Author: Masaharu Tsubokura Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo 131. Fire accident at the nuclear weapons manufacturer In the past, radiation exposure has occurred on several occasions, including the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, atmospheric nuclear tests, and accidents at nuclear processing facilities and power plants. In fact, the Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants are not the only ones that have had accidents involving reactors. On October 10, 1957, a major fire broke out at the nuclear reactor at the Windscale nuclear facility (now Sellafield) in Cumbria, England, causing significant radioactive contaminat
Author: Masaharu Tsubokura Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo 129. Nuclear power accidents are evaluated based on their impacts The atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War caused enormous damage to the residents. Since then, human-made radiation exposure has occurred several times, including nuclear weapon testing associated with the development of atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs and accidents at nuclear processing facilities and nuclear power plants. The Chernobyl and Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accidents are well-known, in addition to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The former Soviet Union succeeded in developing the world’s first commercia
Author: Masaharu Tsubokura Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo 127. Many consumer products in your home also use radioactive substances Annually, we Japanese people are exposed to approximately 2.1 millisieverts of radiation from various radioactive substances. In fact, radioactive substances are not only present in the environment but also contained in some of the consumer products we use in our daily lives. One of the well-known examples is a smoke detector. The type that utilizes a radioactive substance is called an ionization smoke detector, and it uses americium. When radiation (alpha rays) is emitted from americium, because alpha rays are slightly charged, a small amount of electri
Author: Masaharu Tsubokura Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo 125. No difference between artificial and natural radiation substances Japanese populations are exposed to approximately 2.1 millisieverts of radiation annually from various radioactive substances in daily life. Furthermore, about one-third of radiation exposure is caused by ingesting the natural radioactive substance, called polonium, found in seafood. As I have repeatedly explained in the series, the extent of the exposure dose determines the impact of radiation on health; the safety of radiation exposure is not determined by whether it is from natural or artificial sources. The above amount of polonium will not negatively
Author: Masaharu Tsubokura Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo 123. Tritium is used to date groundwater A radioactive substance called “tritium” often appears in articles covering the issues of contaminated water released from the nuclear plant. Tritium is not only an artificial substance that was released from the accident this time but also one naturally generated in our environment. As previous articles have explained, the health effects of radiation are determined by the extent of the exposure dose, not by whether their source is a natural or artificial radioactive substance. Tritium emits a very low level of radiation (beta rays), and its energy level is so small that plastic wraps
