ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the main social and ethical issues associated with remediation. It overviews of some of the consequences of the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents, summarizes some of the generic social and ethical aspects of remediation, and deals with a presentation of some of the remediation measures that are not primarily intended to reduce dose. The amounts of radioactive material released from Fukushima were less than at Chernobyl, with much lower initial doses to the population and emergency workers. Based on the experience of the projects, a summary of some of the most important social and ethical issues to consider in remediation is reproduced below and updated to reflect the Fukushima experience. Remediation can also be economically beneficial to communities, for example through generation of local employment opportunities, though it may also be possible that some sections of the population can make a profit from remediation, which can lead to social inequity.
