient. Nearly 15 years after the accident, as public interest has declined, promoting national understanding of soil recycling for reconstruction has become increasingly important. To address this issue, Nagasaki University conducted a nationwide survey of 5,257 people across all 47 prefectures to examine the public’s interest in information about soil recycling.
The survey found that 66.1% of respondents wanted more information about recycled soil, while only 28.8% expressed interest in visiting the soil storage areas. Furthermore, 75.9% reported that they had never received information on radiation and its health effects. At the same time, respondents indicated that the information they most wanted to know was related to the effects of radiation exposure, such as health impacts and the effects on water and food.
Statistical analysis further revealed that public interest in information on the recycling of contaminated soil was independently associated with interest in Fukushima’s recovery, concern for the environment and disasters, and anxiety about intergenerational health effects of radiation exposure. These findings provide valuable insights into the types of information that need to be communicated to promote greater public understanding of soil recycling for reconstruction and recovery.
This study was conducted as a commissioned project of the Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI).
Title: What the public wants to know about the recycling of contaminated soil
Journal: PLOS One
Authors:
Stephen Takeshi Terada, Graduate Student
Department of Disaster Resilience and Science, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
Hitomi Matsunaga, Ph.D.
Department of Disaster Resilience and Science, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
Aizhan Zabirowa, Graduate Student
Department of Disaster Resilience and Science, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
Tomoko Watanabe, Graduate Student
Department of Disaster Resilience and Science, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
Yuya Kashiwazaki, Ph.D.
Department of Disaster Resilience and Science, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
Makiko Orita, Ph.D.
Department of Disaster Resilience and Science, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
Thierry Schneider, Ph.D.
Nuclear Protection Evaluation Centre (CEPN)
Noboru Takamura, M.D.
Department of Disaster Resilience and Science, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0331478
For more details, please see the full article in PLOS One.
