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. 2022;32(Suppl_XII):S84-S94.
doi: 10.2188/jea.JE20210286.

Effects of External Radiation Exposure Resulting From the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident on the Health of Residents in the Evacuation Zones: the Fukushima Health Management Survey

Akira Sakai  1   2 , Masanori Nagao  3   2 , Hironori Nakano  3   2 , Tetsuya Ohira  3   2 , Tetsuo Ishikawa  4   2 , Mitsuaki Hosoya  5   2 , Michio Shimabukuro  6   2 , Atsushi Takahashi  7   2 , Junichiro J Kazama  8   2 , Kanako Okazaki  9   2 , Fumikazu Hayashi  3   2 , Seiji Yasumura  10   2 , Hitoshi Ohto  2 , Kenji Kamiya  2
Affiliations

Effects of External Radiation Exposure Resulting From the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident on the Health of Residents in the Evacuation Zones: the Fukushima Health Management Survey

Akira Sakai et al. J Epidemiol. 2022.

Abstract

Background: Associations have been reported between lifestyle-related diseases and evacuation after the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). However, the relationship between lifestyle-related diseases and the effective radiation dose due to external exposure (EDEE) after the GEJE remains unclear.

Methods: From among 72,869 residents of Fukushima Prefecture (31,982 men; 40,887 women) who underwent a comprehensive health check in fiscal year (FY) 2011, the data of 54,087 residents (22,599 men; 31,488 women) aged 16 to 84 years were analyzed. The EDEE data of 25,685 residents with incomplete results from the basic survey, performed to estimate the external radiation exposure dose, were supplemented using multiple imputation. The data were classified into three groups based on EDEE (0 to <1, 1 to <2, and ≥2 mSv groups and associations between the incidence of diseases and EDEE from FY2011 to FY2017 were examined using a Cox proportional hazards model, with FY2011 as the baseline.

Results: A higher EDEE was associated with a greater incidence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, liver dysfunction, and polycythemia from FY2011 to FY2017 in the age- and sex-adjusted model. However, after further adjustment for evacuation status and lifestyle-related factors, the significant associations disappeared. No association was found between EDEE and other lifestyle-related diseases.

Conclusion: EDEE was not directly associated with the incidence of lifestyle-related diseases after the GEJE. However, residents with higher external radiation doses in Fukushima Prefecture might suffer from lifestyle-related diseases related to evacuation and the resultant lifestyle changes.

Keywords: comprehensive health check; external radiation exposure dose; lifestyle-related disease; lymphopenia; neutropenia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Locations of the government-designated evacuation zones. (A) Location of Fukushima prefecture in Japan. (B) Locations of the 13 municipalities in the evacuation zones in Fukushima prefecture. Areas that were completely evacuated after the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) are indicated by gray lines.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Flow diagram displaying how individuals were recruited and studied. Detailed descriptions are provided in the text.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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