Glossary
A
- The radioactive materials released due to the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) after the Great East Japan Earthquake caused environmental pollution. This Act aims to promptly reduce the influence of this environmental pollution on human health and living environments, and provides for the monitoring and measurement of the environmental pollution, disposal of waste contaminated with radioactive materials, decontamination of soil and other countermeasures. (Based on the website of the Ministry of the Environment)
- The actinoid (actinide) series encompasses the 15 elements with atomic numbers from 89 to 103, namely Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, Md, No, and Lr. All actinoids are radioactive and release energy upon radioactive decay. Naturally occurring uranium and thorium and artificially produced plutonium are the most abundant actinides on Earth.
- The term "additional dose" refers to a dose received from radioactive sources that were unintentionally generated. After the TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi NPS Accident, the additional dose often refers to the dose from the artificial radionuclides (e.g., Cesium-137) distinct from the dose from naturally existing radionuclides (e.g., Potassium-40).
- Multi-nuclide removal equipment (known as the Advanced Liquid Processing System, or ALPS) that removes 62 kinds of radioactive materials other than tritium. "ALPS treated water" refers to water that has been treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and other equipment and has been purified to a level where contained radioactive materials, except for tritium, satisfy the regulatory standards for environmental discharge. Prior to the treatment using ALPS, contaminated water is purified to remove cesium, strontium, etc.
- See "Advanced Liquid Processing System".
- An ambient dose refers to the amount of radiation in the air. Gamma rays from radioactive materials on or near the ground surface and gamma rays from radioactive materials in the air affect ambient dose levels.
- Areas for which evacuation orders were issued based on Article 15, paragraph (3) of the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness; Areas under Evacuation Orders consisted of Deliberate Evacuation Areas and the 20-km zone of the Nuclear Power Station. The areas were reviewed and were newly organized as Preparation Areas for Lift of Evacuation Order, Habitation Restricted Areas, and Restricted Areas.
- See "Restricted Areas".
- Man-made radionuclides produced by a nuclear reactor and an accelerator in contrast to naturally-occurring radionuclides. (Based on the website of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories, JAEA)
- Nuclear testing conducted on the ground, at sea or in the air; There are also underwater nuclear testing, underground nuclear testing and exoatmospheric nuclear testing. Nuclear testing other than that to be conducted underground was all banned under the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), which was signed in 1963. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
B
- The Basic Survey is a questionnaire survey targeting roughly 2,050,000 residents of and visitors to Fukushima Prefecture as of March 11, 2011. Estimated external radiation doses were calculated based on recorded movements of respondents in the four months following the nuclear accident. (Based on the website of the Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University)
C
- Calibration means to clarify the relationship between a correct value and instrument readings, and such relationship expressed in a ratio is referred to as a calibration constant. When measuring radiation, correct values are to be obtained by multiplying instrument readings by a calibration constant. A calibration constant is generally indicated on a calibration label attached to a radiation meter.
- Passing from a state of goodness to a lower state by losing qualities desirable for normal cell function that results in, for example, deformity or malfunctioning.
- Cesium (Caesium) is a chemical element with atomic number 55. Cesium-137 (Cs-137) and Cesium-134 (Cs-134) are radioisotopes of cesium and their physical half-lives are about 30 and two years, respectively. Cs-137 decomposes to Ba-137 through beta decay associated with gamma radiation (0.662 MeV), and then to nonradioactive barium. Cs-137 is generated as one of the fission products, whereas Cs-134 is generated through neutron capture of stable cesium. The biological half-life of cesium is about 70 to 100 days for adults and is shorter for children. Cs-137 and Cs-134 were released into the environment due to the TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi NPS Accident as well as other radioisotopes such as radioiodine. On the other hand, Cs-137 is commonly used as a gamma emitter in industrial application.
- A nuclear reactor accident that occurred at Unit 4 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Station in the Ukrainian Republic on April 26, 1986.
- Chronic exposure means continuous or intermittent exposure to radiation over a long period of time. In contrast to acute exposure, tissue reactions caused by exposure are less severe if the total radiation dose is the same.
- An intergovernmental body created in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for the purpose of protecting consumers' health and ensuring fair-trade practices in the food trade, etc.; The Commission establishes international standards for foods.
- A situation where a fission reaction has been suppressed through the insertion of control rods and the temperature in the reactor is stably maintained at 100°C or lower by continued cooling.
- The sum of the products of the committed organ or tissue equivalent doses and the appropriate tissue weighting factors (wT). The commitment period is taken to be 50 years for adults, and to age 70 years for children. (Cited from ICRP, 2007) (See p.56 in Vol. 1 (Chapter 2) for details)
- The coefficient is indicated as a committed effective dose for a person who has ingested or inhaled 1Bq of radioactive materials considering type of radionuclide, intake route (ingestion, inhalation, etc.), and age group (adults, young children, infants). The coefficient differs by age group because time integrated dose is taken into account for a period of 50 years for adults and for a period of becoming up to age 70 for children, and also because biological half-lives and sensitivity differ between adults and children.
Intake (Bq) × (Committed) effective dose coefficient (mSv/Bq) = (Committed) effective dose (mSv)
(Based on the website of the Food Safety Commission of Japan) - See "Committed effective dose coefficient".
- The program aims at early detection and treatment of diseases as well as prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. Its main target includes 210,000 former residents of evacuation zones whose lifestyle changed drastically after the accident. Additional tests such as differential leukocyte count are performed apart from the routine tests included in the general medical check-up at the workplace or by the local government. (Based on the website of the Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University)
- In "frequentist inference", a confidence interval is an interval defined in terms of the sampling distribution of a statistic of interest (i.e. the distribution of estimates of the statistic that would arise from repeated—generally hypothetical—realizations of data generated from the same underlying distribution as the observed data) such that, for example, the probability that a 95% confidence interval for a given parameter contains the true value of that parameter is 0.95. (Cited from UNSCEAR, 2017)
- A function as a protective wall to prevent diffusion of radioactive materials into the environment; At a reactor, even if radioactive materials leak from the primarily cooling system by pipe rupture, etc., it should be ensured that the confinement function of the reactor containment vessel works properly to prevent diffusion of radioactive materials into the environment.
- Steel vessel enclosing a nuclear reactor containing radioactive material. It is designed, in any emergency, to keep radioactive materials inside of the vessel and to prevent the release thereof when the radioactive material is leaked from nuclear reactor.
- Contaminated water is water containing radioactive materials of fuel debris. It is generated due to continued water injection for cooling fuel that had been melted and solidified (fuel debris) and due to the inflow of rainwater and groundwater into the reactor building. Contaminated water has been generated every day since the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS. Contaminated water is treated using cesium adsorption equipment and a desalinator. Separated clean water is repeatedly used for cooling fuel debris. (See p.13 in Vol. 2 (Chapter 6) for details)
- One type of disposal site where countermeasures have been taken to prevent contamination of groundwater and public waters caused by seeping water from radioactive waste. One of the countermeasures is water shielding work that covers the sides and bottom of the disposal site with plastic sheets, etc. Disposal sites are categorized into three types depending on methods of reducing influence of the waste to be landfilled on the surrounding environment, i.e., controlled type, isolated type, and stabilized type. (Based on the website of the EIC Network)
- A system to remove the heat generated in a reactor; There are the primary core cooling system and the emergency core cooling system.
- There is an area to load fuel assemblies in the inside of the reactor pressure vessel. This area is referred to as a reactor core. Nuclear fuel in the area is referred to as core fuel.
- A situation where fuel assemblies overheat due to abnormal deterioration of the cooling capacity of a reactor, and the fuel assemblies in the reactor core or core internals melt down. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- High energy ionizing particles such as protons, neutrons, etc. from outer space. These particles produce complex compositions at the surface of the earth through nuclear reaction with nitrogen or oxygen in the air.
- Number of counts per unit time when measuring radiation using a counting device (a device to count the amount of incident radiation); Number of counts per minute is indicated as cpm and number of counts per second is indicated as cps. (kcpm=1000cpm) (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
D
- The process of spontaneous transformation of a radionuclide. The decrease in the activity of a radioactive substance. (Cited from the website of UK Health Security Agency, Radiation Protection Services)
- A declaration of an emergency situation that the Prime Minister issues based on the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency (see the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness) for the purpose of protecting citizens' lives, bodies and property from a nuclear disaster; Based on the declaration, the national government establishes the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters (headed by the Prime Minister) and provides instructions necessary for protecting citizens to nuclear operators, government organizations and relevant local governments, etc.
- Dismantling a nuclear reactor and the other related facilities for which it has been decided to discontinue operation or make adjustments to ensure that they pose no risks into the future.
- Areas in municipalities located within 20km to 30km in radius from TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS where exposure doses are highly likely to reach 20 mSv in one year after the accident; The designation of Deliberate Evacuation Areas is one of the physical protection measures taken after the accident at the NPS. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- Contaminated waste that is confirmed to be over 8,000 Bq/kg of radioactive concentration and is designated by the Minister of the Environment. The Minister of the Environment designates the waste when it is contaminated with more than 8,000 Bq/kg, based on the investigation results of the contamination status of incinerated ash and such or an application submitted by the owner of the waste.
- The minimum amount or concentration of a targeted radioactive material in a test sample that can be detected by a certain analysis method under appropriate management and operation. (Based on the website of the Food Safety Commission of Japan)
- Health effects that only appear if a threshold level of dose is exceeded, e.g. radiation-induced erythema (burns). Deterministic effects will appear within the hours, days or weeks following a high radiation exposure.
(Cited from the website of UK Health Security Agency, Radiation Protection Services) - The dose equivalent at a point in a radiation field that would be produced by the corresponding expanded field in the ICRU sphere at a depth, d, on a radius in a specified direction, X. The unit of directional dose equivalent is joule per kilogram (J kg-1) and its special name is sievert (Sv). (Cited from ICRP, 2007)
- In the event of a nuclear emergency situation as prescribed in Article 15 of the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency, the Prime Minister issues a declaration of a nuclear emergency situation. The national government establishes the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters (headed by the Prime Minister), provides necessary instructions to nuclear operators, government organizations and relevant local governments, etc., and also establishes the Local Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters (headed by the Vice-Minister) at an off-site center and formulates the Joint Council for Nuclear Emergency Response. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- See "Cesium".
- Based on the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness, when any agricultural products containing radioactive materials at levels exceeding the standard values are found, the national government issues distribution restrictions to prevent the distribution of products from the relevant production areas for each of such areas (for each of the present or former municipalities; regarding fishery products, additionally for each sea area, lake or river).
- A prospective and source-related restriction on the individual dose from a source, which provides a basic level of protection for the most highly exposed individuals from a source, and serves as an upper bound on the dose in optimisation of protection for that source. For occupational exposures, the dose constraint is a value of individual dose used to limit the range of options considered in the process of optimisation. For public exposure, the dose constraint is an upper bound on the annual doses that members of the public should receive from the planned operation of any controlled source. (Cited from ICRP, 2007)
- Relationship between the magnitude of a dose and the biological response in an organism, system or (sub)population. (Cited from WHO, Health Risk Assessment, 2013)
- A device for measuring an individual’s exposure to ionizing radiation. (Cited from UNSCEAR, 2013)
E
- An elementary particle with low mass, 1/1836 that of a proton, and unit negative electric charge. Positively charged electrons, called positrons, also exist. (Cited from the website of UK Health Security Agency, Radiation Protection Services)
- A safety system to cool a reactor core in the event of pipe rupture in the reactor cooling system, etc. by immediately injecting coolant into the reactor core; Even if a nuclear fission chain reaction is stopped by insertion of control rods immediately in an emergency, fission products continue to generate decay heat and the fuel assemblies need to be cooled. An emergency core cooling system is used for this purpose.
- See "Nucleus Stability/Instability".
- See "Uranium".
- The measurement of external dose rates due to sources in the environment or of radio-nuclide concentrations in environmental media. (Cited from WHO, Health Risk Assessment, 2013)
- Naturally occurring radiation or artificial radiation in the living environment; Naturally occurring radiation includes cosmic rays from the outer atmosphere and radiation deriving from naturally occurring radioactive elements that constitute the earth's crust. Part of artificial radiation that is referred to as environmental radiation is radiation released from fallout from past nuclear testing and radiation that was generated at nuclear facilities and exists in the environment. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- Studies of the distribution in a population of disease and other health issues as related to age, sex, race, ethnicity, occupation, economic status, or other factors. (Cited from the website of the United States Environmental Protection Agency)
- A situation where a human body is exposed to radiation is referred to as exposure and the amount of radiation that a person has received is referred to as an exposure dose, which is expressed in Grays (Gy) or Sieverts (Sv). (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
F
- This diagnostic procedure entails puncturing a fine needle into suspicious lesions, aspirating cells from the lesions through a needle and inspecting the nature of the cells, i.e., malignant or not, under the microscope. (Based on the website of the National Cancer Center Japan)
- An Act for securing food safety and preventing the occurrence of sanitary hazards caused by eating and drinking. (Based on the website of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare [b])
- A frozen soil wall is made by freezing the surrounding ground like a wall. Thereby the flow of the underground water is blocked. The frozen soil wall reduces the inflow of underground water into reactor buildings and inhibits the generation of contaminated water. This mechanism was adopted as one of the countermeasures to inhibit the generation of contaminated water at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- A thin circular tube covering fuel; A fuel clad prevents radioactive fission products from leaking from the fuel into the coolant. Zircalloy is used for fuel clads of a light-water reactor's fuel rods. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- "Fuel debris" is a complex of fuel, metallic cladding, channel boxes, etc. that were melted out from fuel assemblies and were re-solidified afterwards. Fuel debris needs to be cooled continuously as its thermal energy increases due to the radiation emitted therefrom. When handling fuel debris, which emits radiation, radiation shielding is required.
- An A4-sized Fukushima Health Management File is composed of three parts: the first part contains individual records such as dose measurements, health status, health checkup data, and hospital records, the second part contains leaflets about radiation etc., and the third part is "clear holders" as a storage space for record sheets. The file has been provided to each Fukushima resident so as to utilize the file for individual health management. In addition, it is an individual database about long-term health status, laboratory measurements, etc. that can be informative for future study. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [c])
G
- See "Cesium" and "Plume".
- A radiation detector using a germanium semiconductor; A germanium semiconductor detector has excellent energy resolution and is widely used for gamma-ray spectrometry to identify radionuclides.
- A well pumping up groundwater.
H
- Areas designated by municipal mayors as areas where entry should be restricted and evacuation is ordered for the purpose of preventing risks on residents' lives and bodies; After the accident, areas within a 20-km radius from TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS were designated as former Restricted Areas. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- An easy-to-carry-around instrument to measure ambient dose rates (e.g., a NaI (Tl) survey meter).
- A safety system to cool a reactor core in the event of a loss of coolant in the reactor core by immediately injecting coolant into the reactor core at high pressure; One of the multiple safety systems contained in the emergency core cooling system.
- According to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), a total dose exceeding 2,000 mGy (2 Gy) is referred to as high-dose radiation. (Based on UNSCEAR, 1993)
- A phenomenon where hydrogen precipitously reacts with oxygen to explode.
I
- The basic idea (concept) and numerical standards for radiological protection recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP); These are collectively referred to as ICRP Recommendations. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- An inert element does not readily enter into chemical combination with other elements. Examples are helium, argon, krypton, xenon and radon. (Cited from WHO, Health Risk Assessment, 2013)
- A kind of electromagnetic wave in region of the spectrum comprising wavelengths in the range 700 nm to 1 mm. This wave does not ionize material but makes material warm.
- Fukushima Prefecture measures the radioactive cesium level of rice produced in the prefecture in 2012 or later. The rice is tested on a bag-by-bag basis with radiation detectors prepared by the prefectural government. Each bag, containing 30 kilograms of rice, is inspected for safety before shipment so as to prevent the distribution of rice whose radioactive cesium level exceeds the safety standard limit. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [b])
- The activity of a radionuclide taken into the body (by inhalation or ingestion or through the skin) in a given time period or as a result of a given event. (Cited from WHO, Health Risk Assessment, 2013)
- Areas where municipalities take the initiative in decontamination work; Of municipalities including areas where measured ambient dose rates were 0.23 μSv/h or higher, 68 municipalities in eight prefectures are designated as Intensive Contamination Survey Areas (as of the end of March 2023).
- A facility to manage and store the soil and waste containing radioactive materials safely and intensively until their final disposal.
- An autonomous international organization within the United Nations system for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field concerning nuclear safety, nuclear energy, nuclear security, etc. The headquarters is located in Vienna, Austria.
- The BSS is an IAEA document of General Safety Requirements published in collaboration with other international bodies such as WHO, ILO, OECD/NEA, etc., that is issued for IAEA member states in order to materialize the ICRP's recommendations on radiation protection into actual laws and guidelines. The latest version published in 2014 that incorporates the ICRP 2007 Recommendation.
- An intervention level is the level of avertable dose at which a specific protective action or remedial action is taken in an emergency exposure situation or chronic exposure situation. (Cited from IAEA, 1999)
- Replacement of topsoil with subsoil, thereby radioactivity concentrations are reduced in the soil layer where plants take root.
- Iodine is a chemical element with symbol I and atomic number 53. It is the fourth halogen below fluorine, chlorine, and bromine. Stable and non-radioactive iodine is an essential nutrient that humans need and get through intake of food. Iodine is essential for the thyroid gland to function properly and produce thyroid hormones. Radioiodine, such as I-131, I-125, is used as a radioactive tracer in research and clinical diagnosis in nuclear medicine for diagnostic tests as well as in radiotherapy for hyperactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). I-131 also plays a major role as a radioactive isotope present in nuclear fission products, and was a significant contributor to the health hazards from the Chornobyl NPS accident. Radioactive iodine can disperse in gaseous or particulate form. In soil, however, it combines easily with organic materials and moves more slowly through the environment.
- Ionizing radiation is a more precise name of all types of radiation with energy large enough to ionize a molecule. Included under this designation are radiation from radioactive sources, X-rays, short wavelength UV, particles from accelerators, particles from outer space and neutrons. Ionizing radiation is categorized into direct (primary) ionizing radiation and indirect (secondary) ionizing radiation. The former includes charged particles such as α-particles, β-particles (electrons), positrons and the latter includes γ-rays, X-rays, neutrons. (Cited from Henriksen & Maillie, 2002, p.20)
- Nuclides with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. Not a synonym for nuclide. (Cited from the website of UK Health Security Agency, Radiation Protection Services)
J
- The average exposure doses received by one Japanese person; Radiation sources include naturally occurring radiation and artificial radiation (medical radiation and radiation derived from nuclear power plant accidents, etc.). Japan's national dose is evaluated to be 2.1 mSv on average from naturally occurring radiation and 3.87 mSv on average from medical radiation (for diagnosis) per year. (Based on NSRA, 2011)
K
- Unit of exposure that represents the kinetic energy transferred to charged particles per unit mass of irradiated medium when indirectly ionizing (uncharged) particles, such as photons or neutrons, traverse the medium. If all of the kinetic energy is absorbed "locally", the kerma is equal to the absorbed dose. The quantity (K) is expressed in μGy/h at 1 m. (Cited from WHO, Preliminary Dose Estimation, 2012)
L
- The lanthanoid (lanthanide) series of chemical elements comprises the 15 metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers 57 through 71. They are called lanthanoids because the elements in the series are chemically similar to lanthanum.
- The assumption that the risk of cancer increases linearly as radiation dose increases. This means, for example, that doubling the dose doubles the risk and that even a small dose could result in a correspondingly small risk. Using current science, it is impossible to know what the actual risks are at very small doses. (Cited from the website of the United States Environmental Protection Agency)
- A situation where part of the body, not the whole body, is mainly exposed to radiation.
M
- Exposure incurred by patients as part of their own medical or dental diagnosis or treatment; by persons, other than those occupationally exposed, knowingly, while voluntarily helping in the support and comfort of patients; and by volunteers in a programme of biomedical research involving their exposure. (Cited from ICRP, 2007)
- Melting of core fuel from overheating that occurs in a severe nuclear reactor accident.
- The survey aims to provide adequate care mainly for evacuees who are at a higher risk of developing mental health problems (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety disorder) and lifestyle-related issues (e.g., obesity, problem drinking, sleep difficulties).
N
- A gamma-ray measurement system that detects scintillation consisting of NaI crystals is generally referred to as an NaI scintillator. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- Materials found in nature that emit ionizing radiation that have not been moved or concentrated artificially. K-40 is one natural radioactive material and exists in plants and human bodies.
(Cited from the website of the United States Environmental Protection Agency) - An elementary particle with unit atomic mass approximately and no electric charge. (Cited from the website of UK Health Security Agency, Radiation Protection Services)
- An inert radioactive gas that does not readily enter into chemical combination with other elements. Examples are helium, argon, krypton, xenon and radon. (Cited from WHO, Health Risk Assessment, 2013)
- An organization that the national government established in the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, for the purpose of ensuring safety of nuclear power and other types of energy and securing industrial safety; The Agency was abolished as part of the full-fledged revision of the safety regulation system in response to the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS in March 2011. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- A nuclear fuel rod consists of nuclear material covered with a metal clad. Multiple rods constitute a fuel assembly and multiple fuel assemblies constitute a reactor core. For light-water reactors, uranium dioxide is used for nuclear material and zircalloy is used for metal clads.
- A device in which nuclear fission can be sustained in a self-supporting chain reaction involving neutrons. In thermal reactors, fission is brought about by thermal neutrons. (Cited from the website of UK Health Security Agency, Radiation Protection Services)
- The Nuclear Safety Commission was established in the Cabinet Office in 1978 as an organization that plans, deliberates and decides how to ensure safety concerning research, development and utilization of nuclear power. The accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS in March 2011 triggered fundamental reform of the safety regulation system, and the Nuclear Regulation Authority was newly established as an administrative organ that integrally regulates nuclear safety on September 19, 2012, and the Nuclear Safety Commission was abolished. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- Whether a nucleus is stable or unstable depends on the numbers of its constituent protons and neutrons. An unstable nucleus emits radiation to change into a nucleus that is energetically more stable.
- A species of atom characterised by the number of protons and neutrons and, in some cases, by the energy state of the nucleus. (Cited from the website of UK Health Security Agency, Radiation Protection Services)
- The concentration of radioisotopes in certain materials, such as soil, water, air, foodstuff, and so on.
O
- The Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards aims to minimize the health hazards out of radiation for workers and was established based on the Industrial Safety and Health Law. (Based on the website of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare [a])
- An international organization that aims to contribute to the development of nuclear energy as an economic energy source; A subordinate agency of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
P
- See "Cesium" and "Plume".
- An operational quantity: the dose equivalent in soft tissue (commonly interpreted as the ‘ICRU sphere’) at an appropriate depth, d, below a specified point on the human body. The unit of personal dose equivalent is joule per kilogram (J kg-1) and its special name is sievert (Sv). The specified point is usually given by the position where the individual’s dosimeter is worn. (Cited from ICRP, 2007)
- A phenomenon that the number of radioactive isotopes decrease due to radioactive decay.
- Mass of air and vapour in the atmosphere carrying radioactive material released from a source.
(Cited from WHO, Preliminary Dose Estimation, 2012) - Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal and is produced by a nuclear reaction of uranium. Pu-239 is a fissile isotope and can be used for nuclear fuels and nuclear weapons. Man-made plutonium existing in the environment originates from radioactive fallout associated with nuclear weapon tests in the past. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder triggered by a terrifying event, causing flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety for prolonged periods. (Based on the website of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare [c])
- Potassium is a chemical element with symbol K and atomic number 19. It is one of the alkali metals. Potassium in nature occurs only in ionic salts and is chemically similar to sodium. Naturally occurring potassium is composed of three isotopes, of which K-40 is the most common radioisotope in the human body. Natural potassium contains 0.0117% of K-40, which exists in animals and plants. About 4,000 Bq of K-40 is contained in the body of an adult male. Potassium ions are vital for the functioning of all living cells. Potassium is also used for agricultural fertilizer.
Potassium and cesium are alkali metals and cesium absorbed in plants shows behavior similar to potassium. Therefore, after the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS, potassic fertilizer is used for crops as a measure to inhibit radioactive cesium absorption. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d]) - A term used in the 2013 Report of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), which refers to areas where evacuation orders were issued from March 12 to March 15, 2011; Specifically, the term refers to Futaba, Okuma, Tomioka, Naraha, Hirono, Minamisoma, Namie, Tamura, Kawauchi and Katsurao. (Based on UNSCEAR, 2013)
- The survey aims to provide appropriate medical care and support to mothers who were given a Maternal and Child Health Handbook and to their children. (Based on the website of the Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University)
- Areas where it has been confirmed that annual accumulated doses will surely be below 20 mSv and efforts are to be made for early return of residents; Passing on major roads and temporary return of residents are flexibly permitted. Physical protection measures, such as screening and dose management, are not necessary in principle upon temporary entry. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- Provisional regulation values were regulation values that were used provisionally for regulation of the radioactivity in foodstuffs just after the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS because there had been no standard values. The provisional regulation values were used until the start of use of the standard values newly determined by the government.
- Exposure incurred by members of the public from radiation sources, excluding any occupational or medical exposure and the normal local natural background radiation. (Cited from ICRP, 2007)
Q
- The minimum amount or concentration of a nuclide whose quantity can be determined by a certain analysis method. (Based on the website of the EIC Network)
R
- See "Spatiotemporal Distribution of Ambient Dose Rates".
- There are two major types of radiation effects: somatic effects and heritable effects. Somatic effects are classified into acute effects, which include hair loss and sterility, and late effects, which include cataracts and cancer. From the perspective of protection against radiation, somatic effects are also classified as deterministic effects (tissue reactions) and stochastic effects (cancer and heritable disorders). Although heritable effects have been demonstrated in animal studies, the effects have not been found among the offspring of atomic bomb survivors or cancer survivors treated with radiation. (Based on the website of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences)
- Radiation (particle) fluence is defined as the quotient of dN by da, where dN is the number of particles incident upon a sphere of cross-sectional area da. (Cited from ICRP, 2007)
- Measures and control to protect workers in charge of operations at nuclear/radiation facilities and residents living near such facilities from radiation exposure. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- A facility installed for monitoring environmental radiation around the nuclear facilities; In general, a facility for only measuring ambient dose rates is referred to as a monitoring post, and a facility for also measuring radioactive concentrations and meteorological data is referred to as a monitoring station. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- Radiation protection is the means for protection of people from harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation or contamination with radioactive materials. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- Health-promoting lifestyle of people living in the contaminated area by radioactive materials, lifestyle which is backed up with knowledge and skills about radiation and radiation protection.
- A dimensionless factor by which the organ or tissue absorbed dose is multiplied to reflect the higher biological effectiveness of high-LET radiations compared with low-LET radiations. It is used to derive the equivalent dose from the absorbed dose averaged over a tissue or organ. (Cited from ICRP, 2007)
- See "Cesium".
- See "Plume".
- See "Decay (disintegration) ".
- See "Decay (disintegration) ".
- See "Iodine".
- See "Strontium".
- Proneness of cells to be killed by radiation; As a rule, radiation exposure kills cells more easily that are dividing or programmed to divide many times in the future or in a developmentary immature stage. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- A concrete building that houses major equipment of a reactor.
- The area in a reactor where fuel assemblies are loaded and fission reaction occurs actively.
- A safety system for boiling-water reactors that provides cooling water to a reactor core using a pump powered by steam in a reactor when an abnormal incident in the reactor results in preventing the ordinary system from supplying water to the reactor. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- A steel vessel that houses nuclear fuel, a moderator, coolant and other major components and wherein high-pressure steam is produced by fission energy. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- The national government's administrative agency that was organized for proactively carrying out reconstruction work with due consideration to areas severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake with the aim of achieving reconstruction as early as possible. (Based on the website of the Reconstruction Agency [b])
- Criticality is a situation where a fission reaction continues without supply of neutrons from the outside. Recriticality is a phenomenon where changes in the temperature, shape or composition of a reactor core results in criticality again. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- On the premise of securing radiation safety, "recycling" here means to make the soil and waste removed through off-site decontamination work into materials again after volume reduction. These materials are to be used for construction, such as the basic structure of banks in public projects which are assumed not to change shape artificially for a long time. Also, areas which use the removed soil are supposed to be managed by an appropriate administrator and responsibility-taking system.
- A ratio between the ambient dose rate due to artificial radioactive materials measured inside a building and that measured outside, when contamination by artificial radioactive materials inside the building and under the floor can be ignored; It is a value specific to a building and is also referred to as a shielding coefficient.
- In an emergency exposure situation or an existing exposure situation, the level of dose, risk or activity concentration above which it is not appropriate to plan to allow exposures to occur and below which optimization of protection and safety would continue to be implemented. (Cited from WHO, Preliminary Dose Estimation, 2012)
- Enzymes necessary for repairing DNA damage. Genetic mutation affecting such enzymes induces cancer proneness. There are several DNA repair mechanisms such as mismatch repair, nucleotide excision repair, homologous recombination repair, non-homologous end joining repair and so on, and each mechanism utilizes unique or shared enzymes to repair DNA damage.
- Areas where annual accumulated doses are currently over 50 mSv and are highly likely to be over 20 mSv even six years after the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS; Residents who temporarily enter these areas must undergo thorough screening, manage their own individual doses and wear protective gear. The term "Areas where returning is difficult" was formerly used instead of "Restricted Areas" as a literal translation from Japanese. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d] and the website of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
* Areas formerly called "Restricted Areas" were areas within a 20km radius of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS as designated in April 2011. In March 2012, this area designation was reviewed in consideration of radiation doses and region-specific problems for individual areas and the designation was lifted for all areas formerly designated as Restricted Areas by August 2013. - Risk communication is a component of risk management, which is the selection of risk control options. It is the process that provides the information on which government, industry, or individual decision makers base their choices. Successful risk communication does not guarantee that risk management decisions will maximize general welfare; it only ensures that decision makers will understand what is known about the implications for welfare of the available options. (Cited from Improving Risk Communication, 1989)
S
- A device containing material that emits light flashes when exposed to ionising radiation. The flashes are converted to electric pulses and counted. The number of pulses is related to dose. (Cited from the website of UK Health Security Agency, Radiation Protection Services)
- In the field of health and medical care, "screening" means to provisionally identify persons with a disease or disorder by rapid and high through-put laboratory tests or procedures. In the field of analysis and inspection, "screening" means to provisionally select samples containing target substances or organisms, etc. by rapid and high through-put laboratory tests. Screening results are not conclusive, and further detailed examinations or diagnoses, etc. are needed to reach the final conclusions. (Based on the website of the Food Safety Commission of Japan)
- An organization that functions as the secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority newly inaugurated in September 2012 after the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi NPS.
- An effect in measurement in a situation where radiation in the air is shielded by a person or sample subject to the measurement; For example, when a person wears a personal dosimeter around his/her chest, radiation from behind is shielded by the person him/herself upon the measurement.
- Cancers originating in solid organs, as opposed to blood cancers such as leukaemia. (Cited from WHO, Health Risk Assessment, 2013)
- The types, quantities, and chemical forms of the radionuclides that encompass the source of potential for exposure to radioactivity; After a nuclear accident, a source term including its release rate is critical for risk assessment. (Based on the US Health Physics Society)
- Ambient dose rates change with time and place due to the physical decay and environmental migration of radionuclides. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- Areas where the national government directly conducts decontamination work; Basically, 11 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture which were once designated as a former Restricted Area or a Deliberately-Evacuated Settlement are designated.
- Areas that do not fall under former Restricted Areas or Deliberately-Evacuated Settlements but where accumulated doses are highly likely to be over 20 mSv in one year after the accident were designated as Specific Spots Recommended for Evacuation and the national government recommended evacuation. The designation of these areas was lifted on December 28, 2014. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [a])
- Zones among Restricted Areas for which evacuation orders are lifted and where people are allowed to reside; As a result of the amendment of the Act on Special Measures for the Reconstruction and Revitalization of Fukushima (in May 2017), it was made possible to designate these zones. (Based on the website of the Reconstruction Agency [a])
- A spent fuel pool is a storage where nuclear spent fuels are cooled until their heat production due to the remaining radioactivity (after shutdown of a reactor) decreases sufficiently.
- See "Cold shut-down".
- A drug containing a certain amount of non-radioactive or "cold" sodium iodide or potassium iodine; If one takes an adequate amount of the drug before inhalation or consumption of radioactive iodine after a nuclear accident, "cold" iodine fills the thyroid organ and prevents the accumulation of radioactive or "hot" iodine into the thyroid. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- Health effect whose probability of occurrence depends on the dose received. Occurrence is usually many years after the exposure, and there is believed to be no threshold level of dose below which no effect will occur. (Cited from the website of UK Health Security Agency, Radiation Protection Services)
- Topsoil of farmland is to be shallowly (4 - 5cm) stripped using a tractor or other equipment to remove radioactive cesium. Radioactive cesium that fell down onto farmland is easily absorbed into soil and remained in the surface layer. Therefore, stripping and removing topsoil is effective.
- Strontium is the chemical element with symbol Sr and atomic number 38. Strontium has physical and chemical properties similar to those of calcium. Sr-90 is a radioisotope with a physical half of 28.8 years and is produced as a fission product in a nuclear reactor. Sr-90 is one of the concerned radionuclides in a nuclear accident because it is likely to accumulate in bones in a similar manner to calcium. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- A well installed for adjusting groundwater levels around a reactor building. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- For water that contains multiple nuclides, the regulatory standards for discharge state that the sum of the ratios of their concentrations to the limits respectively required by law must be less than one. This concentration limit applies to the discharge of radioactive waste to the environment, which is stipulated in the Regulation for Enforcement the Reactor Regulation Act (Act on the Regulation of Nuclear Source Material, Nuclear Fuel Material and Reactors).
- Torus-shaped steel equipment that is located at the lower part of a reactor containment vessel and stores a large amount of water; A rectangular version made of concrete is referred to as a suppression pool. It is important safety equipment that provides water for the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) in the event of a loss of cooling water due to such reasons as a primary pipe rupture accident. A suppression chamber suppresses pressure increases in a nuclear reactor. When the pressure within a reactor containment vessel increases, steam is sent to a suppression chamber to reduce the increased pressure. A suppression chamber also removes particulate radionuclides upon releasing pressure.
- See "Suppression chamber".
- See "Cesium".
T
- The Act was enacted and enforced in 1999 for the purpose of protecting citizens' lives, bodies and property in consideration of the unique characteristics of nuclear disasters. The Act specifies various matters concerning nuclear disasters and provides that in an emergency due to a nuclear disaster, the Prime Minister is to issue a declaration of a nuclear emergency situation and establish the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters.
- The accident that occurred at the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS after the Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011 has resulted in long-term, ongoing anxiety among the residents of Fukushima, Japan. Soon after the disaster, Fukushima Prefecture launched the Fukushima Health Management Survey to investigate long-term low-dose radiation exposure caused by the accident. Fukushima Medical University took the lead in planning and implementing this survey. The primary purpose of this survey is to monitor the long-term health of residents, promote their future well-being, and confirm whether long-term low-dose radiation exposure has health effects. (Based on the website of the Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University)
- See "Director General of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters".
- See "Exposure dose".
- Electrons which emit from the surface of highly heated metal.
- Minimal absorbed radiation dose that will produce a detectable degree of any given effect. (Cited from WHO, Health Risk Assessment, 2013)
- Thyroid Ultrasound Examination covers roughly 380,000 residents aged 0 to 18 years at the time of the nuclear accident. The Preliminary Baseline Survey has been performed within the first three years after the accident, followed by complete thyroid examinations to detect newly growing tumors from 2014 onward, and the residents will be monitored regularly thereafter. (Based on the website of the Radiation Medical Science Center, Fukushima Medical University)
- An accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS located on the Pacific coast in Fukushima Prefecture, which was caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred at 14:46 on March 11, 2011, and the subsequent massive tsunami. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- An underground tunnel for storing utility equipment such as power cables and pipes.
- Tritium is a radioisotope of hydrogen composed of one proton and two neutrons. Tritium, which combines with oxygen and comprises water molecules in the same manner as ordinary hydrogen, often exists around us while being contained in water molecules. It is created in nature as a result of the reaction of cosmic rays with nitrogen and oxygen in the air, in addition to be artificially created through the operation of a nuclear power plant. In nature, tritium is contained in rainwater, sea water, and tap water, and also exists in the human body as tritium water.
Tritium emits β-particles, one type of radiation, but β-particles emitted from tritium only have weak energy (18.6 keV at the largest) and can be shielded with a piece of paper. Therefore, external exposure from tritium is unlikely to exert any influence on the human body. A biological half-life for water containing tritium is ten days, and even if it is ingested, it will be eliminated from the body promptly and will not accumulate in any specific organs. (See p.79 in Vol. 1 (Chapter 2) for details) - At a nuclear power plant, steam pressure is converted into rotational energy by a turbine, which is further converted into electricity by a power generator. A building that houses a turbine and a power generator is referred to as a turbine building.
U
- The developmental state of cells or organs that are immature or not differentiated. Any kind of tissues in the body contains stem cells capable of dividing and producing intermediately differentiated cells that further differentiate into mature functioning cells. In this case, stem cells are undifferentiated cells while mature functioning cells are differentiated cells.
- The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation
- Uranium is a chemical element with symbol U and atomic number 92. In nature, uranium is composed of U-238 (99.275%), U-235 (0.72%) and U-234 (0.005%). The half-lives of U-238 and U-235 are about 4.47 billion years and 704 million years, respectively. U-235 is the only naturally occurring fissile isotope, which makes it widely used in nuclear reactors.
Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of U-235 has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Enriched uranium is a critical component for both civil nuclear power generation and military nuclear weapons. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
V
- An operation to reduce pressure in a reactor containment vessel when the pressure increases abnormally, by way of discharging the inner gas.
W
- Waste within areas designated by the Minister of the Environment that meet certain requirements, such as areas that are highly contaminated and require special treatment.
- Zircalloy is used for fuel clads for light-water reactors. If fuel is exposed from cooling water, it becomes hot and this triggers a chemical reaction of zirconium in the fuel clad with water vapor to generate hydrogen. The phenomenon where hot zirconium reacts with water vapor and generates hydrogen in this manner is referred to as a water-zirconium reaction. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- World Health Organization
- A device to measure the amount of radioactive materials taken into and deposited inside the human body from outside for the purpose of examining the internal exposure dose. (Based on the website of Fukushima Prefecture [d])
- A situation where the whole body is evenly exposed to (external) radiation; This term is used in contrast to local exposure, which refers to a situation where only part of the body is exposed to radiation. (Based on the website of Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
Z
- Zeolite is Aluminosilicate, a kind of clay mineral. It comprises porous crystals. Fine pores are usually around 0.2 to 1.0 nm in diameter. Zeolite has ion-exchange capacity and adsorptive capacity.
Bibliography for the Glossary
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