Psychological crisis intervention for emergency rescue workers during major nuclear power plant accident / 中国辐射卫生

The nuclear accidents in Chernobyl and Fukushima had great impacts on the mental health of emergency rescue workers, who experienced a series of psychological problems shared by the accident victims. This paper analyzes the psychological symptoms suffered by emergency rescue workers in Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents, as well as the psychological crisis interventions for rescue personnel involved in major natural disasters and pandemics. Based on the special situations faced by emergency rescue workers in nuclear accidents, we propose psychological crisis interventions for rescue personnel during major nuclear accidents. These interventions include mental health assessment and training before accident, psychological assistance, self-adjustment, and crisis intervention during accident, and long-term psychological assistance after accident. The psychological impacts on emergency rescue workers can be reduced by effective psychological interventions.

Public protective actions against nuclear power plant accident / 中国辐射卫生

With the continuous development of nuclear energy, more and more people live around nuclear power plants. However, they generally lack basic knowledge of nuclear radiation and know little about protective actions against nuclear accidents. Timely and correct protective actions can minimize the harm of nuclear power plant accidents to public health. This paper introduces the public protective actions after the nuclear power plant accident: sheltering, decontamination of body surface contamination, evacuation, stable iodine prophylaxis, food and drinking water control, personal protective measures, pet care and psychological support, to guide the public to carry out protection actions correctly and improve the public's emergency response ability during the nuclear power plant accident.

Three nuclear power plant accidents in history and related public books / 中国辐射卫生

The peaceful use of nuclear energy has a history of nearly 80 years, and the development of nuclear energy in China has been actively and steadily promoted. Up to now, there have been three major nuclear power plant accidents in human history: Three Mile Island nuclear accident in the United States, Chernobyl nuclear accident in the former Soviet Union and Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. However, the public in our country knows little about the three nuclear accidents. This paper introduces some books on the three nuclear accidents for the general public, which help the public understand the nuclear accidents from a non-professional point of view.

Psychological first aid during severe nuclear power plant accident / 中国辐射卫生

The past three severe nuclear power plant accidents showed that the social psychological impact on the public is the most serious consequence of severe nuclear power plant accidents. When a severe nuclear power plant accident occurs, individuals / groups in the affected area may experience various stress reactions. Timely and effective psychological first-aid can help the victims to survive the crisis effectively and actively respond to the current life. Referring to the World Health Organization guide psychological first aid: guide for field workerand other national guidance, this paper introduces how emergency rescue personnel carry out emergency psychological assistance in case of severe nuclear accident.

The incidence of diabetes among the non-diabetic residents in Kawauchi village, Fukushima, who experienced evacuation after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster

OBJECTIVES@#After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011, residents of Kawauchi village who experienced evacuation had a high risk of suffering from diabetes and metabolic syndrome compared with non-evacuees. In addition to evacuation, lifestyle characteristics can be important factors influencing the development and prognosis of diabetes or glucose tolerance. The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of evacuation (i.e., lifestyle changes) on the incidence of diabetes among the non-diabetic residents of Kawauchi village.@*METHODS@#Design is retrospective cohort study. Annual health examination data of residents of Kawauchi village and control area (Ono town) in Fukushima prefecture from 2008 to 2017, as available from the Japanese National Health Insurance system. Participants were classified into three groups: "Diabetes (DM)" (FBG ≥ 126 mg/dL or HbA1c ≥ 6.5% or hospital visit for DM or usage of diabetic medication), "Borderline DM" (126 mg/dL > FBG ≥ 110 mg/dL or 6.5% > HbA1c ≥ 6.0%, and without hospital visit, and without diabetic medication), and "Normoglycemic" (FBG < 110 mg/dL and HbA1c < 6.0%, and without hospital visit, and without diabetic medication). New onset of diabetes was evaluated and the events or missing data were occurred at health checkup. For this survival analysis, 339 residents in Kawauchi and 598 residents in Ono were included. Average follow-up periods after 2010 were 3.9 years in Kawauchi village and 3.6 years in Ono town.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the normoglycemic group, incidence of DM was much greater in the borderline DM group, where DM occurred among 38.2% of the group in 2012 and increased to over 60% cumulatively through 2017 in Kawauchi village. DM had a prevalence of 16.3% in 2012, and below 30% in 2017 in borderline DM group of Ono town. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was applied to non-DM groups at both study sites separately to evaluate the effects of lifestyle changes at each site. While BMI, BMI change, and the lack of regular exercise (HR = 1.29, 1.72, and 5.04, respectively) showed significant associations with the onset of diabetes in Ono town, only BMI and late-night dinner (HR = 1.21 and 4.86, respectively) showed significant associations with diabetes onset in Kawauchi village.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The current results confirmed that diabetes incidence was increased 6 years after the Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Kawauchi. We also found changes in lifestyle habits, suggesting that diabetes prevention with promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors is an urgent priority.

The Experiences of Pharmacists and Future Subjects in Regards to the Ingestion of Stable-Iodide Caused by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident / 社会薬学

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) Accident happened in Fukushima prefecture in March, 2011 and various efforts have been carried out to prevent health damage, including thyroid cancer, caused by radioactive-iodide. In this present report, we tried to discover whether stable-iodide for the prevention against the development of thyroid cancer was properly administered to radioactive-iodide-exposed persons or not. Since pharmacists play an important role in the treatment of stable-iodide, we investigated how the pharmacists in Fukushima contributed to the treatment of stable iodide in the FDNPP accident. In addition, we introduce a new revised method for the treatment of stable iodide published by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, discuss the important role of pharmacists in the Nuclear Power Plant Accident, and propose possible ways of preparation to protect the health of citizens.

Public health response to the combined Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant accident: perspective from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan

At 14:46 on 11 March 2011, eastern Japan was struck by the largest earthquake in Japan’s recorded history. With the epicentre off the Sanriku coast, the magnitude 9.0 quake triggered a tsunami, which together with the effects of the quake ignited a serious accident at a nuclear power plant. The damage was grave and widespread with the death toll as of 9 November 2011 at 15 835 and the number of missing and unaccounted for at 3664.1 Immediately after the earthquake, the Japanese Government, local governments in the stricken areas, hospitals, external organizations and volunteers launched coordinated relief and recovery activities. The role of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in a disaster includes securing medical and nursing care, providing public health services and ensuring the safety of food and water supplies.