Importance of personal dose equivalent evaluation in Fukushima in overcoming social panic

The relationship between the reported ambient dose equivalent (H(10)) and the individual dose rate recorded by medical staff in Fukushima City after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was evaluated, following a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the east coast of Japan. Personal dose equivalent (H-p(10)) ranged from 0.08 to 1.63 Sv h(1) and H(10) ranged from 0.86 to 12.34 Sv h(1). H-p(10) from March to July 2011 were significantly lower than H(10). The relationships between these dose equivalents were moderately correlated. The regression equation was calculated as follows: H-p(10)0.0696H(10)0.0538. The preliminary data of this study show that, in Fukushima, the individual dose is much lower than that determined H(10). It is important to evaluate H-p(10) in order to lessen the anxiety of the general population in Fukushima.