Hachiya Misao, Tominaga Takako, Tatsuzaki Hideo, Akashi Makoto
Radiation Emergency Medicine Assistant Team (REMAT), National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), Chiba, Japan.
Drug Dev Res. 2014 Feb;75(1):3-9. doi: 10.1002/ddr.21161. Epub 2013 Dec 26.
A huge earthquake struck the northeast coast of the main island of Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a tsunami with 14-15 meter-high waves hitting the area. The earthquake was followed by numerous sustained aftershocks. The earthquake affected the nuclear power plant (NPP) in Fukushima prefecture, resulting in large amounts of radioactive materials being released into the environment. The major nuclides released on land were ¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs, and ¹³⁷Cs. Therefore, almost 170,000 people had to be evacuated or stay indoors. Besides the NPP and the telecommunications system, the earthquake also affected infrastructures such as the supplies of water and electricity as well as the radiation monitoring system. The local hospital system was dysfunctional; hospitals designated as radiation-emergency facilities were not able to function because of damage from the earthquake and tsunami, and some of them were located within a 20 km radius of the NPP, the designated evacuation zone. Local fire department personnel were also asked to evacuate. Furthermore, the affected hospitals had not established their evacuation plans at that time. We have learned from this "combined disaster" that the potential for damage to lifelines as well as the monitoring systems for radiation in case of an earthquake requires our intense focus and vigilance, and that hospitals need comprehensive plans for evacuation, including patients requiring life support equipment during and after a nuclear disaster. There is an urgent need for a "combined disaster" strategy, and this should be emphasized in current disaster planning and response.
2011年3月11日，日本主岛的东北海岸发生了一场巨大的地震，引发了高达14至15米的海啸袭击该地区。地震之后还发生了多次持续的余震。此次地震影响了福岛县的核电站，导致大量放射性物质释放到环境中。在陆地上释放的主要核素是¹³¹I、¹³⁴Cs和¹³⁷Cs。因此，近17万人不得不撤离或待在室内。除了核电站和电信系统，地震还影响了水、电供应以及辐射监测系统等基础设施。当地医院系统功能失调；被指定为辐射应急设施的医院由于地震和海啸造成的破坏而无法正常运转，其中一些医院位于核电站指定疏散区内半径20公里的范围内。当地消防部门人员也被要求撤离。此外，受灾医院当时尚未制定疏散计划。我们从这场“复合灾难”中认识到，地震发生时生命线以及辐射监测系统遭受破坏的可能性需要我们高度关注和警惕，而且医院需要制定全面的疏散计划，包括在核灾难期间和之后需要生命维持设备的患者。迫切需要一种“复合灾难”应对策略，并且这一点应在当前的灾难规划和应对中得到强调。
