The tsunami's impact on mortality in a town severely damaged by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

Chlorinated persistent organic pollutants in human breast milk in the Miyagi Prefecture disaster-affected area 1 year after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011

BACKGROUND

In the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011, an earthquake and accompanying tsunami struck the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. Buildings collapsed and the tsunami spread waste, including hazardous materials. This study aimed to determine the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the breast milk of mothers living in the disaster-affected area of Sendai 1 year after the earthquake. Temporal trends in the POPs concentrations were evaluated by comparison with previous studies.

METHODS

One hundred breast milk samples were obtained from lactating mothers at a hospital in Sendai in 2012. The results were compared with those from other years to examine whether there were changes in the POPs concentrations after the earthquake. We measured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides, such as chlordanes, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) with negative chemical ionization, and dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites using GC-MS with electron impact ionization.

RESULTS

The mean total PCBs (11 congeners), total chlordane, and total DDT concentrations were 76.2 ng/g lipid, 39.8 ng/g lipid, and 73.5 ng/g lipid, respectively. For the samples collected in 2012, the concentrations of POPs in breast milk showed minimal changes compared with results from previous years for samples collected at the same hospital in Sendai.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates that 1 year after the earthquake and tsunami, the concentrations of chlorinated POPs in breast milk had not changed substantially.

A comparative examination of the health status of earthquake-affected and non-earthquake-affected adolescents in Yushu

Background

Yushu, Qinghai Province, which is located in the remote Tibetan Plateau in western China, was struck by a disastrous earthquake in 2010.

Methods

This study aimed to compare the health status of adolescents who had (Exp-Group) and had not (Non-Group) experienced the Yushu earthquake, 7 years after it occurred; additionally, group-specific predictors of health status were identified. A cross-sectional study was adopted among students from two junior schools in Yushu, whereby two groups were compared. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, and stepwise linear regression were used to analyze data.

Results

Exp-Group scored higher than Non-Group on Physiological Component Summary (PCS) but not on Mental Component Summary (MCS). Among Exp-Group participants, lower PCS scores were predicted for "house damaged," "injured," "family member injured," and "family member or friend dead." Lower MCS scores were predicted by "family member or friend dead." Among Non-Group participants, PCS scores were predicted by "residence" and "family member or friend dead." Lower MCS scores were predicted by "not living with parents."

Conclusion

Lower PCS and MCS scores of Exp-Group adolescents mainly contributed to earthquake-related injuries, while lower PCS and MCS scores of Non-Group are related to poor living conditions and the fact of the left-behind child.

Can Homecare Chronic Respiratory Disease Patients with Home Oxygen Treatment (HOT) in Southern Okinawa, Japan Be Evacuated Ahead of the Next Anticipated Tsunami?

An earthquake with a magnitude of 8 or 9 is predicted to occur near the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, for which the Okinawa Prefecture is preparing countermeasures. Evacuating people to a safe shelter within the tsunami arrival time is a crucial countermeasure. This study aims to understand the vulnerabilities of patients with chronic respiratory diseases in southern parts of Okinawa during a tsunami evacuation, thereby calculating evacuation distance of vulnerable patients and creating individual evacuation plans. Data for chronic respiratory patients obtained in July 2021 from the hospitals in Okinawa Prefecture include age, gender, diagnosis, residence, nearest tsunami shelter, oxygen flow at rest and walking, and maximum walking distance for 6 min based on a 6-min walk test. A quantum geographic information system was used for mapping the data. The survival potential of patients with chronic respiratory disease was evaluated by using a tsunami inundation depth of one meter and the distance within which an evacuation can be performed until the first tsunami wave reaches the nearest evacuation shelter. Results revealed a low survival potential for respiratory disease patients under the current tsunami evacuation plan. The study suggests creating an individual evacuation plan for vulnerable patients involving families and medical staff and then conducting a drill for improving the plan.

Did the Number of Older People Requiring Long-Term Care and Expenditure Increase after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake? Analysis of Changes over Six Years

On 11 March 2011, the great earthquake hit Japan, resulting in 15,895 deaths, 6156 serious injuries, and 2539 missing persons. This event affected the health and lives of older residents, and reports showed an increase in the number of people eligible for long-term care afterward. In this study, among the places affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, we focused on 15 municipalities, including designated municipalities based on the Special Act on Nuclear Evacuation in Fukushima Prefecture, and aimed to clarify the medium-term effects (six years post-disaster) on the long-term care certification rate and expenditure for provision of services. We used the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare Monthly Status Report on Long-Term Care Insurance and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Population Register for 2011, 2014, and 2017. In 2011, we found no intergroup differences among the 15 Fukushima municipalities and other municipalities in either the long-term care certification rate or the per-person expenditure for use of services. In 2014, after the earthquake, the long-term care certification rate was 5.4% higher in the 15 Fukushima municipalities than in other municipalities for those aged 75 years or older. The rate of 2014-2017 has not increased significantly, partly because of stability after the disaster and change in the population structure. Nevertheless, the long-term care certification rate in the 15 Fukushima municipalities is higher than that of the other two groups even after six years since the earthquake. Similarly, the per-person expenditure for use of services for one month was 11,800 yen higher in the 15 Fukushima municipalities than in other municipalities in 2014, and this trend continued into 2017. Strong, ongoing governmental support is needed, especially for those aged 75 or older, following a disaster.

The Picturescue Movement: restoring photographs following the 2011 tsunami in Japan

After the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, volunteers participated in the recovery of lost photographs. This effort-which we call the Picturescue Movement-subsequently began to organise photograph restoration gatherings. We conducted field research during the gatherings in Noda, one of the tsunami-stricken areas. We have also carried out research on restoration gatherings in the city of Rikuzentakata. A comparison of findings across these two localities identifies two approaches to photograph restoration gatherings: 'aiming' and 'staying'. The aiming approach, employed in Rikuzentakata, emphasises returning photographs to their owners quickly, whereas the latter approach, used in Noda, is one in which volunteers stay with survivors for some time and encourage them to recall the past at their own pace. We conclude that the staying approach is more likely than the aiming approach to promote disaster recovery among survivors.

Temporal trends in PCB concentrations in mussels collected from areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

In the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and accompanying tsunami struck the Tohoku region of Japan. The tsunami washed away old equipment containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) stored in the region's factories, and these PCBs may have leaked out of their casings into the marine environment. In this study, we evaluate marine PCB contamination by comparing mussels collected before (in 2005) and after (June 2011) the tsunami. PCB contamination levels were significantly elevated in mussel samples collected after the tsunami in June 2011 (3 months after the tsunami). This indicates that PCBs (specifically, formulation KC-400) leaked out of old equipment swept away by the tsunami and accumulated in mussels. PCBs were estimated to have an environmental half-life (EHL) in mussels of 4 months. Our results show that an earthquake and subsequent tsunami can cause elevated PCB contamination in the marine environment.

Impact of Parenting Style on Clinically Significant Behavioral Problems Among Children Aged 4-11 Years Old After Disaster: A Follow-Up Study of the Great East Japan Earthquake

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of parenting style on children's behavior problems after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Methods: Participants were children exposed to the 2011 disaster at preschool age (n = 163). Data were collected from August 2012 to March 2013, and from July 2014 to March 2015 (2 and 4 years, respectively, after the earthquake), thus participants were aged 4-11 years when assessed. Parenting style was assessed by caregivers using the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), which measures parental involvement, positive parenting, poor monitoring/supervision, inconsistent discipline, and corporal punishment in the second year after the disaster. Behavior problems were assessed by caregivers using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), which identifies internalizing, externalizing, and total problems in the second and fourth year after the disaster. Results: The results show that corporal punishment in the second year after the disaster had negative influence on CBCL internalizing score (coefficient: 0.78, 95%CI: 0.12-1.45, p = 0.023), externalizing score (coefficient: 0.74, 95%CI: 0.09-1.39, p = 0.025), and total score in the fourth year after the disaster (coefficient: 0.85, 95%CI: 0.16-1.55, p = 0.016), after adjusted for children's age, sex, the number of trauma experiences, maternal education, the number of siblings, temporally housing experience, and CBCL each scores in the second year after the disaster. Other parenting style did not affect children's behavioral problems. Conclusion: The result suggests that inadequate rearing after a natural disaster had negative impact on the behavior problems of the affected children in 4 years later of the disaster. Specifically, corporal punishment had negative influence on children's behavior problems.

Risk of mortality during and after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami among older coastal residents

The Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study is a nationwide cohort study of individuals aged 65 years and older established in July 2010. Seven months later, one of the study field sites was directly in the line of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Despite the 1-hour warning interval between the earthquake and tsunami, many coastal residents lost their lives. We analyzed the risk of all-cause mortality on the day of the disaster as well as in the 38-month interval after the disaster. Among 860 participants, 33 (3.8%) died directly because of the tsunami and an additional 95 people died during the 38-month follow-up period. Individuals with depressive symptoms had elevated risk of mortality on the day of the disaster (odds ratio = 3.90 [95% CI: 1.13, 13.47]). More socially connected people also suffered increased risk of mortality, although these estimates were not statistically significant. In contrast, after the disaster, frequent social interactions reverted back to predicting improved survival (hazard ratio = 0.46 (95% CI: 0.26, 0.82)). Depressive symptoms and stronger social connectedness were associated with increased risk of mortality on the day of the disaster. After the disaster, social interactions were linked to improved survival.

Health status of adolescents in the Tibetan plateau area of western China: 6 years after the Yushu earthquake

Background

An earthquake struck Yushu in Qinghai province of China on April 14, 2010, causing 2698 deaths and 12,135 injuries.The present study aimed to assess the health status, and associated determinants, of child survivors in the epicenter of the Yushu earthquake 6 years after the event.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was performed among students from two junior schools in Yushu County. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, Kruskal-Wallis H tests and stepwise linear regression analysis were used for data analysis.

Results

The mean scores onmental component summary (MCS)and physical component summary (PCS) were 42.13 (SD 7.32) and 42.04 (SD 8.07), respectively. Lower PCS in the aftermath of an earthquake was associated with being trapped/in danger, injured to self, receiving no escape training while lowerMCS in the aftermath of an earthquake was associated with a lower grade level, not living with parents, fear during the earthquake, death in the family, and not receiving psychological counseling after the earthquake.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the results of the present study help to expand our knowledge regarding the health status of child survivors 6 years after the Yushu earthquake. Our study provides evidence-based suggestions for specific long-term health interventions in such vulnerable populations.

Very serious and non-ignorable problem: Crisis in emergency medical response in catastrophic event

The crisis of medical response caused by catastrophic events might significantly affect emergency response, and might even initiate more serious social crisis. Therefore, early identification and timely blocking the formation of crisis in the early phase after a major disaster will improve the efficiency of medical response in a major disaster and avoid serious consequences. In the present paper, we described the emergency strategy to crisis management of medical response after a major disaster. Major catastrophic events often lead to various crises, including excess demand, the crisis of response in barrier and the structural crisis in response. The corresponding emergency response strategies include: (i) shunt of catastrophic medical surge; (ii) scalability of medical surge capacity; (iii) matching of the structural elements of response; (iv) maintaining the functions of support system for medical response and maximising the operation of the integrated response system; and (v) selection of appropriate care 'standard' in extreme situations of overload of disaster medical surge. In conclusion, under the impact of a major catastrophic event, medical response is often complex and the medical surge beyond the conventional response capacity and it is easy to be in crisis. In addition to the current consensus of disaster response, three additional aspects should be considered. First, all relevant society forces led by the government and military should be linkages. Second, a powerful medical response system must be based on a strong support system. Third, countermeasures of medical surge should be applied flexibly to the special and specific disaster environment, to promote the effective medical response force.