Examinations and Treatment During a Nuclear Accident

Care must be taken in examinations and treatment that the radioactive substances are not spread further.

The first thing that health professionals must do is to respond appropriately to the people requiring medical care. However, to prevent radioactive substances from adhering to the next patient, cover all objects that will come in contact with patients with plastic filter paper and sheets of plastic, including examination tables and shadowless lamps used in treatment. These are commercially available for nuclear medicine facilities.

If the accident involves an earthquake or other calamity, it may not be feasible to wipe away radioactive substances adhering to clothing or shoes, or to change clothing. However, even in the case of the Fukushima nuclear accident, the actual dose to which local residents were exposed was considerably less than the exposure from radiopharmaceuticals administered during nuclear medicine examinations. Even the portion of local residents with the highest exposure received about 2 to 3 mSv, which is equivalent to the amount in such an examination.