nuclear-news

Japanese govt makes some concessions to Fukushima parents worried about radiation

An environment ministry spokesman said Friday’s announcement does not mean it is altering the 20 millisieverts dosage standard, rather it is formally stating its aims to reduce radiation dosages. …The ministry will also distribute dosimeters to teachers at schools in the prefecture, where the unstable nuclear power plant is located,

Japan Bows to Parent Pressure Over Radiation Concerns WSJ , May 27, 2011 Education Minister Yoshiaki Takaki for the first time said on Friday the government will seek to reduce the radiation levels on school grounds in Fukushima Prefecture to one-twentieth of the current annual limit amid concern from parents over health risks.

The statement comes days after a group of parents from the region, along with other civil groups, rallied outside the education ministry, protesting the government’s guideline that set the annual allowable radiation exposure limit for children at 20 millisieverts, which breaks down to about 3.8 microsieverts a day. It is the same ceiling recommended for nuclear plant workers by the International Commission on Radiation Protection. An environment ministry spokesman said Friday’s announcement does not mean it is altering the 20 millisieverts dosage standard, rather it is formally stating its aims to reduce radiation dosages. Children are normally exposed to about 2.4 millisieverts of background radiation each year.

The ministry will also distribute dosimeters to teachers at schools in the prefecture, where the unstable nuclear power plant is located, to monitor fluctuations in radiation. Mr. Takaki said the government will pay for the top soil on school grounds  to be bulldozed in the event radiation measurements exceed one microsievert an hour. Parents feared children were vulnerable to long-term health risks from the radioactive materials that settled into soil. Some have shoveled the dirt away themselves…….Japan Bows to Fukushima Parent Pressure Over Children Radiation Health Concerns – Japan Real Time – WSJ

May 28, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | - Fukushima 2011