Marie-Lène GAAB, ACRO, France, " Citizen involvement in the measurement of radioactivity in the context of Fukushima" SEMINAR ON PUBLIC INFORMATION IN EP&R: http://www.nuclear-transparency-watch.eu/activities/nuclear-emergency-preparedness-and-response/seminar-on-public-information-in-epr.html

1. Citizen involvement in the
measurement of radioactivity in the
context of Fukushima
Participation citoyenne à la mesure
de la radioactivité dans le contexte
de Fukushima
Marie-Lène Gaab
David Boilley
NTW - 1/12/2016

2. ACRO
• Is a NGO/NPO created after Chernobyl
• Operates a laboratory for:
– Citizen observatory of the radioactivity in the
environment
– Expertise
• Participates to several official committees (local and
national)
Aims:
Protect humans and the environment
Democratise the scientific and technological choices

3. Access to the measurements
and mutual mistrust
Authorities have laboratories and experts
Populations need laboratories and experts
• Government provided individual dosimeters to children and
pregnant women in Fukushima
– Anomalous cases led to further evacuation
– Many people do not use
• Citizens involvements use individual radiameters (Geiger counters)
– 1st time: Authorities consideration = “Amateur work”
– 2nd time: Official recognition by the minister of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Masaharu Nakagawa
(Wall Street Journal, 19th of October 2011)

4. Time evolution of dose rate

5. High
contamination
in North of
Chiba
Northern
suburbs of
Tokyo

6. Radiation
defense
project
On Facebook
Bq/m2=Bq/kgx65

7. Map of the surface contamination
(Cs137) : 2 200 points

9. ACRO’s monitoring in Japan
• About 600
measurements on
samples from Japan
• Always start from
the questions of the
population
• Citizens and public
authorities
confidence in the
ACRO measurements
All our data in French,
English and Japanese:
http://www.acro.eu.org

10. First samples Iitate-mura (March 2011)

11. 0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
4,5
5
0 200 400 600 800
Bq/L
Days after accident
2011/5/25
2011/7/30
2011/9/30
2011/12/31
2012/1/31
2012/2/15
2012/2/24
2012/4/14
2012/4/28
2012/5/15
2012/9/23
2012/11/14
2012/11/29
2012/8/30
2012/12/26
2013/1/13
2013/1/28
2013/1/28
2013/3/1
Cesium contamination in urine of children
2011 to 2013 ACRO's results

12. House dust collected by vacuum
cleaners

13. Chikurin.org
Chikurin
laboratory
supported
by ACRO

15. Quick answer to worries
Network of citizen collecting samples
(France, Switzerland and Luxemburg)
Efficient
 Samples collected at the same time
(grass) according to ACRO’s instructions
 Immediate analysis (<48h)
 Mapping during 3 weeks
 Results published online on our
homepage and on the National Network
(RNME)
Impact of Fukushima disaster in Europe:
www.acro.eu.org

16. Results
Not detected
Contamination detected (I131and/or Cs137 and/or Cs134)
March 23 to 25 March 27 to 31 April 3 to 8

17. Conclusions
• Accident context = Fast citizen action
– > importance of collaborative work
– > risk of long-term mistrust
• Dysfunction of Fukushima disaster: Independent
measurements were realized by the French NGO ACRO.
• Aarhus convention art.5:
" In the event of any imminent threat to human health or the
environment, whether caused by human activities or due to natural
causes, all information which could enable the public to take measures
to prevent or mitigate harm arising from the threat and is held by a
public authority is disseminated immediately and without delay to
members of the public who may be affected. "

18. Makoto Wada
Thank you
for your
attention
http://www.acro.eu.org
http://www.fukushima.eu.org