Internal exposure risk due to radiocesium and the consuming behaviour of local foodstuffs among pregnant women in Minamisoma City near the Fukushima nuclear power plant: a retrospective observational study
Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the internal cesium (Cs) level among pregnant women in Minamisoma City (the area straddling the evacuation zones) over a 5-year period after Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident and assess the status and transition of their food-acquiring preferences during...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2019-07-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/7/e023654.full |
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| author | Masaharu Tsubokura Shuhei Nomura Akihiko Ozaki Toyoaki Sawano Claire Leppold Kana Yamamoto Michio Murakami Morihito Takita Shigeaki Kato Yukio Kanazawa Hiroshi Anbe |
| author_facet | Masaharu Tsubokura Shuhei Nomura Akihiko Ozaki Toyoaki Sawano Claire Leppold Kana Yamamoto Michio Murakami Morihito Takita Shigeaki Kato Yukio Kanazawa Hiroshi Anbe |
| author_sort | Masaharu Tsubokura |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the internal cesium (Cs) level among pregnant women in Minamisoma City (the area straddling the evacuation zones) over a 5-year period after Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident and assess the status and transition of their food-acquiring preferences during this period.Design A retrospective observational study of a screening along with a questionnaire survey.Setting This study was conducted in an obstetrics and gynaecology service in Minamisoma City in Fukushima, Japan.Participants Participants included pregnant women who applied for the voluntary internal radiation exposure screening programme.Primary and secondary outcome measures Internal radiation exposure was evaluated using the whole-body counter (WBC) in the screening programme. Data from a food acquisition preference questionnaire administered to the participants were analysed and compared across the 5-year period after adjusting for covariates.Results Overall, 804 screening programmes were conducted with 579 participants during the study period. All participants had internal contamination levels below the detection limit of the WBC unit (220 and 250 Bq/body for Cs-134 and Cs-137, respectively). Based on the most conservative assumption, their maximum annual effective doses by Cs-134 and Cs-137 together were estimated at 16 µSv/year. Contrary to limited internal contamination risks and counter-dose initiatives by the government, a considerable number of pregnant women were still concerned about consuming potentially contaminated local food products when purchasing them at supermarkets between 2012 (78.4%) and 2015 (75.0%).Conclusions Health effects from post-accident internal radiation exposure were likely to be insignificant in pregnant women. National/local action is urgently needed to promote scientific understanding in pregnant women regarding limited internal exposure risks from local food products in the market. However, few mothers chose to participate in the internal radiation exposure screening programme, and thus, caution is required in interpreting the results of analyses. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2de0605b05ad462aad71dd5e4fee842b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-2de0605b05ad462aad71dd5e4fee842b2024-11-29T09:30:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552019-07-019710.1136/bmjopen-2018-023654Internal exposure risk due to radiocesium and the consuming behaviour of local foodstuffs among pregnant women in Minamisoma City near the Fukushima nuclear power plant: a retrospective observational studyMasaharu Tsubokura0Shuhei Nomura1Akihiko Ozaki2Toyoaki Sawano3Claire Leppold4Kana Yamamoto5Michio Murakami6Morihito Takita7Shigeaki Kato8Yukio Kanazawa9Hiroshi Anbe103 Research Center for Community Health, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Japan2 Department of Global Health Policy, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Japan3 Research Center for Community Health, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Japan1 Department of Radiation Health Management, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan5 Department of Research, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan1 Department of Internal Medicine, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, JapanCenter for Infectious Disease Education and Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan (current address)Department of Radiation Health Management, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, JapanCardiovascular Center, Sendai Kosei Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan9 Department of Gastroenterology, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Fukushima, Japan10 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, JapanObjectives This study aimed to evaluate the internal cesium (Cs) level among pregnant women in Minamisoma City (the area straddling the evacuation zones) over a 5-year period after Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident and assess the status and transition of their food-acquiring preferences during this period.Design A retrospective observational study of a screening along with a questionnaire survey.Setting This study was conducted in an obstetrics and gynaecology service in Minamisoma City in Fukushima, Japan.Participants Participants included pregnant women who applied for the voluntary internal radiation exposure screening programme.Primary and secondary outcome measures Internal radiation exposure was evaluated using the whole-body counter (WBC) in the screening programme. Data from a food acquisition preference questionnaire administered to the participants were analysed and compared across the 5-year period after adjusting for covariates.Results Overall, 804 screening programmes were conducted with 579 participants during the study period. All participants had internal contamination levels below the detection limit of the WBC unit (220 and 250 Bq/body for Cs-134 and Cs-137, respectively). Based on the most conservative assumption, their maximum annual effective doses by Cs-134 and Cs-137 together were estimated at 16 µSv/year. Contrary to limited internal contamination risks and counter-dose initiatives by the government, a considerable number of pregnant women were still concerned about consuming potentially contaminated local food products when purchasing them at supermarkets between 2012 (78.4%) and 2015 (75.0%).Conclusions Health effects from post-accident internal radiation exposure were likely to be insignificant in pregnant women. National/local action is urgently needed to promote scientific understanding in pregnant women regarding limited internal exposure risks from local food products in the market. However, few mothers chose to participate in the internal radiation exposure screening programme, and thus, caution is required in interpreting the results of analyses.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/7/e023654.full |
| spellingShingle | Masaharu Tsubokura Shuhei Nomura Akihiko Ozaki Toyoaki Sawano Claire Leppold Kana Yamamoto Michio Murakami Morihito Takita Shigeaki Kato Yukio Kanazawa Hiroshi Anbe Internal exposure risk due to radiocesium and the consuming behaviour of local foodstuffs among pregnant women in Minamisoma City near the Fukushima nuclear power plant: a retrospective observational study BMJ Open |
| title | Internal exposure risk due to radiocesium and the consuming behaviour of local foodstuffs among pregnant women in Minamisoma City near the Fukushima nuclear power plant: a retrospective observational study |
| title_full | Internal exposure risk due to radiocesium and the consuming behaviour of local foodstuffs among pregnant women in Minamisoma City near the Fukushima nuclear power plant: a retrospective observational study |
| title_fullStr | Internal exposure risk due to radiocesium and the consuming behaviour of local foodstuffs among pregnant women in Minamisoma City near the Fukushima nuclear power plant: a retrospective observational study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Internal exposure risk due to radiocesium and the consuming behaviour of local foodstuffs among pregnant women in Minamisoma City near the Fukushima nuclear power plant: a retrospective observational study |
| title_short | Internal exposure risk due to radiocesium and the consuming behaviour of local foodstuffs among pregnant women in Minamisoma City near the Fukushima nuclear power plant: a retrospective observational study |
| title_sort | internal exposure risk due to radiocesium and the consuming behaviour of local foodstuffs among pregnant women in minamisoma city near the fukushima nuclear power plant a retrospective observational study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/7/e023654.full |
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