Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-cfpbc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T21:23:03.964Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Decontamination Work and the Long-term Increase in Hospital Visits for Hymenoptera Stings Following the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2017

Akihiko Ozaki ,
Takeru Yokota ,
Shuhei Nomura ,
Masaharu Tsubokura ,
Claire Leppold ,
Tetsuya Tanimoto ,
Toru Miura ,
Kana Yamamoto ,
Toyoaki Sawano  and
Manabu Tsukada
...Show all authors
Akihiko Ozaki*
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
Takeru Yokota
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
Shuhei Nomura
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
Masaharu Tsubokura
Affiliation:
Department of SurgeryRadiation Protection, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
Claire Leppold
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery Research, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
Tetsuya Tanimoto
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, Jyoban Hospital of Tokiwa Foundation, Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan
Toru Miura
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Kana Yamamoto
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery Obstetrics and Gynecology, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
Toyoaki Sawano
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
Manabu Tsukada
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
Masahiro Kami
Affiliation:
Medical Governance Research Institute, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Yukio Kanazawa
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery Gastroenterology, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
Hiromichi Ohira
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Akihiko Ozaki, MD, Department of Surgery, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, 2-54-6 Takamicho, Haramachi, Minamisoma, Fukushima 975-0033, Japan (e-mail: ozakiakihiko@gmail.com).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

Animals, including arthropods, are one health threat that can be affected by disasters. This institution-based study aimed to assess trends in Hymenoptera stings following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Methods

We reviewed the medical records of patients with hymenopteran stings who visited Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, located 23 km from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, from March 2005 to March 2016. Patient and sting characteristics of post-disaster patients were examined, and the annual incidence of hospital visits for hymenopteran stings was compared with the pre-disaster baseline, calculating an incidence rate ratio (IRR) for each year.

Results

We identified 152 pre-disaster patients (2005-2011) and 222 post-disaster patients (2011-2016). In the post-disaster period, 160 males (72.1%) were identified, with a median age of 59 years (range: 2-89 years). A total of 45 patients (20.3%) were decontamination workers. Post-disaster increases were found in the IRR for hymenopteran stings, peaking first in 2011 (IRR: 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.9-4.2) and later in 2014 (IRR: 3.2; 95% CI: 2.4-4.3) and 2015 (IRR 3.3; 95% CI: 2.5-4.4).

Conclusions

Long-term increases were found in the IRR of hospital visits for hymenopteran stings in an institution affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Decontamination workers appear to have been particularly affected by this phenomenon. Better disaster field worker monitoring and education about potential environmental health hazards may help to identify and prevent worker exposure to insect stings and other vectors in these settings. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:545–551)

Keywords

nuclear power plantsenvironmentwilderness medicinepublic healthhuman migration
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 11 , Issue 5 , October 2017 , pp. 545 - 551
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2017 

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. Costello, A, Abbas, M, Allen, A, et al. Managing the health effects of climate change: Lancet and University College London Institute for Global Health Commission. Lancet. 2009;373(9676):1693-1733. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60935-1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2. Patil, RR. Urbanization as a determinant of health: a socioepidemiological perspective. Soc Work Public Health. 2014;29(4):335-341. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2013.821360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Air pollution: consequences and actions for the UK, and beyond. Lancet. 2016;387(10021):817. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)00551-1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Springmann, M, Mason-D’Croz, D, Robinson, S, et al. Global and regional health effects of future food production under climate change: a modelling study. Lancet. 2016;387(10031):1937-1946. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01156-3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Langley, R, Mack, K, Haileyesus, T, et al. National estimates of noncanine bite and sting injuries treated in US Hospital Emergency Departments, 2001-2010. Wilderness Environ Med. 2014;25(1):14-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2013.08.007.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6. Steen, CJ, Janniger, CK, Schutzer, SE, et al. Insect sting reactions to bees, wasps, and ants. Int J Dermatol. 2005;44(2):91-94. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-4632.2005.02391.x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7. Barbet-Massin, M, Rome, Q, Muller, F, et al. Climate change increases the risk of invasion by the Yellow-legged hornet. Biol Conserv. 2013;157:4-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.09.015.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Park, M, Zhang, D, Landau, E. Deadly giant hornets kill 42 people in China. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/03/world/asia/hornet-attack-china/. Updated October 4, 2013. Accessed September 24, 2016.Google Scholar
9. Michener, C. Notes on the habits of some Panamanian stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Apidæ). J NY Entomol Soc. 1946;54:179-197.Google Scholar
10. Christie, FJ, Hochuli, DF. Responses of wasp communities to urbanization: effects on community resilience and species diversity. J Insect Conserv. 2009;13(2):213-221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-008-9146-5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Insects and scorpions. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/insects/. Last updated July 1, 2016. Accessed September 24, 2016.Google Scholar
12. Brewer, RD, Morris, PD, Cole, TB. Hurricane-related emergency department visits in an inland area: an analysis of the public health impact of Hurricane Hugo in North Carolina. Ann Emerg Med. 1994;23(4):731-736. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0196-0644(94)70307-8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13. Shultz, JM, Russell, J, Espinel, Z. Epidemiology of tropical cyclones: the dynamics of disaster, disease, and development. Epidemiol Rev. 2005;27(1):21-35. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxi011.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14. Centers for Disease Control. Hurricanes and hospital emergency-room visits--Mississippi, Rhode Island, Connecticut. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1986;34:765-770.Google Scholar
15. Normile, D. Fukushima meltdown. Commission spreads blame for ‘manmade’ disaster. Science. 2012;337(6091):143. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.337.6091.143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16. Aliyu, AS, Evangeliou, N, Mousseau, TA, et al. An overview of current knowledge concerning the health and environmental consequences of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. Environ Int. 2015;85:213-228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2015.09.020.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17. Ohtsuru, A, Tanigawa, K, Kumagai, A, et al. Nuclear disasters and health: lessons learned, challenges, and proposals. Lancet. 2015;386(9992):489-497. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60994-1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18. Zhang, H, Yan, W, Oba, A, et al. Radiation-driven migration: the case of Minamisoma City, Fukushima, Japan, after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(9):9286-9305. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110909286.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19. Ozaki, A, Sawano, T, Tsukada, M, et al. Abandoned areas in post-disaster Fukushima, Japan. QJM. 2016;109(5):353-354. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcw035.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20. Ozaki, A, Tanimoto, T, Leppold, C, et al. A possible association between the resumption of agricultural activities and a venomous snakebite after Fukushima nuclear crisis. Oxf Med Case Reports. 2016;2016:22-23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21. Shibahara, S. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake and devastating tsunami. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2011;223(4):305-307. https://doi.org/10.1620/tjem.223.305.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22. Nomura, S, Blangiardo, M, Tsubokura, M, et al. Postnuclear disaster evacuation and chronic health in adults in Fukushima, Japan: a long-term retrospective analysis. BMJ Open. 2016;6(2):e010080. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010080.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23. Nuclear Regulation Authority. Conceptual diagram of evacuation-directed zones and the number of population and households of each region as of the end of December 2013 [in Japanese]. http://www.meti.go.jp/earthquake/nuclear/pdf/131231a.pdf. Accessed September 24, 2016.Google Scholar
24. Fukushima Prefectural Office. Management of wild boars in Fukushima [in Japanese]. https://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/uploaded/life/128706_254698_misc.pdf. Accessed July 28, 2016.Google Scholar
25. Shimura, T, Yamaguchi, I, Terada, H, et al. Public health activities for mitigation of radiation exposures and risk communication challenges after the Fukushima nuclear accident. J Radiat Res (Tokyo). 2015;56(3):422-429. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrv013.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26. Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan. Information regarding decontamination work [in Japanese]. http://josen.env.go.jp/. Accessed September 24, 2016.Google Scholar
27. Ring, J, Messmer, K. Incidence and severity of anaphylactoid reactions to colloid volume substitutes. Lancet. 1977;309(8009):466-469. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(77)91953-5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
28. Radiation Effects Association. Statistics on radiation exposure doses of decontamination workers [in Japanese]. http://www.rea.or.jp/chutou/koukai_jyosen/hibakukanri_jyosen.html. Accessed September 24, 2016.Google Scholar
29. Sawano, T. Health issues among decontamination workers [in Japanese]. http://www.huffingtonpost.jp/toyoaki-sawano/worker-primary-health_b_9405516.html. Accessed September 24, 2016.Google Scholar
30. Team in Charge of Assisting the Lives of Disaster Victims, Cabinet Office of Japan. Difficult-to-Return Zones [in Japanese]. http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chousa/kaihatu/016/shiryo/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2013/10/02/1340046_4_2.pdf. Accessed September 24, 2016.Google Scholar
31. Ariza, L, Gomide, M, Ramos, AN Jr, et al. Survey of visitors to a National Park in the savannah region of northeast Brazil: practices, incidents and hazardous situations. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2007;5(1):1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2006.05.002.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32. Increase of hymenopteran stings. Fukushima Minyu. August 19, 2015.Google Scholar
33. Minamisoma City Office. Evacuation status of Minamisoma citizens [in Japanese]. https://www.city.minamisoma.lg.jp/index.cfm/10,853,58,html. Accessed September 24, 2016.Google Scholar
34. Minamisoma City Office. Minamisoma Statistical Yearbook [in Japanese]. http://www.city.minamisoma.lg.jp/index.cfm/8,4226,44,html. Accessed September 24, 2016.Google Scholar
35. Totok, U, Makino, S, Goto, H. Species compositions and seasonal changes in the number of social wasps collected with malaise traps in natural deciduous forests in and near the Ogawa Research Forest, Northern Kanto, Japan (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Bulletin of FFPRI. 2002;1:135-139.Google Scholar
36. Pumphrey, RS. Lessons for management of anaphylaxis from a study of fatal reactions. Clin Exp Allergy. 2000;30(8):1144-1150. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2222.2000.00864.x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
37. Nohara, C, Taira, W, Hiyama, A, et al. Ingestion of radioactively contaminated diets for two generations in the pale grass blue butterfly. BMC Evol Biol. 2014;14(1):193. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-014-0193-0.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
38. Mori, J, Tsubokura, M, Sugimoto, A, et al. Increased incidence of dog-bite injuries after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Prev Med. 2013;57(4):363-365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.06.013.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
39. Morita, T, Tsubokura, M, Tanimoto, T, et al. A need for tetanus vaccination before restoration activities in Fukushima, Japan. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2014;8(06):467-468. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2014.109.Google ScholarPubMed
40. Sawano, T, Tsubokura, M, Leppold, C, et al. Klebsiella pneumoniae sepsis deteriorated by uncontrolled underlying disease in a decontamination worker in Fukushima, Japan. J Occup Health. 2016;58(3):320-322. https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.15-0292-CS.CrossRefGoogle Scholar