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22 Long-Term Public Health, Economic, and Societal Concerns
But the most visible impact was seen on a national level. The attacks help to bring
the nation together, and a nation filled with frightened people demanded that their
politicians take actions to ensure that those who had perpetuated the attack were
punished so that another such attack would not take place again. At the time of the
attacks, the American military had not fought in a major conflict for more than a
decade; since the attacks, American troops have been engaged in combat in both
major and minor conflicts for nearly two decades with (as of this writing) no end
in sight. The collective trauma of the September 11 attacks also led directly to a
major reorganization of the American government, the expenditure of hundreds of
billions of dollars in national security programs, disagreements with many allies of
the US, a reappraisal of many American international priorities, substantial changes
in American security policies and practices, and much more. Some of these changes
(e.g. increased airport security precautions and the invasion of Afghanistan) were
likely inevitable; others (e.g. the invasion of Iraq, waging the Global War on Terror,
the law known as the Patriot Act) may have been a result of the trauma suffered by
the American people.
The aftermath of a terrorist attack using radiological or nuclear weapons in any
nation is likely to induce a national trauma comparable to that which afflicted the
United States following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. And, as happened
in the US, such an attack could very well cause a nation to come together in the short
term, calling for or authorizing actions felt to enhance security. In the long term,
however, it is entirely plausible to feel that, as also happened in the US, the stress
and tension of the national trauma might exacerbate divisions within the nation as
various groups process the information and emotions surrounding the attack in their
own manner. It is also reasonable to expect that all of these effects might last for
decades. Thus, the psychological and societal effects of such an attack might well
last as long, or even longer, as the radiological effects.
References
1. Becker S (2011) Learning from the 2011 Great East Japan Disaster: insights from a special
radiological emergency assistance mission. Biosecur Bioterror 9:394–404
2. Becker S (2013) The Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident: additional lessons from a radiological
emergency assistance mission. Health Phys 105(5):455–461
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2002) Psychological and emotional effects of the
September 11 attacks on the world trade center—Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York,
2001. Morb Mortal Wkl Rep 51(35):784–786
4. Chiu S, Niles J, Webber M, Zeig-Owens R, Gustave J, Lee R, Prezant D (2011) Evaluating
risk factors and possible mediation effects in posttraumatic depression and posttraumatic stress
disorder comorbidity. Public Health Rep 126:201–209
5. Hall E, Giaccia A (2019) Radiobiology for the radiologist, 8th edn. Lippincott Williams and
Wilkins, New York
6. Heath M (2013) Radiation stigma, mental health and marriage discrimination: the social sideeffects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. MA Thesis, Department of International
Studies, University of Oregon
22 Long-Term Public Health, Economic, and Societal Concerns
But the most visible impact was seen on a national level. The attacks help to bring
the nation together, and a nation filled with frightened people demanded that their
politicians take actions to ensure that those who had perpetuated the attack were
punished so that another such attack would not take place again. At the time of the
attacks, the American military had not fought in a major conflict for more than a
decade; since the attacks, American troops have been engaged in combat in both
major and minor conflicts for nearly two decades with (as of this writing) no end
in sight. The collective trauma of the September 11 attacks also led directly to a
major reorganization of the American government, the expenditure of hundreds of
billions of dollars in national security programs, disagreements with many allies of
the US, a reappraisal of many American international priorities, substantial changes
in American security policies and practices, and much more. Some of these changes
(e.g. increased airport security precautions and the invasion of Afghanistan) were
likely inevitable; others (e.g. the invasion of Iraq, waging the Global War on Terror,
the law known as the Patriot Act) may have been a result of the trauma suffered by
the American people.
The aftermath of a terrorist attack using radiological or nuclear weapons in any
nation is likely to induce a national trauma comparable to that which afflicted the
United States following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. And, as happened
in the US, such an attack could very well cause a nation to come together in the short
term, calling for or authorizing actions felt to enhance security. In the long term,
however, it is entirely plausible to feel that, as also happened in the US, the stress
and tension of the national trauma might exacerbate divisions within the nation as
various groups process the information and emotions surrounding the attack in their
own manner. It is also reasonable to expect that all of these effects might last for
decades. Thus, the psychological and societal effects of such an attack might well
last as long, or even longer, as the radiological effects.
References
1. Becker S (2011) Learning from the 2011 Great East Japan Disaster: insights from a special
radiological emergency assistance mission. Biosecur Bioterror 9:394–404
2. Becker S (2013) The Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident: additional lessons from a radiological
emergency assistance mission. Health Phys 105(5):455–461
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2002) Psychological and emotional effects of the
September 11 attacks on the world trade center—Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York,
2001. Morb Mortal Wkl Rep 51(35):784–786
4. Chiu S, Niles J, Webber M, Zeig-Owens R, Gustave J, Lee R, Prezant D (2011) Evaluating
risk factors and possible mediation effects in posttraumatic depression and posttraumatic stress
disorder comorbidity. Public Health Rep 126:201–209
5. Hall E, Giaccia A (2019) Radiobiology for the radiologist, 8th edn. Lippincott Williams and
Wilkins, New York
6. Heath M (2013) Radiation stigma, mental health and marriage discrimination: the social sideeffects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. MA Thesis, Department of International
Studies, University of Oregon