- 4. Radiation Using Institution Condition
during the Earthquake
- (1)331 radiation using institutions such as universities and private
enterprises existed in areas specified by the Disaster Relief Law.
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- (2)Only a few radiation using facilities were actually operated
radiation equipment when the earthquake occurred. Most of radiation sources
were not being handled or stored, so that there were no resulting radiation
hazards.
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- (3)The Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred in urban areas. The houses
of radiation protection supervisors were damaged, and their radiation using
facilities were also damaged by the earthquake. Even if the commuting distance
was short, the supervisors took a long time to get to their facilities
(several hours to half a day) because the transportation lines were disrupted.
Only a few facilities grasped the damage condition immediately, most of
facilities took about half a day to grasp the damage to their facility.
- When the earthquake occurred, Radiation Protection Managers and Supervisors
were at home. They commuted to their institution with out being able to
have any communication with anybody working at the institution,and they
took a long time because the transportation lines were disrupted by the
earthquake.
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- (4)Working telephone lines were saturated due to excessive calls.
Calls within the urban area were hampered after the earthquake because
of call overloading. The STA took about three days to contact all radiation
using facilities.
- In a large disaster situation, the communication of information regarding
damage conditions and checking of safety at important institutions are
completely different from normal conditions.
- This situation was recognized after previous disasters. It seems that
in the case of this earthquake telephone calls from the whole country increased
the turmoil of the earthquake disaster, because the damage was so large.
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- (5)The building structure of a facility which could only operate
certified electron capture detectors for gas chromatography was damaged.
- This facility contacted the STA immediately, then moved the radiation
equipment and kept it in custody at a safe place away from the damaged
building. The next day, the building was caught in a fire.
- This is a good example of emergency response by the facility's manager
and supervisor who communicated with the STA.
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- (6)Under the disrupted transportation line situation, radiation
protection service companies cooperated with the facility's manager and
supervisors, and inspected radiation using facilities and equipment. Also
voluntary safety management action was carried out at damaged radiation
using facilities with mutual support of radiation control supervisors.
- Gathering radiation protection experts and requesting them to inspect
the facilities from a specialists point of view in an emergency is a very
important action which is practiced from the standpoint of providing radiation
protection to a civil life. These actions should be improved upon in the
future to be a uniform system.
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- (7)The survey to grasp earthquake damage and to assess disaster
measures was begun immediately after the Earthquake.
- The Great Hanshin Earthquake was an earthquake that resulted in damage
directly above the focus and hit urban areas. Damage by this earthquake
was large and severe, the magnitude being of seismic intensity 7. For this
reason, risk of loss of radioactive materials and/or release to atmosphere
by collapse of radiation facilities was a possibility. The STA made contact
with every radiation facility for confirmation that these facilities were
safe and the STA verified that none of the facilities had risks of radiation
hazard. Also the STA performed the onsite surveys at facilities located
in the areas specified by the Disaster Relief Law. There were some shear
cracks on walls, liquid waste disposal pipeline breakage and so on, but
there was no serious damage, loss of radioactive material or anything that
could cause radiation hazard problems.