Friday, April 8, 2011

#Radiation in Japan: 13-Day Cumulative Radiation Over 5 Milli-Sievert in 3 Locations Outside the Evacuation Zone

Reports Yomiuri Shinbun, but it had to hide it under its Health and Medical News section, and never on the front page of the website. Unless you happen on the page from other links (like I did), you would never know that such an article is buried there.

Under the guidance from the government, Yomiuri editors do not want to alarm people, do they?

From Yomiuri Shinbun Health and Medical News section (4/7/2011):

The cumulative radiation level data being compiled by the Ministry of Education and Science in the 20 to 60-kilometer radius from TEPCO's Fukushima I Nuclear Power plant shows that the cumulative radiation for 13 days ending on April 5 exceeded 5,000 micro-sievert [or 5 milli-sievert] in 3 locations OUTSIDE the "stay indoors" zone [of between 20 and 30-kilometer radius].

If you stand outdoors for 13 days at these locations, you would receive 5 times the maximum allowed amount of 1,000 micro-sievert [or 1 milli-sievert] other than the natural radiation and the medical treatment. The largest cumulative radiation was recorded in Akogi in Namie-machi (town), which is located about 30 kilometers northwest of the nuclear plant, at 11,630 micro-sievert [or 11.63 milli-sievert].

 東京電力福島第一原子力発電所から20~60キロ圏内で文部科学省が行っている積算の放射線量調査で、屋内退避区域外3か所で4月5日までの13日間分の放射線量積算が5000マイクロ・シーベルトを超えたことが分かった。

 ずっと屋外に立ち続けたと仮定した場合、年間に自然界や医療行為以外で人が浴びてよいとされる許容量1000マイクロ・シーベルトの5倍以上の放射線を浴びる計算となる。最大積算値は、浪江町赤宇木の北西約30キロ地点で、1万1630マイクロ・シーベルトとなった。

According to the map accompanying the article, other locations with high cumulative radiation are:

  • Tsushima in Namie-machi: 5,257 micro-sievert (or 5.257 milli-sievert)

  • Nagadoro in Iitate-mura: 6,839 micro-sievert (or 6.839 milli-sievert)

  • Shimotsushima, Namie-machi: 5,440 micro-sievert (or 5.44 milli-sievert)

That's only for 13 days, from March 24 to April 5.

Fukushima I Nuke Plant's Reactor 1 building blew up on March 11, the Reactor 3 building on March 14, the Reactor 4 building on March 15 (though they called it a "fire" with an explosive noise), and Reactor 2's Suppression Pool on March 15.

But alas, the SPEEDI system of the Ministry of Education and Science didn't work for the crucial 1st week of the accident, because their monitoring stations didn't work.

3 comments:

netudiant said...

No surprise.
The emissions are swept along with the winds and deposited in the rain and snow,
So there will be patches of higher radioactivity far outside the 30km zone as well as areas of low radioactivity well within the zone.
Over time these random patches will come together.
One hopes that the emissions can be halted before the patches cover much of Honshu.

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

No, no surprise on the amount of radioactive materials.

The surprise, or I should say dismay, is that the media hides the news by burying in a section that not many people go to. It covers the editors' a--es because they can claim they reported it.

The government was sending out researchers into Fukushima prefecture last month to tell the residents it's so safe.

M. Simon said...

It may be a long time (in nuclear years) before anything gets done on the ground.

The above link goes to:

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110408p2a00m0na005000c.html

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