Evaluating Awareness and Practices Pertaining to Radioactive Waste Management among Scrap Dealers in Delhi, India

ObjectivesWith nuclear technology rapidly taking the spotlight in the last 50 years, radiation accidents seem to be a harsh reality of the modern world. The Mayapuri Radiation accident of 2010 was the worst radiation accident India has yet dealt with. Two years thereafter, we designed a study to assess the awareness and practices regarding radioactive waste among scrap dealers aiming to assess deficiencies in radiation disaster preparedness.MethodologyA community based cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of 209 volunteers (from 108 scrap dealerships) including 108 shop-owners and 101 workers segregated as Group A consisting of 54 dealerships in Mayapuri and Group B of 54 dealerships from the rest of the city. Subjects were then interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire.ResultsAwareness about radioactive waste varied significantly with level of education (p = 0.024), Kuppuswamy's socio-economic scale (p = 0.005), age of the scrap dealer (p = 0.049) and his work experience (p = 0.045). The larger dealerships in Mayapuri were more aware about radioactive waste (p = 0.0004), the accident in 2010 (p = 0.0002), the symbol for radiation hazard (p = 0.016), as well as the emergency guidelines and the agencies to contact in the event of a radiation accident.ConclusionsOur findings seem to signify that while governmental and non-governmental agencies were successful in implementing prompt disaster response and awareness programs, the community continues to be inadequately prepared. These go on to suggest that though concerted awareness and training programs do benefit the affected community, economic and social development is the key to disaster prevention and mitigation.研究目的 近50年来，核技术的受关注程度与日俱增，辐射事故已然成为现代社会难以规避的严峻现实。2010年的马亚普利（Mayapuri）辐射事故是印度迄今遭遇的最为严重的辐射事故。事故发生两年后，本研究针对废品经销商群体开展调查，以评估其对放射性废物的认知水平与行为实践，进而剖析辐射灾害应急准备工作存在的不足。 研究方法 本研究为基于社区的横断面研究。研究对象共209名志愿者，来自108家废品经销门店，涵盖108名店主与101名从业人员。研究对象被划分为两组：A组为马亚普利（Mayapuri）地区的54家经销门店，B组为该市其余区域的54家经销门店。采用半结构化问卷对所有研究对象进行访谈。 研究结果 对放射性废物的认知水平与受教育程度（p=0.024）、库普斯瓦米（Kuppuswamy）社会经济地位量表评分（p=0.005）、废品经销商的年龄（p=0.049）及工作年限（p=0.045）均存在显著相关性。马亚普利地区规模较大的经销门店对放射性废物的认知程度更高（p=0.0004），对2010年辐射事故（p=0.0002）、辐射危害警示标识（radiation hazard symbol，p=0.016），以及辐射事故发生时的应急指南与联络机构的认知也更为全面。 研究结论 本研究结果表明，尽管政府与非政府机构已成功实施及时的灾害响应与认知宣教项目，但社区整体的辐射灾害应急准备仍存在明显短板。研究进一步提示，虽有针对性的认知提升与培训项目可为受影响社区带来切实益处，但经济与社会发展才是灾害预防与减灾的核心关键。