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Basic Information On BasicBasic InformationInformation on RadiationRadiation RiskRisk The Cabinet Office, the Consumer Affairs Agency, the Reconstruction Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of the Environment, the Secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority About this document This document is the concise collection of basic information such as radiological status due to radioactive contamination in Fukushima, information and scientific knowledge necessary for the assessment of radiation health risk, and international and academic views on the reduction of radiation exposure. So far, relevant ministries and agencies released information on radiation in the fields they are respectively responsible for. This document intends to systematically summarize basic contents common to such information released so far, and to help readers systematically overview the fields concerned. To perform an actual risk communication activity, data and materials must be prepared which will satisfy the specific needs of personnel and address specific concerns. This document is expected to serve as a basic material which precisely explains the uses of technical terms and other basic information in plain language as much as possible when such an activity is conducted. In order to write this document in plain language and further improve the correctness of the information involved in it, the responsible ministries and agencies studied advice kindly provided by specialists and experts to create this document. Table of Contents ■■Radiological status due to radioactive contamination in Fukushima ■■ 1. Secular Changes of Air Dose Rates ・・・・・・・・・・ 1 Airborne Monitoring 2. Status of External Exposures Immediately ・・・・・・・・・・ 2 after the Accident Estimation of External Exposure Doses Using Behavioral Records 3. Status of External Exposures Measured with Personal ・・・・・・・・・・ 3 Dosimeters Measurement Results of External Exposure Dose with Personal Dosimeters 4. Internal Exposures Dose in Early Phase ・・・・・・・・・・ 4 Screening Survey of Children’s Thyroid Glands Conducted Immediately after the Accident 5. Thyroid Ultrasound Examinations ・・・・・・・・・・ 5 Fukushima Health Management Survey “Thyroid Gland Examinations” 6. Current Status of Internal Exposures ・・・・・・・・・・ 7 Whole Body Counter Measurements 7. Radioactive Materials in Foods ・・・・・・・・・・ 8 Monitoring of Radioactive Materials in Foods Survey of dietary intake of Radionuclides 8. Implementation Status of Various Environmental Monitoring ・・・・・・・・・ 10 Major Monitoring Activities 9. Assessment by the WHO and the UNSCEAR ・・・・・・・・・ 11 Report Issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) Report Issued by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) ■■Information and Scientific Knowledge Necessary for the Assessment of Radiation Health Risk■■ 10. Radiation around Us ・・・・・・・・・ 12 Natural Radiation, Medical Radiation, etc. 11. Radiation Exposure in Our Daily Life ・・・・・・・・・ 13 Comparison between Japan and the Rest of the World 12.Status of Natural Radiation in the World and Health Effects ・・・・・・・・・ 14 Natural Radiation Levels and Population Distributions An Example of the Kerala Region in India 13.Radiation Effects on Health ・・・・・・・・・ 15 Radiation Doses and Cancer Risk ■■International and Academic Views on the Reduction of Radiation Exposures ■■ 14. Basic Approach Recommended by the ICRP on Taking on ・・・・・・・・・ 16 Implementation of Radiation Protection Measures Assumptions and Estimation when Planning Radiation Protection “Planned Exposure Situations,” “Emergency Exposure Situations” and “Existing Exposure Situations” ■■Japan’s Efforts■■ 15.Japan’s Efforts to Manage the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster ・・・・・・・・・ 18 Evacuation Order and Its Lifting Evaluation on External Exposures of Local Residents after Their Returning Home Regulations on Radioactive Substances Contained in Foods (Appendix 1)Implementing Measures to Reduce Radiation Exposures ・・・・・・・・・ 21 - Examples in Date City, Fukushima Prefecture - (Appendix 2)Comparison with the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident ・・・・・・・・・ 22 - Comparing Emissions of Radioactive Substances, etc. - (Appendix 3)Examples of “Planned Exposure Situations” ・・・・・・・・・ 23 - Status of Dose Management for Radiation Workers, etc. - Glossary -Table of Contents - ・・・・・・・・・ 24 ■■Radiological status due to radioactive contamination in Fukushima■■ 1. Secular Changes of Air Dose Rates Aircraft monitoring has been conducted to estimate the air dose rates* of surface areas at the height of one meter from the ground since the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (*:please refer to the Glossary). The monitoring result of November 2011 and that of September 2015 were compared, and it was confirmed that the air dose rates of the area within a 80 kilometer radius had reduced by 65% on average although the rates varied depending on where they were measured. Since the decrease of the air dose rate during the above period deduced from radioactive cesium’s physical half life* is about 55%, it is concluded that the remaining decrease of about 10% is due to decontamination and weathering effect. Air Dose Rate Map (Air dose rates at the height of one meter from the ground within a 80 kilometer radius of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station) (As of November 2011) (As of September 2015) Legend: Air dose rates at the height of one meter from the ground [μSv per hour] 19.0 ＜ 9.5 – 19.0 3.8 - 9.5 1.9 - 3.8 1.0 – 1.9 0.5 – 1.0 0.2 – 0.5 0.1 - 0.2 ≦0.1 (Source) • The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, “Measurement Results from the 4th Airborne Monitoring,” December 16, 2011 (the ministry was in charge of the airborne monitoring then) • The Secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, “Air Dose Rates Monitored by Aircraft at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station,” February 2, 2016 Changes of Air Dose Rates ［Unit: μSv per hour］ ［ ］ μSv per hour Fukushima City Aizuwakamatsu City Iwaki City ［ ］ Fukushima 3μSv per hour North area Public Health Government Office 2.74 Government Complex （April） City and Welfare Office Complex Normal Value before 0.04 the Great Earthquake 0.04～0.05 0.05～0.06 2 April 1, 2011 2.74 0.24 0.66 September 1, 2011 1.04 0.13 0.18 1.04 March 1, 2012 0.63 0.1 0.17 September 1, 2012 0.69 0.1 0.1 1 0.63 0.69 0.46 March 1, 2013 0.46 0.07 0.09 0.33 0.24 0.25 0.23 0.20 September 1, 2013 0.33 0.07 0.09 March 1, 2014 0.24 0.07 0.08 0 September 1, 2014 0.25 0.07 0.08 Mar Sep Mar Sep Mar Sep Mar Sep Mar Sep （2011） （2012） （2013） （2014） （2015） March 1, 2015 0.24 0.06 0.07 September 1, 2015 0.20 0.06 0.07 (Note) Figures were measured at midnights of respective dates. (Source) Fukushima Prefecture, “Measurement Results of Environmental Radioactivity in the Prefecture’s Seven Areas” 1 ■■ Radiological status due to radioactive contamination in Fukushima■■ 2. Status of External Exposures after the Accident Fukushima Prefecture has been conducted the “Fukushima Health Measurement Survey” to obtain the behavioral records of evacuation, such as the “time,” “place” and “duration” of their staying as well as the “route” of their passage from March 11 to July 11 in 2011, to estimate the effective doses* due to external exposure* they might have incurred immediately after the accident occurred. The effective doses due to external exposure the people might have incurred for four months after the accident were already estimated with regard to 460,000 people by December 31, 2015 excluding radiation workers. The result is that the estimated effective doses are less than 2 millisieverts (mSv) for 93.8% of them, less than 5 mSv for 99.8%, and less than 10 mSv for 99.98% (the estimated maximum effective dose is 25 mSv). Based on this result, the Health Management Survey Exploratory Committee” has made an assessment, saying “it is hard to believe that the radioactivity has affected the residents’ health.” The Distribution of the Effective Doses due to External Exposure Estimated from the behavioral Records of evacuation in the “Fukushima Health Management Survey” (excluding radiation workers) Number of People [For the surveyedby Dec 31, 2015] 300,000 285,418 250,000 200,000 145,845 150,000 100,000 50,000 25,396 1,491 504 389 230 116 78 41 36 30 13 12 6 15 0 99.8 % [mSv for 4 months] 99.98 % (Source) Health Management Survey Exploratory Committee (the 22nd meeting) 2 ■■Radiological status due to radioactive contamination in Fukushima■■ 3. Status of External Exposures Measured with Personal Dosimeters In Fukushima Prefecture, a certain municipal governments have been using personal dosimeters after the accident occurred to monitor the radiation doses of their residents, mainly children and pregnant women. The published radiation doses measured by the personal dosimeters are as shown below, and (average) annual individual doses in municipalities after FY2013 were less than 1mSv per year. Measurement Results of External Exposure Dose with Personal Dosimeters Average Annual Number of people Number of people Percentage Municipalities Measurement Period Persons Monitoerd Individual Dose (Ａ) over 1mSv/year (Ｂ) (Ｂ) ÷ (Ａ) [％] [mSv/year] Iwaki City November 2011 to January 2012 Junior high school students or younger 31,235 477 1.53% 0.44 June to September 2015 Infants and pregnant women 7,142 13 0.18% 0.319 May
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