Professor Takeo Nakayama of the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University and the research group of Fukushima Prefectural Medical University and Hirata Central Hospital in Hirata Village, Fukushima Prefecture, joined the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake in Miharu Town, Fukushima Prefecture. Found that only 0% of children aged 9-63.5 years took the stable iodine tablets distributed to prevent thyroid exposure.It is said that this is the first time that the actual situation of taking iodine tablets after the nuclear accident has been clarified.
The survey was conducted in 2017 at the time of a thyroid examination for elementary and junior high school students in Miharu Town, and 0 parents who lived in Miharu Town at the time of the accident and were 9-961 years old responded.
According to the report, at that time, two-thirds of children over the age of 3 took it, but only about half of the children aged 3 to 2 took it.The most common reason for not taking it was "safety anxiety", which accounted for 0% of the total. Some respondents answered, "Insufficient information on side effects and effects," "It was difficult to take infants," and "I saved it in preparation for further disasters."
The research group believes that the number of people taking the drug was small, and "it is necessary to fully explain the effects, how to take it, side effects, etc. to parents."
After the nuclear accident, Miharu Town was the only municipality that was not designated as an evacuation area, and distributed stable iodine tablets to households with pregnant women and people under the age of 40 and instructed them to take them.So far, no side effects have been reported.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends taking iodine tablets as they are effective in preventing thyroid exposure.
