15. 384. Many aspects of the Chernobyl accident have been suggested to cause
psychological disorders, stress and anxiety in the population. The accident caused
long-term changes in the lives of people living in the contaminated districts, since
measures intended to limit radiation doses included resettlement, changes in food
supplies and restrictions on the activities of individuals and families. These
changes were accompanied by important economic, social and political changes in
the affected countries, brought about by the disintegration of the former Soviet
Union. These psychological reactions are not caused by ionizing radiation but are
probably wholly related to the social factors surrounding the accident.
385. The decisions of individuals and families to relocate were often highly complex
and difficult. The people felt insecure, and their lack of trust in the scientific,
medical and political authorities made them think they had lost control [H9].
Experts who tried to explain the risks and mollify people were perceived as
denying the risk, thus reinforcing mistrust and anxiety.
386. The environmental contamination created widespread anxiety that should be
referred to not as radiophobia, as it initially was, but as a real, invisible threat,
difficult to measure and localize. The key to how people perceive risk is the degree
of control they exert over it. Once measures are taken to improve the quality of life
for those still living in contaminated areas, the climate of social trust improves,
probably because of the better cooperation between inhabitants and local
authorities [H9].
(出典: UNSCEAR 2000 Annex J[ii](原子放射線の影響に関する国連科学委員会)
(para.384-386))