After the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) in 2011, many hospitalized older patients died during or after evacuation. In this study, with the aim of exploring the concept of “tailor-made” evacuations considering individual situations after a nuclear disaster, we estimated ambient dose equivalent rate (H*(10)) data from shortly after the accident and calculated exposure doses of hospitalized patients and medical personnel in several scenarios.

We used data from the Yamada district, which is located almost 4 km from the FDNPS and near 3 hospitals in which many patients died during or after evacuation. We created 10 simulation models considering differences in residential area, working hours, and distance from the workplace.

On March 15, 2011, H*(10) rapidly increased by more than 250 μSv/hour before steadily decreasing and reaching less than 50 μSv/hour 1 month later. None of the accumulated exposure doses in Models 1-3 reached 20 mSv. In Model 3 (hospitalized patients), the accumulated exposure doses were much less than 10 mSv.

To minimize disaster-related incidents after a nuclear disaster, the present findings highlight the importance of establishing the concept of “tailor-made” evacuations considering individual situations.

This study examined temporal trends in risk perception and intention to return to Tomioka among residents and evacuees with the aim of aiding community recovery.

Responses to questionnaires distributed in 2017 and 2021 were compared regarding demographic information, intention to return to Tomioka, desire to consult radiation experts, and risk perception such as anxiety about food consumption, drinking tap water, self-health, and genetic effects. Questionnaires were distributed to all persons registered with the Tomioka town council, both current residents and evacuees.

In 2021, the proportion of responders who had already returned/ wanted to return and those who did not want to return increased by 3.2% and 6.8% respectively, and the proportion unsure about returning decreased by 10.1%. Anxiety for self-health decreased by 15.4%, for genetic effects decreased by 24.4%, for food consumption decreased by 30.9%, and the latter 2 remained significant factors among responders unsure of returning and among those who did not want to return in 2021.

Risk perception for food and genetic effects was significantly associated with uncertainty about returning or not returning. There is a need for continual monitoring of risk perception trends and implementation of targeted risk communication strategies.

The aim of this study was to clarify residents’ intentions to return (ITR) to Tomioka town, Fukushima Prefecture; and their risk perception of the health effects of radiation exposure as stratified by gender and generation.

Of almost 8000 residents who were 20 years of age or older and who had lived, prior to the accident, in the zones of Tomioka town where residents were permitted to return, 1860 were included in the analysis. For the analysis, the residents were divided into 4 groups which were stratified by gender and age: older males (over 50 years), young males (20−49 years), older females (over 50 years), and young females (20−49 years).

ITR was found to be significantly lower in young males, young females, and older females than in older males. Conversely, young and older females had significantly higher levels of anxiety about drinking tap water and consuming food collected in Tomioka town. Young and older females also had greater concerns about adverse health effects on themselves and their offspring due to living in Tomioka town.

Our results showed that special attention should be paid to younger residents, particularly to young females, with regard to recovery from a nuclear disaster.

This study aimed to clarify the iodine deficiency status in the Semipalatinsk region that has been contaminated by radioactive fallout from nuclear testing during the period of the former USSR.

Based on the Japan–Kazakstan joint project of adult cancer screening around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS), from May to October 2002 spot urine specimens were collected at random in each village. Separately, children aged 5–15 years from around the SNTS were chosen at random and spot urine specimens were collected from them.

Area contaminated by radioactive fallout around the SNTS, Republic of Kazakstan.

A total of 2609 adults aged >40 years from 16 settlements in three regions and one city, and 298 children aged 5–15 years from two regions and one city.

Median urinary iodine concentrations of adults and children in all regions were in the range of 116.0–381.7 and 127.7–183.0 μg l−1, respectively. The highest prevalence of values <50 μg l−1 (14.1%) did not exceed 20%. Distributions within each group, adults and children, showed almost the same pattern, except for one region where more than 50% of adults had urinary iodine concentration >100 μg l−1.

In agreement with our previous studies, the urinary iodine concentration data showed no clear evidence of iodine deficiency around the SNTS. Kazakstan is geographically and nutritionally at moderate risk of iodine deficiency disorders without fortification or iodine replacement by iodised salt. The socio-medical prophylaxis against iodine deficiency has been successfully maintained in East Kazakstan.