Nuclear Emergencies

This book discusses nuclear events that may become imminent threats to the fabric of our society, and elucidates strategies for preventing these threats or mitigating their adverse effects. It addresses multidisciplinary aspects of various nuclear emergencies, including nuclear accidents, terror attacks involving nuclear materials, illicit trafficking of nuclear materials, and problems related to nuclear forensics and strikes with nuclear weapons/warheads.

Very often, nuclear emergencies are only discussed within certain, specific communities. However, this volume brings together experts from various fields to provide a more holistic approach to the problem. Physical, chemical, environmental, social, and medical scientists, together with representatives from the media and authorities, present their views on and strategies for events that cause fear and anxiety among the public – an aspect that can be even more threatening than the direct health effects.

The book offers a valuable guide for nuclear scientists, such as radioecologists, health physicists, radioanalytical scientists and nuclear engineers, as well as decision-makers and national/international authorities. 

• Nuclear Accident
• Radiation Protection
• Radiation
• Radioactivity
• Contamination
• Disaster
• Radiocesium
• Puisotope
• Nuclear Forensic
• Fukushima
• Chernobyl
• Nuclear Emergency Expert Meeting
• NEXT
• energy security

• Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany

  Georg Steinhauser

• Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Japan

  Akio Koizumi

• Department of General System Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Meguro, Japan

  Katsumi Shozugawa

Georg Steinhauser is professor of Radioecology at Leibniz University Hannover. After his graduation in chemistry (MSc) from University of Vienna (2003), he received his PhD in radiochemistry from Vienna University of Technology in 2005. Supported by a Schrödinger-Fellowship, he joined Prof. Klapötke’s group at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, for one year in 2007. Steinhauser’s scientific roots are at Vienna University of Technology, where he worked for 10 years using the Atominstitut’s TRIGA research reactor, before he was hired in 2013 by Colorado State University’s Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences (assistant professor of radiochemistry). Since 2013, he is member of the Radiation Protection Advisory Board of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Health (Strahlenschutzbeirat). In October 2015, he was hired by Leibniz University Hannover (Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection) to assume his current position. Hismain research focus is environmental radioactivity in Chernobyl and Fukushima as well as environmental nuclear forensics and inorganic chemistry of the f-block elements. Steinhauser has (co-)authored more than 100 scientific publications. Since 2016, he is editor of the Springer journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research. In 2017, Steinhauser organized the Nuclear Emergency Expert Meeting (NEXT) in Hannover.

Akio Koizumi is professor emeritus of Health and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University. After his graduation School of Medicine (MD) from Tohoku University (1978) and an internship at Tohoku Rosai Hospital, he received his PhD from Tohoku University 1983. He had a post-doc career in Health and Environmental Sciences Laboratory in Dow Chemical Company at Midland, MI, from 1983 to 1985 and then joined University California, Riverside, as a Research Toxicologist in from 1985 to 1987. He took an associate professor position at Department of Hygiene, Graduate School of Medicine Akita University in 1987 and was promoted to professor in 1993. Since 2000, he moved to the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University. In March 2018, he retired from Kyoto University (Professor Emeritus) and got a Director position in the Public Health Institute affiliated to Public Interest Association Kyoto Hokenkai. His main research focus has been health promotion and prevention of diseases. He has organized several research programs, investigating long-term health effects after Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident. Koizumi has (co-)authored more than 380 scientific publications with about 13000 citations and was awarded with several famous prizes. He also plays Igo.

Katsumi Shozugawa is assistant professor of Radiochemistry and Environmental Chemistry at University of Tokyo. Since 2004, he joined Prof. Matsuo’s group at University of Tokyo, and received hismaster's and doctor’s degree in the field of environmental chemistry. He had been engaged in activation analysis and chemical states analysis using research reactors (JRR-3M, JAEA) and accelerators (Photon Factory, KEK), respectively. After the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident (2011), he is engaged in the quantification of radioactive materials released from the Fukushima NPP, mainly in the evacuation zone. He is also energetically conducting radiation education. As of the end of 2018, he lectured for more than 9000 children, students, and parents.

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