Technique Development for Appropriate Understanding and Promotion of Radiation Risk

抄録

Aomori Prefecture accommodates many nuclear power plants, their related nuclear facilities, and planning institutions, where their construction is planned, and is particularly emphasized in the New National Energy Policy. It is necessary for these nuclear facilities to satisfy the national safety standards, be at a safe location, and be operational. However, after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident followed by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the general inhabitants became anxious and questioned their safety. Their concerns included, are the nuclear facilities in their areas disaster proof? and what will happen if a nuclear accident occurs? Not only the general inhabitants but also the firefighting staff had doubts and/or concerns against nuclear power disaster and nuclear accident. Therefore, it is necessary for the firefighting staff to acquire sufficient knowledge on radiation by attending lectures or training courses on radiation exposure medical care.

This study examined the following issues: How does the firefighting staff perceive radiation? What are their doubts and concerns? To know how much they understand radiation, “a questionnaire survey about radiation” was administered to the staff of 5 of 11 firefighting headquarters in Aomori Prefecture. Fortunately, more than 1,000 responses were obtained and analyzed. Results of the questionnaire survey were compared between the general inhabitants of the urban area in Aomori Prefecture and the inhabitants who evacuated from Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, to other areas. The firefighting staffʼs tendency to understand radiation was analyzed.

As a result, it was found that there were many firefighting staff member with an incorrect understanding of basic radiation exposure. In addition, many of them recognized that radiation effects were evident even the exposure was relatively low and the main effect was “cancer”, but the recognition of other effects was low. Furthermore, the extent of understanding was also found to be low in most participants.

These results might be helpful when considering the contents of future lectures or training courses on radiation.