nuclear-news

Japan may evacuate more towns, as radiation “hot spots” found

Japan Considers Evacuating More Towns WSJ By YUKA HAYASHI TOKYO, 9 June 11—Japanese government officials said they are considering evacuating more towns affected by radiation, after recent monitoring data showed new “hot spots” of elevated contamination farther away from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The areas under review include one neighborhood each in two cities, and could affect more than 180 families. The areas fall outside Japan’s existing evacuation zone of 30 kilometers, but within the 80-kilometer evacuation zone initially recommended by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The reports of additional radiation-threatened areas shows how, nearly three months after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear disaster, the Japanese government is still struggling to determine the extent of the risk to its population and how best to respond.

The possibility of more evacuations was confirmed following a series of recent reports that showed the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was more severe than earlier described. The data have added to concern among residents near the plant and elsewhere that the government hasn’t done enough to protect its citizens, particularly children, from the harms of radiation……Earlier in the week, Date delivered basic radiation monitoring devices to all 8,000 children in its schools. The children will wear badge-type dosimeters for about a month, according to an official at a local education committee, after which the devices will be sent to a laboratory to check radiation levels…..http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304778304576375163353671804.html

June 10, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | - Fukushima 2011, environment, Japan