2026-03-11T00:44:56Z https://repo.qst.go.jp/oai

oai:repo.qst.go.jp:00064360 2023-05-15T21:12:30Z 10:29

Role of NIRS in response to the accident at TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi NPS Tominaga, Takako Tatsuzaki, Hideo Goto, Takaya Hachiya, Misao Sugiura, Nobuyuki Akashi, Makoto 富永 隆子 立崎 英夫 後藤 孝也 蜂谷 みさを 杉浦 紳之 明石 真言 metadata only access 09In January 2010, National Institute of Radiological Science (NIRS) has established the Radiation Emergency Medical Assistance Team (REMAT) to support primary medical care when an accident of radiation exposure or contamination with radioactive materials has occurred overseas. The team consists of physicians, nurses, radiation protection experts, and health physicists ready to respond to radiation emergencies, and the team is equipped with advanced portable radiation measuring instruments and medicines. NIRS is ready for providing international medical assistance for radiation emergencies, based on human resources with experiences in this field. However, the first REMAT activity was made for the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) accident. Before NIRS established REMAT, we had a system for dispatching staffs to an accident site in Japan based on the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness. However, this system was for providing advice to local staff and the activities were limited. The Great East Japan Earthquake attacked the Pacific coast area of eastern Japan on 11 March 2011 and this earthquake and tsunami caused enormous damage to the NPS of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO). NIRS dispatched REMAT to the local headquarters located 5 km from the NPS almost 17 hours after the earthquake. Since then, many experts at NIRS have been sent to Fukushima. REMAT is still being involved in responses to this nuclear accident including the public issue in Fukushima. Thus, this nuclear accident requires response at an unprecedented scale and over a lengthy period. In this accident, the response system for radiation emergency medicine did not work effectively since community lifelines such as water supply and electricity were severely damaged. Thus, hospitals lost their function including radiation emergency medicine. In our efforts for recovery from the damages, reconstruction of the medical system in the affected areas has to be hurried. Moreover, reestablishment of the system for radiation emergency medical response is also a key point since reactors have not been stabilized. From our response to this combined disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and radiation, we have learned that there is an urgent need for all-hazard approaches. 3rd International Symposium on Radiation Emergency Medicine in Hirosaki University 2011-09-17 eng conference output https://repo.qst.go.jp/records/64360