The main danger of Fukushima for populations was radioactive contamination

The main health impact of the accident is a consequence of evacuation and fear. It was detrimental to the well-being and mental health of the affected populations. Excessive media treatment, anxiety-provoking communication of anti-nuclear militant movements, and stigmatization by the rest of the Japanese population have only worsened these impacts.

Even if radioactive releases had extremely limited consequences on the environment and the population, the evacuation carried out in response to the accident had very significant consequences on the well-being and mental health of the inhabitants and workers of Fukushima Prefecture. This conclusion of UNSCEAR* takes into account, in addition to the trauma of the evacuation, the impact on the populations of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident, but also the fear of radiation, the long-term removal they experienced, and the stigma associated with having been exposed to ionizing radiation at the time of the accident. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) also uses the results of a study that found a strong correlation between the level of doses received by workers and their high level of psychological stress with regard to the potential danger of exposure. It appears that these individuals were also victims of discrimination and harassment from the rest of the population, and that many women expressed a reluctance to conceive a child, fearing the social judgment associated with the alleged effects of radiation on genetic inheritance. Finally, we note that the former inhabitants of Fukushima Prefecture are hesitant to reveal their former place of residence when they move, because of the discrimination they know they may experience. 

This focus, whose measurably harmful effects on the health and well-being of populations could have been avoided, also decentralizes the victims of the earthquake and tsunami and the pain of those who survived them. 

This instrumentalization is the work of certain anti-nuclear movements and politicians who have chosen to make the Fukushima accident a symbol of something it is not. It brings us back to the question that must be asked about the role of the media and social networks. This is addressed by the WHO report when it underlines the responsibility of information that plays on our emotions, is not established scientifically, and of rumors fueling fear, which have contributed to anxiety, confusion, and division of society.

* UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation) is responsible for assessing and reporting levels and effects of exposure to ionizing radiation. This scientific committee operates on the same principle as the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).