Legislature(2011 - 2012)CAPITOL 106
03/22/2011 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: the Potential Threat to Alaskans from Japan's Radiation | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
March 22, 2011
3:04 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Wes Keller, Chair
Representative Alan Dick, Vice Chair
Representative Bob Herron
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Beth Kerttula
Representative Bob Miller
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Charisse Millett
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: THE POTENTIAL THREAT TO ALASKANS FROM JAPAN'S
RADIATION
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JOE MCLAUGHLIN, MD, MPH, Chief and State Epidemiologist
Section of Epidemiology
Division of Public Health
Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Conducted a presentation and answered
questions on the potential threat to Alaskans from Japan's
radiation.
KRISTIN RYAN, Director
Division of Environmental Health
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during the
presentation of the potential threat to Alaskans from Japan's
radiation.
DR. BERNARD JILLY, Director
Public Health Laboratories
Division of Public Health
Department of Health and Social Services
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during the
presentation of the potential threat to Alaskans from Japan's
radiation.
CHRIS LABORDE, Emergency Program Manager
Division of Public Health
Department of Health and Social Services
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during the
presentation of the potential threat to Alaskans from Japan's
radiation.
BRYAN FISHER, Operations Manager
Division of Homeland Security/Emergency Management
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA)
Ft. Richardson, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation of the
potential threat to Alaskans from Japan's radiation.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:04:53 PM
CHAIR WES KELLER called the House Health and Social Services
Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:04 p.m.
Representatives Keller, Miller, Dick, and Seaton were present at
the call to order. Representatives Kerttula and Herron arrived
as the meeting was in progress.
3:05:35 PM
CHAIR KELLER reflected on the nuclear crisis in Japan.
^Presentation: The Potential Threat to Alaskans from Japan's
Radiation
Presentation: The Potential Threat to Alaskans from Japan's
Radiation
3:07:53 PM
CHAIR KELLER announced that the only order of business would be
a presentation on the potential threat to Alaskans from Japan's
radiation.
3:08:13 PM
JOE MCLAUGHLIN, MD, MPH, Chief and State Epidemiologist, Section
of Epidemiology, Division of Public Health, Department of Health
and Social Services (DHSS), presented a brief PowerPoint
entitled "The Japanese Nuclear Crisis: What it Means for
Alaska" [Included in members' packets] and directed attention to
slide 1, "Implications for Alaska." He stated the three main
points to remember: there is no immediate or anticipated threat
for harmful levels of radiation to reach Alaska; Alaska's
seafood is unlikely to be affected; this is an important
reminder that all Alaskans should assemble a home emergency kit
and a family response plan.
DR. MCLAUGHLIN moved on to slide 2, "Public Health Response to a
Radiation Emergency," and said that some of the primary duties
of the Division of Public Health were to inform the public and
health care providers with a situational update and to supply
the tools necessary to reduce the risk of radiation exposure.
He spoke of the duty to protect the public from radiation
exposure with shelter, evacuation recommendations, distribution
of radiation medications, and restriction of consumption of
contaminated food. He declared a responsibility to decrease the
psychological effects of radiation exposure and to perform a
long term follow up for exposed persons.
3:10:30 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN directed attention to slide 3, "DHSS
Communication Response," and shared that DHSS had responded to
media requests, and issued press releases, messages, and an
Epidemiology Bulletin. He declared that the principal messages
were: no anticipated threat to the health of Alaskans; Alaskans
should not be taking potassium iodide; monitoring and
communication was ongoing with local and state partners; and,
all Alaskans should be prepared for emergencies.
3:11:39 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN, addressing slide 4, "What can Alaskans do to be
prepared for an emergency?" stated that a home emergency supply
kit, a vehicle emergency supply kit, a family response plan, and
practice of the plan were all necessary.
3:12:01 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN directed attention to slide 5, "Alaska Radiation
Monitoring" and declared that Alaska's monitoring stations
continued to show normal background levels of radiation. He
listed the five monitoring stations, Anchorage, Fairbanks,
Juneau, Dutch Harbor, and Nome. He shared that the DHSS home
page had more available data.
3:13:01 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN, referencing slide 6, "Food Supply," shared that
the food supply was closely monitored with increased targeted
sampling at the border. He noted that less than 4 percent of
U.S. imported food came from Japan. He reported that current
models indicated that U.S. fishing waters would remain safe.
3:13:46 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN analyzed slide 7, a table on Exposure (rem) with
Notes and Effects, and pointed to the various exposure amounts
that individuals experienced on a regular basis. He compared
that the maximum radiation reported at the main gate of the
Fukushima Daiichi power plant on March 15 was still less than
exposure amounts for acute health effects. He detailed some of
the effects of higher exposure.
3:15:48 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN summarized slide 8, "Availability of Radiation
Medications," and stated that radiation medications were
included in the Strategic National Stockpile, but that the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would only
deploy these if there was a "credible threat." He stated that
"no public health risks are expected from this disaster in the
United States."
3:16:57 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN reviewed slide 9, "Summary," and reiterated that
there was no anticipated threat of harmful radiation exposure to
Alaskans at this time; Alaska's seafood was unlikely to be
affected; and, all Alaskans should be prepared for disasters.
He stated that more information was available on the DHSS
website.
3:17:23 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER asked for a conversion of millisieverts to
rads or rems.
DR. MCLAUGHLIN replied that one sievert was equal to one hundred
rem, which was also equal to one thousand millisieverts or one
million microsieverts.
3:18:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER, reflecting that radiation exposure on
March 15 was 40 rem at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant and
0.00008 rem in Tokyo, asked about the wind direction that day.
3:18:57 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN replied that he did not know.
3:19:21 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER asked, as the level of catastrophe was
related to wind and altitude, what altitude was attained by the
radiation in the Fukushima Daiichi power plant disaster.
3:19:30 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN stated that the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) clarified the difference between the nuclear disasters in
Japan and Chernobyl. He detailed that Chernobyl had included "a
massive explosion and a fire that raged for 10 days." He
explained that the heat pushed the radioactive material high
into the jet stream. He stressed that this was not the case in
Japan.
3:20:59 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON, clarifying that the conversion from
millisievert to rem only entailed moving a decimal point, asked
if the radioactive measurement was for absolute exposure or for
time duration.
3:21:49 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN explained that each of the exposure measurements
on the graph differed.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked how the exposure of 5-50 rem was
measured.
DR. MCLAUGHLIN replied that this would be an acute exposure
event, and would occur over a very short period of time.
3:23:20 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked about the time of exposure at the
main gate of the power plant.
DR. MCLAUGHLIN replied that the measurement was per hour.
3:23:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DICK asked if a flight to Europe and a chest x-
ray had comparable exposure amounts.
3:24:11 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN said that the radiation from one flight was quite
a bit less than a chest x-ray.
3:24:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER asked about the potency and shelf life of
the potassium iodide in the strategic stockpile.
3:24:58 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN replied that the shelf life was an average of
seven years and its potency was for a daily dosage of 130 m/g.
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER questioned whether the optimal ingestion
would be prior to exposure to radiation.
DR. MCLAUGHLIN replied that the optimal window for ingestion was
between 2 hours prior and 4 hours after exposure. He stated
that the protective efficacy diminished after 4 hours. He noted
that potassium iodide protected the thyroid gland from exposure
to radioactive iodine, whereas other medications prevented
absorption of radiation.
3:26:51 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER asked if cesium had been detected in the
air near the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
DR. MCLAUGHLIN agreed.
3:27:05 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked about the danger to any U.S. food
supplies outside the fishing waters.
3:27:57 PM
KRISTIN RYAN, Director, Division of Environmental Health,
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), replied that DEC
was working closely with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
to monitor food from Japan. She stated that a random sampling
program already existed at the ports of entry.
3:28:35 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked if there was concern for the food
supply closer to the reactor in Japan.
MS. RYAN replied that Japan was monitoring milk near the nuclear
facilities, and advising people not to consume anything with
elevated levels of radiation.
3:29:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KERTTULA asked if this would have a long term
effect on marine mammals.
3:30:24 PM
DR. BERNARD JILLY, Director, Public Health Laboratories,
Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Social
Services, said that accumulation of radioactivity depended on
the half life of the material. He said the half life of iodine
was eight hours, whereas the half life of cesium was more than
30 years. He allowed that there was a theoretical possibility
of "some build-up in some marine mammals." He pointed to the
dilution factor of the ocean as a factor for keeping the
probability very low.
3:32:06 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER asked where the cesium was coming from.
DR. MCLAUGHLIN explained that fission occurred when radioactive
uranium or plutonium was used in a nuclear power plant. This
process caused the atom to split into a heavier and lighter
molecule, iodine 131 and cesium.
3:33:34 PM
CHAIR KELLER asked where Alaska medication was stockpiled and
what was the procedure for distribution.
3:33:57 PM
CHRIS LABORDE, Emergency Program Manager, Division of Public
Health, Department of Health and Social Services, said that
there was an Alaska strategic national stockpile plan to receive
and distribute any medical countermeasures, which was in
conjunction with CDC. She pointed out that upon any credible
threat, Alaska would receive the stockpile of medications within
12 hours. The plan would allow the stockpile to be warehoused
in Alaska, and then distributed to all the health care
facilities in Alaska. She mentioned that each health care
facility also had a distribution plan for its population base.
3:35:46 PM
MS. LABORDE, in response to Chair Keller, said that it was not
known where the stockpile was kept, or how much was in the
stockpile. She relayed that it was brought into Anchorage by a
normal transport process, unless an emergency demanded support
from the Coast Guard or the National Guard.
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER, noting that the Aleutian Islands could be
in the wind pattern from Japan, commented on the difficulty for
quick transport to a remote location.
3:36:56 PM
CHAIR KELLER asked for more information about the radiation
monitoring equipment.
3:37:20 PM
DR. JILLY, in response to Chair Keller, confirmed that fixed
monitors were in Juneau, Anchorage, and Fairbanks, and that
portable devices were in Nome, Dutch Harbor, and a second device
in Juneau. He mentioned that these units were on loan from the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and were part of a program
for radiological issues.
3:38:51 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER asked about the distinction between the
types of radiation monitoring, and if there were other types of
radiation for concern.
3:39:11 PM
DR. JILLY, in response, established that there were three types
of radiation: alpha, beta, and gamma. He said that alpha
radiation was the nucleus of the atom, and, as it had little
penetration capability, could be stopped with a sheet of paper.
He noted that the only true concern would be for internal
ingestion. He declared that beta radiation, free electrons
ejected from the atom, had different energy levels which did not
directly correlate into rem. He confirmed that gamma radiation
was pure energy similar to light or x-ray energy. Gamma had a
capacity for deep penetration. He explained that the monitoring
devices measured beta and gamma radiation. He mentioned that
the devices contained a filter which captured the radiation, and
allowed for in depth analysis of alpha, beta, and gamma to
determine the source of the radiation.
3:41:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER asked for the worst case scenario, as he
ascertained a response time of at least five days.
3:42:34 PM
DR. MCLAUGHLIN discussed a worst case scenario for a Chernobyl-
type event in Japan. He pointed out a difference between the
two power plants, as the Japanese power plant had six inch
stainless steel protective casings and a layer of concrete
around the reactor, which Chernobyl did not have. He reported
that the time for a radiation plume to reach Alaska would depend
on the altitude of that plume, and the wind strength and
direction. He detailed that there would be an immediate request
to the strategic stockpile, even before any monitoring data was
received. He stated that there would be a plan for rapid
distribution of the medications and for emergency shelter or
evacuation. He stressed that this would all be initiated prior
to any monitoring data from the five EPA stations. He reported
that the data was received and tracked on a real time basis.
3:45:28 PM
MS. LABORDE added that work was coordinated with CDC.
3:46:18 PM
CHAIR KELLER asked for any projected effect on the nations close
to Japan.
3:46:52 PM
BRYAN FISHER, Operations Manager, Division of Homeland
Security/Emergency Management, Department of Military &
Veterans' Affairs (DMVA), in response to Chair Keller, said that
the prevailing winds were blowing toward the east and northeast
and that there was no specific information on effects to other
countries. He added that there were other monitoring sources
outside Alaska, especially within Japan. He shared that EPA had
stated that it would be "a couple of days before anything made
its way to landfall in Alaska." He reflected that establishment
of a unified command between DHSS, DMVA, and Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) would be instituted if there
was a threat to Alaska. He stated that the primary objectives
would be to get the message out for sheltering and evacuation to
the public and the communities in the direct path. He shared
that this teleconference system for discussion and technical
guidance had just been implemented during the tsunami threat.
3:49:24 PM
CHAIR KELLER reflected that this emergency had provided the
opportunity for a drill to evaluate the systems.
3:50:01 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Health and Social Services Standing Committee meeting was
adjourned at 3:50 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DHSS Radiation Briefing Juneau 3 22 11 FINAL.ppt |
HHSS 3/22/2011 3:00:00 PM |
|
| Briefing doc on Fukushima Nuclear Planet 2011.pdf |
HHSS 3/22/2011 3:00:00 PM |
|
| Small Scale Modular Nuclear Power; option for AK.pdf |
HHSS 3/22/2011 3:00:00 PM |