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High levels of stress and depression persist around Chernobyl
03/08/2015
Mental health issue looms over radiation risk
Study outlines stress issues from nuclear incidents
Adam Duckett
THE long-term psychological costs of a nuclear disaster like the Fukushima meltdown are more damaging to public health than the short-term risks from radiation, experts have warned.
Fukushima Health Management Survey found that the proportion of adults with psychological distress was almost five times higher among those evacuated during the disaster in 2011 compared to the general population, the authors of a new study explain. Self-stigma is also a problem, with young women hiding the fact they are from Fukushima because they worry people will judge them negatively, owing to misconceptions about the effects of radiation on future pregnancy.
“Although the radiation dose to the public from Fukushima was relatively low, and no discernible physical health effects are expected, psychological and social problems, largely stemming from the differences in risk perceptions, have had a devastating impact on people’s lives,” writes study author Koichi Tanigawa of Fukushima Medical University, Japan.
No one has died as a result of the radiation that escaped from the Fukushima reactors. Five workers were killed but four from heart attacks and one from a construction accident. By far, the biggest killer was the absence of medical support during the relocation of elderly evacuees. 50 out of 2200 patients died from hypothermia and the deterioration of underlying illnesses in the wake of their sudden evacuation from hospitals and nursing homes.
A UN study published last year concluded that while there is a low risk of thyroid cancer among children exposed to radiation, the radiation from Fukushima is unlikely to cause any measurable increases in cancers or health problems.
Despite this, misleading information disseminated by the media caused high levels of psychological distress, with levels of post-traumatic stress among evacuees similar to those of rescue workers who struggled to regain control and clean up the stricken site.
This echoes a 2006 study from the UN Chernobyl Forum that concluded that the accident’s most serious public health issue was the adverse effects on mental health, an effect made worse by poor communication about the health risks associated with reported radiation levels. Rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder remain elevated 20 years after the accident.
The authors of the latest study conclude that healthcare workers need to better understand the psychological effects, noting that the Fukushima accident resulted in the evacuation of 170,000 residents within a 30 km radius of the power plant, yet at least one-third of the world’s 437 nuclear power plants have more people living within that radius. More than 20 sites have more than 1m people and six have more than 3m people.
They also highlight the discrimination faced by evacuees, from the communities that take them in. In addition, investigations are needed into the psychological health effects on plant workers rejected by the societies they are trying to save, the authors say.
The paper is published in a special edition of The Lancet, marking the 70th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Japan: www.thelancet.com/series/from-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-to-fukushima
