scholarly journals Potassium Iodide Prophylaxis: What Have We Learned and Questions Raised by the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Thyroid ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur B. Schneider ◽  
James M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Potassium Iodide ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Fukushima Daiichi

Nuclear Power Plant Emergency Preparedness: Results From an Evaluation of Michigan's Potassium Iodide Distribution Program

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura R. Zwolinski ◽  
Martha Stanbury ◽  
Susan Manente
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Potassium Iodide ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Emergency Planning ◽  
Telephone Surveys ◽  
Fukushima Daiichi

ABSTRACTBackground: In 2009, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) made potassium iodide (KI), a nonprescription radio-protective drug, available by mailing vouchers redeemable at local pharmacies for KI tablets, at no cost to residents living within 10 miles of Michigan's 3 nuclear power plants (NPPs). MDCH conducted an evaluation of this program to determine Michigan's KI coverage and to assess general emergency preparedness among residents living near the NPPs.Methods: KI coverage was estimated based on redeemed voucher counts and the 2010 Census. Telephone surveys were administered to a random sample (N = 153) of residents living near Michigan's NPPs to evaluate general emergency preparedness, reasons for voucher use or nonuse, and KI knowledge.Results: Only 5.3% of eligible residences redeemed KI vouchers. Most surveyed residents (76.5%) were aware of living near an NPP, yet 42.5% reported doing “nothing” to plan for an emergency. Almost half of surveyed voucher users did not know when to take KI or which body part KI protects. Among voucher nonusers, 48.0% were either unaware of the program or did not remember receiving a voucher.Conclusions: Additional efforts are needed to ensure that all residents are aware of the availability of KI and that recipients of the drug understand when and why it should be taken. Minimal emergency planning among residents living near Michigan's NPPs emphasizes the need for increased emergency preparedness and awareness. Findings are particularly salient given the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant emergency in Japan.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2012;6:263–269)

As a resident and a counsellor

2021 ◽  
pp. 014664532110153
Author(s):  
Maiko Momma ◽  
Ryoko Ando
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Local People ◽  
Fukushima Daiichi

At the time of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011, I was living in Iwaki City with my two children and my husband. With our home damaged by the tsunami and the deteriorating status following the situation at the nuclear power plant, we spent 2 years as evacuees before returning to Iwaki City. Subsequently, I decided to work as a radiation counsellor in the Suetsugi district of Iwaki City. I would like to describe my experience of taking measurements and helping to communicate with the residents while respecting the lives of local people.

scholarly journals Consecutive sexual maturation observed in a rock shell population in the vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshihiro Horiguchi ◽  
Kayoko Kawamura ◽  
Yasuhiko Ohta
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Sexual Maturation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Tohoku Earthquake ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Thais Clavigera ◽  
Rock Shell ◽  
Fukushima Daiichi ◽  
A Site

AbstractIn 2012, after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) that followed the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, no rock shell (Thais clavigera; currently recognized as Reishia clavigera; Gastropoda, Neogastropoda, Muricidae) specimens were found near the plant from Hirono to Futaba Beach (a distance of approximately 30 km). In July 2016, however, rock shells were again found to inhabit the area. From April 2017 to May 2019, we collected rock shell specimens monthly at two sites near the FDNPP (Okuma and Tomioka) and at a reference site ~ 120 km south of the FDNPP (Hiraiso). We examined the gonads of the specimens histologically to evaluate their reproductive cycle and sexual maturation. The gonads of the rock shells collected at Okuma, ~ 1 km south of the FDNPP, exhibited consecutive sexual maturation during the 2 years from April 2017 to May 2019, whereas sexual maturation of the gonads of specimens collected at Hiraiso was observed only in summer. The consecutive sexual maturation of the gonads of the specimens collected at Okuma might not represent a temporary phenomenon but rather a site-specific phenotype, possibly caused by specific environmental factors near the FDNPP.

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