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Abstract
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Perhaps the most important lesson of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is that we were not fully prepared to handle the long-term consequences of a major nuclear accident. This is not entirely surprising as the Chernobyl accident, a quarter of a century earlier, was the only other example of a major, widespread release of radioactive materials from a nuclear power plant.
Coincidentally, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) released Publication 111 'Application of the Commission's recommendations to the protection of people living in long-term contaminated areas after a nuclear accident or a radiation emergency' (ICRP, 2009), based largely on experience from the Chernobyl accident, just a year before the Fukushima accident occurred. One reason it took so long is that many people felt that the Chernobyl accident was an anomaly. In the decades since Chernobyl, progress had been made to prepare for the immediate emergency response to another large accident, but little consideration had been given to the aftermath.
In March 2011, we learned that the large uncontrolled release from Chernobyl was not a unique event. The spread of radioactive materials from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the environment and populated areas had enormous consequences.
Over the last decade, many experts and organisations have acted to reduce the chance that there will be another accident like Chernobyl and Fukushima. Nonetheless, we must still be prepared...
Language: en |