On 27 January 2023, the World Health Organization updated its official website with a list of medicines recommended for response to radiation and nuclear emergencies for the first time since 2007.
Maria Nela, WHO Assistant Director-General for Improving Population Health, said: "In a radiation emergency, people can be exposed to doses ranging from insignificant to life-threatening radiation. Governments must be prepared to protect people's health and respond immediately to emergencies.
At that time, the news did not attract much attention in China until August 22, 2023, when the Japanese government announced that it would gradually discharge more than 1.3 million tons of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea, and for a time the dark cloud of nuclear radiation hung over the general public.
The United States began clinical trials of anti-nuclear radiation drugs
Shortly after Japan announced its formal decision to discharge the contaminated water into the sea, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Ram Emanuel also "appreciated" Japan's discharge procedures, saying that they were completely transparent and scientifically based.
Interestingly, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has laid out anti-radiation drugs, and in April this year, the first experimental oral drug HOPO 14-1 for the safety and tolerability of human phase I clinical trials for removing radioactive pollutants from the body has been officially launched with NIH funding.
HOPO 14-1 is a metal ion chelating agent that selectively binds to elements in the F region of the periodic table (lanthanide and actinides) to form a complex that is rapidly excreted with excretion, and HOPO 14-1 is made into oral capsules, which are easier to store than intravenous drugs and easier to use and manage in emergency situations.
The clinical trial was conducted in Plymouth, Michigan, and was led by Dr. Sachaa N. Goonewardena, a researcher in SRI's Clinical Trials Division, and the team recruited 42 healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 65, divided into 7 groups of 6 people each. Participants will undergo intensive safety monitoring and will be followed for 14 days to measure absorption, distribution, and elimination of the study drug. The results are expected in 2024.
The hazards of Fukushima nuclear sewage discharge
Due to direct contact with nuclear fuel, Fukushima nuclear sewage theoretically contains various fission products and activation products in the core. Fukushima nuclear effluent contains 62 major radionuclides such as 90Sr, 134Cs, and 137Cs, especially a large amount of 3H (tritium). Long-term intake of large quantities of the above radionuclides will cause some radionuclides to accumulate in the human body, thereby causing damage to the hematopoietic system, endocrine system, nervous system and so on.
Although there are no studies that have proven that the discharge of Fukushima nuclear sewage into the sea will cause large ingestion of these radionuclides, resulting in corresponding damage. However, the extent to which the increase in the concentration of these radioactive substances will affect the marine ecological environment and human life and health is still unknown.
What are the anti-radiation drugs?
Existing anti-radiation drugs mainly include cytokines, sulfur-containing compounds and hormonal drugs. Cytokines include granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interleukin, recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-I and recombinant human thrombopoietin, hormonal drugs include "500" injections, "523" tablets, estriol and melatonin, sulfur-containing compounds such as amifostine (WR-2721) and its active metabolites WR-1605, N-acetylcysteine, potassium iodide and DTPA compounds.
There are also many anti-radiation drugs that are still in the experimental research stage, most of which have large toxic side effects and limited application.
Amifostine is the first anti-radiation drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and exerts anti-radiation effects by scavenging free radicals and inhibiting DNA damage. However, intravenous administration is necessary, and there are many serious adverse reactions, such as hypotension, dizziness, vomiting, etc., which seriously limit its clinical application.
In October 2003, the FDA approved Prussian blue for the treatment of caesium-137 and thallium radiation contamination damage. Prussian blue (ferric ferrocyanide) is insoluble in water and is a chelating agent with a strong affinity for cesium and thallium, which can help remove radioactive cesium and thallium from the human body and reduce the time that radioactive cesium and thallium stay in the body. The most common side effects are stomach upset and constipation. When you take Prussian blue, you may have blue stool.