#Radiation in Japan: 450,000 Bq/Kg Cesium from Dirt in Kashiwa City, Chiba

It's the number you may expect to see in the most contaminated area inside Fukushima Prefecture, like Namie-machi, which is a focus of Asahi Shinbun's "Trap of Prometheus".

But no, this is in Chiba Prefecture, and Kashiwa City is just outside of Tokyo.

Yomiuri Shinbun (11/28/2011) reports:

千葉県柏市の市有地で局所的に高い放射線量が検出された問題で、環境省は２８日、地表から深さ５～１０センチの地層で１キロ・グラムあたり最高約４５万ベクレルの放射性セシウムを検出したと発表した。

Regarding the localized high radiation spot in the city-owned land in Kashiwa City in Chiba Prefecture, the Ministry of the Environment announced on November 28 that the maximum 450,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was detected in the soil 5 to 10 centimeters deep from the surface.

　調査は今月１、２日に実施された。同省は「東京電力福島第一原発事故で放出された放射性物質が蓄積している可能性が高い」と指摘。セシウムを含む雨水が側溝側面の破損した部分から浸透し、放射性物質の濃度が増したとみている。同省は追加調査を行い、汚染範囲などを推定する。

The survey was conducted on November 1 and 2. The Ministry says it is highly likely that the radioactive materials released from the Fukushima I Nuclear Plant accident have accumulated. The rainwater containing radioactive cesium seeped through the broken side wall of the drain, and increased the density of radioactive materials. The Ministry plans to conduct additional survey, and estimate the size of the contaminated area.

　柏市が１０月に発表したこの地層近くの調査結果では、最高で同約２７万ベクレルの放射性セシウムが検出されている。

In the October survey by Kashiwa City of the nearby location, maximum 270,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was detected from the soil.

Information about 276,000 becquerels/kg soil in Kashiwa City is in my post here.

Kashiwa City has the details in Word file, on this page (2nd and 3rd files from the document list in the middle of the page). They still only measure cesium-134 and cesium-137. No strontium 89/90, no plutonium or other nuclides such as silver-110m which is increasingly being detected in spider, cow, and abalone.

Natural concentration does wonders, turning Kashiwa and potentially anywhere in Kanto or Tohoku into the evacuation zone-level contamination. Unlike Fukushima's evacuation zone where the national government has said (at least) they will be responsible for the "decontamination", people are on their own cleaning up the radioactive mess elsewhere.

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