Author: Masaharu Tsubokura Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo 173. Radioactive wastes are handled differently according to their concentration A variety of radioactive wastes are produced from many facilities that process radioactive substances, such as nuclear power plants, nuclear research institutes, and hospitals that use radiopharmaceuticals. Although the amount of radioactive wastes produced in these facilities is less than 1 / 10,000 of the nonradioactive wastes—s

Author: Masaharu Tsubokura Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo 171. International cooperation to reduce the greenhouse gas effect While Japan is one of the largest consumers of primary energy in the world, our country significantly lacks resources such as oil and natural gas and therefore has a low energy self-sufficiency rate. As we discussed in the previous article, there is no single method of power generation that has only strengths or weaknesses. For this reason, the

Author: Masaharu Tsubokura Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo 169. Japan’s low rate of energy self-sufficiency Japan is one of the largest consumers of primary energy in the world, but our country lacks resources, such as oil and natural gas, and therefore has little energy self-sufficiency. In Japan, a majority of the primary energy supply consists of fossil fuels from abroad, such as oil, coal, and natural gas, and the proportion of imported fuels has increased even mo

Author: Masaharu Tsubokura Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo 167. The role of mutual support in a community for protecting people’s health When considering your health, it is crucial to understand not only the risk of radiation exposure, but also lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Moreover, it is essential to consider other factors that affect your health and take control of your health in a well-balanced manner. Among various health risk factors,

Author: Masaharu Tsubokura Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo 165. Now is the time to review your health status Diabetes is a representative example of lifestyle-related diseases, whose prevalence increased in Fukushima Prefecture following the nuclear power plant accident. A long-term high blood sugar level can damage the blood vessels and tissue and can lead to the oxidation of multiple organs. As a result, life-threatening conditions such as cerebral infarctions and m