Setagaya, Tokyo's High Radiation Supermarket: It's Radium Again, Emitting 40 Millisieverts/Hr Radiation

According to the Ministry of Education and Science, a glass bottle was found 40 centimeters below the surface, which was emitting 40 millisievert/hour radiation. Radium-226 is suspected.

(How many more radium-226 bottles are there buried in Setagaya-ku?)

From Yomiuri Shinbun (11/1/2011):

東京都世田谷区八幡山のスーパー敷地内外から高い放射線量が検出された問題で、文部科学省は１日、放射線の原因は地中の「ラジウム２２６」の可能性が高いと発表した。

Regarding the high radiation detected inside the supermarket compound and in the vicinity in Hachimanyama in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, the Ministry of Education and Science announced on November 1 that the cause of the high radiation was likely to be "radium-226" buried in the soil.

また深さ約４０センチの地点で毎時４０ミリ・シーベルト（４万マイクロ・シーベルト）の高い放射線量が測定されたことを明らかにした。４０ミリ・シーベルトは一般住民の平常時の「年間被曝線量限度」の４０倍に相当する。

At 40 centimeters below the ground surface, 40 millisieverts (or 40,000 microsievert) per hour radiation was measured, according to the Ministry. 40 millisievert is 40 times the annual radiation exposure limit [still 1 millisievert, though it is likely to change very soon] for the general public [not engaged in radiation work].

　文科省によると、地表から約４０センチ掘ったところに薬瓶が１本あり、この地点の放射線量が毎時４０ミリ・シーベルトあった。その真上の地表では同１ミリ・シーベルトだった。放射線量が極めて高いため慎重に作業を進めており、瓶は２日以降に取り出す。

According to the Ministry of Education, there was a glass bottle at 40 centimeter below the surface, and the radiation on the spot was 40 millisieverts/hour. The radiation on the ground surface there was 1 millisievert/hour. The work is proceeding very cautiously because the radiation level is extremely high. The bottle will be removed on November 2 or after.

The Ministry and the Setagaya government have been saying "There is no effect on health". Really. (1 millisievert/hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and we would be talking the radiation exposure in sievert.)

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