Annals of the ICRP最新文献

Due to vigorous efforts to decontaminate the environment following the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the size of the difficult-to-return zone has reduced significantly and people have started returning to their homes. As the population has increased, medical needs have ensued. A marked increase in traffic as well as decontamination and reconstruction projects has led to an increase in the number of road traffic and occupational accidents. Acceleration of population aging has resulted in an increased number of elderly residents with multiple medical problems. Uncontrolled/untreated medical problems among middle-aged to older workers have made them susceptible to deterioration of health conditions. Insufficient social support for elderly people living alone has resulted in delayed access to medical care. Early intervention and the prevention of health deterioration are instrumental. When responding to medical needs, proactive approaches, including home visits for elderly patients and health promotion, have been implemented. Human resource development is crucial to ensure the sustainability of these activities.

As the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP) progresses, the issue of how to deal with tritiated water has been attracting attention, both domestically and internationally. This article summarises the live discussion at the International Symposium on Tritiated Water, which was held by the Japan Health Physics Society (JHPS) in June 2020. Two issues - the scientific safety of tritiated water and social consensus building - were covered in the live discussion. The importance of further disclosure and dissemination of information based on steady monitoring was highlighted. It was also pointed out that scientific knowledge and scientific research data are merely the bottom line to achieve social consensus. Through the discussions, it was recognised that the role of JHPS is not only to look at the technical issues of safety, but also to look at social issues from the point of view of radiation protection, and to support the solution of these issues.

This paper does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.It is known that remediation activities in areas affected by radiological accidents may result in generation of huge volumes of very low-level radioactive waste that can overwhelm national capabilities, and be outside of the existing national regulation requirements for radioactive waste management. This may pose a challenge for adoption of an adequate strategy for remediation waste management and application of regulatory requirements that are commensurate with the waste hazard. The Republic of Belarus faced this problem after the Chernobyl accident when performing remediation activities in the contaminated areas. This article presents the experience of the Republic of Belarus in overcoming the challenges and conflicts that arose in the process of developing a rational strategy for safety management of remediation waste, and its justification and optimisation, bearing in mind the need to adopt advanced regulatory instruments of relevance to the management of this waste.

Science communication is commonly framed as a battle with ignorance and the field of radiological protection is not exempt from this tendency. By correcting deficits in the public's understanding of science, the expert is often imagined to be able to convince the public of its objective safety ('anzen'), thereby inspiring a sense of calm ('anshin'). In the wake of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster, however, the International Commission on Radiological Protection has sought to break with this tradition by organising a series of participatory seminars in which experts engage those affected by the disaster as equals. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, this article suggests that the Dialogue seminars can be best understood using the metaphor of therapy; using it to describe the premise, form, and objectives of the Dialogues with a view to identifying good practice for future radiological protection scenarios.

Medical disaster response training is provided for international students in Kawauchi Village to share the lessons learnt from the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. At present, this is difficult due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The purpose of this article is to report the development of hands-on medical training software on a topic that does not require in-person attendance. The 'Kawauchi Legends' disaster simulator was developed as a useful tool to teach the medical response to various disasters, and this was applied in a 3-day webinar in October 2020. Fourteen students participated in the webinar and successfully learnt medical management, manipulating their avatars in the virtual environment. This software can be an effective substitute for in-person disaster training without physical involvement. Such innovative teaching methods mean that lessons from the Fukushima accident can continue to be shared, even in the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

After the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on 11 March 2011, radioactive materials were released into the atmosphere resulting in environmental contamination. Following the implementation of environmental decontamination efforts, the Radiation Dose Registration Centre of the Radiation Effects Association established the radiation dose registration system for decontamination and related workers to consolidate and prevent the loss of radiation records. This article presents statistics on the radiation doses of decontamination and related workers using official records. Since approximately 10 years have passed since the accident in Fukushima, the types of work conducted in the affected restricted areas have changed over time. Therefore, changes in radiation dose for each type of work and comparisons with nuclear workers are presented.

This paper does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.Several radiation monitoring research projects are underway on dose assessment, biological analysis, and risk communication under an agreement with Namie Town. Indoor radon and thoron progeny concentrations have been measured using passive-type monitors to estimate internal doses due to inhalation. In addition, airborne radiocaesium concentrations at five points in Namie Town have been analysed using a high-purity germanium detector to estimate internal doses for comparison with radon. External radiation doses from natural and artificial radionuclides have also been estimated using an in-situ gamma-ray spectrometer. Other support activities are mentioned briefly in this article.

This paper does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.Since the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in March 2011, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been contributing actively to the environmental recovery of Fukushima and the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station from a technical aspect, through a wide range of research and development (R&D) activities including fundamental research and applicational technology development. JAEA has been conducting R&D such as the characterisation of fuel debris, and treatment and disposal of radioactive wastes based on the 'Mid-and-Long-Term Roadmap' authorised by the Japanese Government. This R&D is mainly promoted by Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS) in Tomioka Town, and CLADS has also been promoting cooperation with domestic and foreign research institutes, related companies, universities, etc. In addition, Naraha Centre for Remote Control Technology Development in Naraha Town commenced full operation in April 2016 for the development and demonstration of remote control technologies planned for use in the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station and disaster response. Okuma Analysis and Research Centre in Okuma Town is under construction for the analysis and characterisation of fuel debris and various radioactive wastes. Ten years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, and environmental conditions in Fukushima have been improving. The evacuation zone has been lifted, and preparation of specific recovery areas in the difficult-to-return zone has progressed. However, the reconstruction of Fukushima and the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station are still in progress, and JAEA will continue its R&D for the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station with domestic and international expertise in order to further contribute to the reconstruction of Fukushima.