Biggest Fallout Of Modern Nuclear Disasters Is Mental, Not Physical Illness

Modern nuclear accidents are far more likely to effect mental health than cause physical injury, according to new research.

While there are more than 400 active nuclear power stations around the world, accidents are thankfully rare.

The 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan where there was a meltdown of several of the plant’s reactors, was the biggest nuclear accident to occur since the Chernobyl power plant incident in 1986 - the worst in history in terms of cost and casualties.

Speaking in a series of papers published in medical journal The Lancet, Dr. Koichi Tanigawa, of Fukushima Medical University in Japan said:

“Although the radiation dose to the public from Fukushima was relatively low, and no discernible physical health effects are expected, psychological and social problems, largely stemming from the differences in risk perceptions, have had a devastating impact on people’s lives.”

According to Medical News Today, the 2006 UN Chernobyl Forum report concluded that the accident’s biggest public health issue was the adverse affects on mental health, with depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) rates still at a high level 20 years after the accident.

Poor communication about the associated health risks further compounded the problem.

Similar issues were experienced following the Fukushima incident with the the new reports suggesting that ‘repeat evacuations and long-term displacement bring severe health care problems for the most vulnerable’.

The study also reiterated that while in most nuclear accidents very few people are exposed to life-threatening doses of radiation, this needs to be communicated effectively by health services.

Recently, ’mutant daisies’ were reportedly spotted near the site of the Fukushima power plant, though it is thought that their mutation may not necessarily be the result of radiation.

(Image credit: PA)