Radioprotection 2025, 60( 1), 99 – 108 © A. Zabirova et al., Published by EDP Sciences, 2025 https:// doi. org / 10.1051 / radiopro / 2024036
Available online at: www. radioprotection. org
ARTICLE
Impact of the discharge of treated water on residents’ intention to return to areas near the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station a decade after the accident
A. Zabirova 1, H. Matsunaga 1, M. Orita 1, Y. Kashiwazaki 1, X. Xiao 1,*, T. Schneider 2 and N. Takamura 1 1 Department of Global Health, Medicine and Welfare, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan. 2 Nuclear Protection Evaluation Centre( CEPN), Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
Received: 4 May 2024 / Accepted: 12 August 2024 Abstract – This study examined how discharged ALPS-treated water( DTW), social capital( SC), healthrelated quality of life( HR-QOL), and radiation risk perception influence residents’ intention to return( ITR) to the affected areas around TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station( FDNPS), within a 20 km radius. The concerns about DTW were investigated six months before authorities began discharging treated water into the Pacific Ocean, in August 2023. It was revealed that residents who wanted to return were mostly concerned about the DTW( p < 0.05). Compared to the residents who had already returned, the community trust and attachment was lower in non-returnees( p < 0.01). Residents of areas affected by the FDNPS accident remain concerned about various issues regarding radiation. These results provide important suggestions for how to provide appropriate support that addresses the specific concerns of former residents of affected areas.
Keywords: Radiation risk / recovery / social impact / tritiated water
1 Introduction
On March 11, 2011, the east coast of Japan’ s Tohoku region experienced a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that triggered a destructive tsunami. As a consequence, a catastrophic nuclear accident occurred at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station( FDNPS), and radioactive substances that exceeded accepted standards were released into the environment. Evacuation orders for those living near the FDNPP were issued that day, and the scope of the evacuation zone gradually expanded, depending on the radiation doses in local areas( IAEA, 2015). Consequently, approximately 164,000 people had to evacuate, by order of the government and local administrations, to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure. In time, evacuation orders were lifted in stages, based on the results of detailed radiation monitoring, decontamination of the evironement, and the rebuilding of infrastructures, except in some“ difficult to return zones” that exceeded the standard acceptable annual radiation dose( UNSCEAR, 2022). The return of residents is a complex process involving not only
* Corresponding author: hmatsu @ nagasaki-u. ac. jp radiological factors but also social factors, especially those related to the organization of temporary housing, economics( the impact of the compensation system), and environmental considerations( ICRP 146, 2020; Croüail et al., 2020). The decontamination of residential areas encompassed by the evacuation order, including adjacent roads, residential neighborhoods, and agricultural lands, included in the decontamination program is almost completed( Takamura et al., 2021). Nevertheless, the number of people who returned to the affected is limited. As of early 2024, approximately 27,000 people or more who evacuated still have not returned, even though more than 13 years have passed since the nuclear accident( Matsunaga et al., 2021).
In August 2023, the FDNPS began discharging treated water that has been filtered through a special protocol, called the Advanced Liquid Processing System( ALPS), as part of the process of decommissioning and dismantling the FDNPS( Saito et al., 2017). The discharged ALPS-treated water( DTW) is subject to strict safety management and monitoring. Results of screening analyses for alpha-, beta-, and gammaemitting radionuclides indicate that their levels were below the most stringent applicable regulatory limits: 4 Bq / L for 238Pu, 239Pu, and 240Pu( alpha emitters) and 9 Bq / L for 129I( a beta
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