#Radiation in Japan: Date City in Fukushima To Fit Kindergarteners and School Kids with Dosimeter

They're going to fit 3-year-olds with dosimeter.

If the radiation is such a worry, shouldn't they evacuate small children out of the city first? Or are they planning something else?

From Nikkei Shinbun, quoting Kyodo News (6/10/2011):

福島県伊達市は９日、福島第１原発事故で子供がいる親の不安が高まっているとして、市内の小中学校と幼稚園、保育園に通う児童、生徒、園児約８千人全員に小 型線量計を配布すると発表した。７月上旬にも始める方針。福島県内では、町の一部が計画的避難区域となっている川俣町も小中学生と園児1500人全員に近 く線量計を配布する予定。

Date City in Fukushima Prefecture announced on June 9 that they will distribute portable dosimeters to all children in the city's elementary schools and middle schools, kindergartens and nursery schools to calm the fear of the parents of children in school age. There are about 8,000 such children. The program will start in early July. In Fukushima Prefecture, Kawamata-machi will also distribute dosimeters to all of their elementary/middle school children and kindergartners (1,500 children). Part of Kawamata-machi is designated as "planned evacuation zone".

　伊達市は計画的避難が進む飯舘村に隣接。市内の一部に放射線量が高い「ホットスポット」と呼ばれる地区があり、保護者から「子どもの被曝（ひばく）線量が分かるようにしてほしい」との要望が相次いでいた。

Date City is adjacent to Iitate-mura, which is designated as "planned evacuation zone". Date City has so-called "hot spots" that show elevated level of radiation, and parents have been asking the city to come up with a system to monitor the radiation exposure for their children.

　市によると、配布対象は小中学生約６千人と園児約２千人。医療関係者が使っているバッジ型の小型線量計を衣服などにつけてもらう。

According to the city, dosimeters will be distributed to 6,000 pupils in elementary schools and middle schools, and 2,000 children in kindergartens and nursery schools in the city. They will wear the small dosimeters worn by medical practitioners.

　具体的な運用方法は今後、放射線アドバイザーを委嘱する専門家と協議。購入費を含む健康対策経費約３千万円は市が負担するが、最終的には東京電力に請求したいとしている。〔共同〕

The program details will be decided in discussion with the expert that the city hires as radiation advisor. The cost, including the cost to purchase dosimeters, will be about 30 million yen (US$373,000). The city will pay for the cost, but plans to bill TEPCO later.

I wonder who this "radiation advisor" is.

Tweet

Geiger Counters, Dosimeters from US, France, Canada Still Sit in Narita Warehouse

40,000 units of Geiger counters and dosimeters donated by the United States, France, and Canada after the Fukushima I Nuke Plant accident still sit in a warehouse at Narita International Airport, according to a Japanese blogger (yougen).

The blogger says in his/her post (in Japanese) these Geiger counters and dosimeters are under the jurisdiction of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. Donations from foreign countries are handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Distributing the Geiger counters and dosimeters to the plant workers is done by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Distributing the Geiger counters and dosimeters to civilians is done by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

This blogger attacks a Representative from Japan Communist Party because the Representative asked the Ministry of Health and Welfare why the Ministry hadn't distributed the donated Geiger counters and dosimeters to the residents in Fukushima. According to the blogger, this Representative is totally out of the line for asking the "wrong" ministry - it is METI's NISA in charge of civilians! How dare she asks such a stupid question!

I thought that was very strange, but the main point of his/her post is that the donated radiation measurement devices still sit in a warehouse.

Beside the Geiger counters and dosimeters, mountains of ramen noodles, water bottles, sneakers, blankets, underwear, socks, canned food, rice, mattresses, soap may be sitting at official distribution centers. Never mind that there are still many, many people living in shelters with scant food and water. Bureaucrats do what they gotta do, and that is to do what they are told to do by the book and nothing else.

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Radiation Level of "1,000 Milli-Sieverts and Over" - Exactly How Much Over?

One minor detail is bothering me.

Does anyone know whether there's a portable dosimeter that can measure beyond 1,000 milli-sievert?

What's been bothering me about the high radiation at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is that the government (NISA) or TEPCO simply says "the radiation at such and such place was above 1,000 milli-sieverts."

Above 1,000 milli-sievert BY HOW MUCH?

I've seen an occasional slip or two where the newspapers report that TEPCO/NISA didn't really know how radioactive it was (whether it's air inside the Reactor 2 building or the water from the pit by the ocean), because the needle of the dosimeter immediately swung to the max (1,000 milli-sievert).

And that was precisely the case with the pit water. TEPCO made a worker measure the radiation about 1.2 to 1.4 meters from the surface of the pit water, and the worker couldn't measure it because the needle of the dosimeter immediately swung to the max. So they announced it was "over 1,000 milli-sievert/hour".

(If it swung to 1,000 milli-sievert in 1 second, would that mean 3,600 SIEVERT?)

Tweet

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Yomiuri Interviews TEPCO PR Manager at the Plant

I already wrote a post about the lack of dosimeters for the workers at Fukushima I Nuke Plant and the absence of proper radiation monitoring until April 2.

(Did you get that one? 8 radiation monitoring systems on the perimeter of the plant weren't operational for all these three weeks because TEPCO didn't bother to connect electricity to the systems until April 1. There's no news yet that they are now actually working.)

Now, surprise surprise, if we are to believe TEPCO, they have suddenly managed to secure additional docimeters from Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuke Plant in Niigata Prefecture, another one right on the ocean, and the workers are now eating lunch on top of that. No word yet on additional water bottle. (See my post on $4855 a day, no lunch.)

Yomiuri Shinbun says it conducted the telephone interview with a TEPCO PR manager who's been at the plant to coordinate between the plant and the TEPCO headquarters [in PR matters].

From Yomiuri Shinbun (emphasis added; 3:04AM JST 4/3/2011):

　東京電力福島第一原子力発電所に泊まり込み、本店との調整に当たっている同原発広報部の角田(かくた)桂一・報道グループマネジャー（４２）が２日、読売新聞の電話取材に応じた。

Yomiuri Shinbun conducted the telephone interview with a TEPCO PR manager, Keiichi Kakuta, who's been at the plant to coordinate between the plant and the TEPCO headquarters [in Tokyo].

　一時不足していた放射線量を測る線量計は９２０個を確保したといい、食事も１日２回から３回に増えている。角田さんは「環境は整えられつつあるが、依然厳しい」と語った。

Kakuta said TEPCO "has secured 920 dosimeters" and the workers are getting three meals a day, instead of two. "The work conditions are improving, though it remains severe," said Kakuta.

　線量計が足りなかった問題は、発覚した直後の１日に、東電柏崎刈羽原子力発電所（新潟県）から５００個を調達するなどし、解消したという。食事の回数も増えたが、非常食や缶詰というメニューは変わらず、「量的には問題なくなったが、メニュー不足は否めない」。

TEPCO sent for 500 dosimeters from TEPCO's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecture on April 1, after it was revealed [by the news media] that there weren't enough dosimeters for workers. Even though the number of meals has increased to three, the meals still consist of emergency foods and canned foods. "Volume is OK, but no variety."

　泊まり込みで作業にあたっている約４００人のうち１００人程度は約１０キロ離れた福島第二原発の施設に宿泊できるようになった。それでも第一原発で作業員らの就寝場所となっている免震重要棟の「緊急時対策室」に入りきらず、廊下で寝る人もいる。

Of 400 workers at the plant, 100 of them get to sleep in at the facility in Fukushima II Nuke Plant which is about 10 kilometers away. Some workers still have to sleep on the corridor as there is not enough space to accommodate the remaining 300 in the designated sleeping quarters in the building 免震重要棟 in Fukushima I Nuke Plant.

　「睡眠は十分とは言い難いが、報道で激励の声が届くことが支えになっており、士気は高い」と話した。

Kakuta said "The workers are not necessarily getting enough sleep, but their morale is high as they know that people are cheering for them."

Let's see, what will be the new missing item that TEPCO will no doubt dribble out (that's their mode of operation, to the point that the Japanese with short attention span - there are many - will forget what they were hearing before)?

My guess at the moment is the full-body anti-radiation suits.

Toshiba generously (I'm sarcastic) donated 45 dosimeters on April 1, and said they would also donate 744 water-proof suits coming from Babcock & Wilcox. Toshiba workers are at the plant, probably not wearing the suits. Their press release on April 1 (available in Japanese only) says there are 150 Toshiba workers at the plant on an ongoing basis at the request of the government and TEPCO, and total 400 Toshiba workers have already worked at the plant at one time since the accident.

The 200 full-body anti-radiation suits that were already donated by a Florida company, which can be worn without assistance, I have no information on them. I can hazard a guess: they are sitting in a custom warehouse somewhere in Japan.

Tweet