Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T06:25:24.876Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Voluntary Health Registry of French Nationals after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: Methods, Results, Implications, and Feedback

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2016

Yvon Motreff ,
Philippe Pirard ,
Céline Lagrée ,
Candice Roudier  and
Pascal Empereur-Bissonnet
Yvon Motreff*
Affiliation:
French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), Department of Environmental Health, Saint-Maurice, France
Philippe Pirard
Affiliation:
French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), Department of Environmental Health, Saint-Maurice, France
Céline Lagrée
Affiliation:
French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), Information Technology Project Manager, Saint-Maurice, France
Candice Roudier
Affiliation:
French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), Department of Environmental Health, Saint-Maurice, France
Pascal Empereur-Bissonnet
Affiliation:
French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), Department of Environmental Health, Saint-Maurice, France
*
Correspondence: Yvon Motreff, MPH Département Santé Environnement Institut de Veille Sanitaire 12 rue du Val d’Osne 94415 Saint-Maurice Cedex France E-mail: y.motreff@invs.sante.fr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction

The 11th of March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck alongside the north-east coast of Honshu Island, Japan, causing a tsunami and a major nuclear accident. The French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) set up, within one week after the triple catastrophe, an Internet-based registry for French nationals who were in Japan at the time of the disasters. In this string of disasters, in this context of uncertainties about the nuclear risks, the aim of this registry was to facilitate the: (1) realization of further epidemiologic studies, if needed; and (2) contact of people if a medical follow-up was needed. The purpose of this report was to describe how the health registry was set up, what it was used for, and to discuss further utilization and improvements to health registries after disasters.

Methods

The conception of the questionnaire to register French nationals was based on a form developed as part of the Steering Committee for the management of the post-accident phase in the event of nuclear accident or a radiological emergency situation (CODIRPA) work. The questionnaire was available online.

Results

The main objective was achieved since it was theoretically possible to contact again the 1,089 persons who completed the form. According to the data collected on their space-time budget, to the result of internal contamination measured by the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) and dosimetric expertise published by the World Health Organization (WHO), it was not suitable to conduct an epidemiologic follow-up of adverse effects of exposure to ionizing radiations among them. However, this registry was used to launch a qualitative study on exposure to stress and psychosocial impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake on French nationals who were in Japan in March 2011.

Conclusion

Setting a registry after a disaster is a very important step in managing the various consequences of a disaster. This experience showed that it is quickly feasible and does not raise adverse side effects in involved people.

MotreffY , PirardP , LagréeC , RoudierC , Empereur-BissonnetP . Voluntary Health Registry of French Nationals after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: Methods, Results, Implications, and Feedback. Prehosp Disaster Med.2016;31(3):326–329.

Keywords

disaster planningepidemiologyFukushima Nuclear Accidentpublic healthregistries
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , June 2016 , pp. 326 - 329
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Steering Committee for the Management of the Post-Accident Phase of a Nuclear Accident (CODIRPA). Autorité de sureté nucléaire. Policy elements for post-accident management in the event of nuclear accident. http://www.french-nuclear-safety.fr/content/download/54300/369176/version/1/file/Policy%20elements%20for%20post-accident%20management%20in%20the%20event%20of%20nuclear%20accident.pdf. Published 2012. Accessed July 8, 2015.Google Scholar
2. Haut Conseil de la Santé Publique. Avis relatif à la surveillance épidémiologique et sanitaire des personnes en provenance du Japan et résidant en France. http://www.hcsp.fr/ explore.cgi/hcspa20110322_japon.pdf. Published 2011. Accessed July 8, 2015.Google Scholar
3. World Health Organization. Preliminary dose estimation from the nuclear accident after the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. http://www.who.int/iris/bitstream/ 10665/44877/1/9789241503662_eng.pdf?ua=1. Published 2012. Accessed July 8, 2015.Google Scholar
4. Hemdane, A, Rudy, H, Sturm, G, et al. Exposition aux facteurs de stress et impact psychosocial du tremblement de terre de Tohoku et de ses conséquences sur les Français présents au Japan en mars 2011. Étude qualitative. Saint-Maurice: Institut de veille sanitaire; 2015. http://www.invs.sante.fr. Accessed July 8, 2015.Google Scholar
5. World Trade Center Health Registry. Proceedings: Expert Panel on Public Health Registries. New York and Atlanta: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/wtc/wtc-report-expert.pdf. Accessed July 8, 2015.Google Scholar
6. Glenshaw, MT, Vernick, JS, Li, G, Sorock, GS, Brown, S, Mallonee, S. Factors associated with injury severity in Oklahoma City bombing survivors. J Trauma. 2009;66(2):508-515.Google Scholar
7. Roorda, J, van Stiphout, WA, Huijsman-Rubingh, RR. Post-disaster health effects: strategies for investigation and data collection. Experiences from the Enschede firework disaster. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2004;58(12):982-987.Google Scholar
8. Goldhaber, MK, Tokuhata, GK, Digon, E, et al. The Three Mile Island population registry. Public Health Rep. 1983;98(6):603-609.Google ScholarPubMed
9. Rapid Response Registry. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Web site. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/rapidresponse. Accessed July 8, 2015.Google Scholar
10. Paranthaman, K, Catchpole, M, Simpson, J, Morris, J, Muirhead, CR, Leonardi, GS. Development of a decision framework for establishing a health register following a major incident. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(6):524-530.Google Scholar
11. Close, RM, Maguire, H, Etherington, G, et al. Preparedness for a major incident: creation of an epidemiology protocol for a health protection register in England. Environment International. 2014;72:75-82.Google Scholar
12. Akiba, S. Epidemiological studies of Fukushima residents exposed to ionizing radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant prefecture--a preliminary review of current plans. J Radiol Prot. 2012;32(1):1-10.Google Scholar
13. Secretariat Général de la Défense et de la Sécurité Nationale. National response plan. Major nuclear or radiological accident. http://www.sgdsn.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/N_Plan.pdf. Published 2014. Accessed July 8, 2015.Google Scholar
14. Verger, P, Aulagnier, M, Schwoebel, V, Lang, T. Démarches épidémiologiques après une catastrophe. Anticiper les catastrophes: enjeux de santé publique, connaissances, outils et méthodes. Paris, France: La Documentation Française; 2005.Google Scholar