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Need to test children in Fukushima region for internal radiation contamination

When asked whether the cesium levels found in these children were significant, Mr. Boilley said, “The amount of cesium should be zero.”  He said Acro has determined traces of Cesium-137 in the air, soil and water around the world before the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, saying these traces could be remnants from nuclear experiments in the 1960s and the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. But he says that Cesium-134 is certainly from the Fukushima disaster.

More Fukushima Worries: Internal Contamination, WSJ By Anna Novick, 2 July 11 A urine analysis performed by a French non-profit organization on a small number of children in Fukushima city suggests they may have suffered internal radiation contamination from reactor fuel from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, even though they live outside the national government’s 30-kilometer evacuation zone.

The tests were performed by the organization, known as Acro, on behalf of local activists who want Tokyo to augment its policies of protecting children in Fukushima. Specifically, urine samples from 10 children, ages 6 to 16, all showed traces of two radioactive isotopes released during the March explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex: Cesium-134 (which has a half life of two years) and Cesium-137 (which has a half life of 30 years)………

the results are not conclusive because the sample size was small. But he and Fukushima-based activists say they conducted tests of their own because the government wasn’t doing any systematic testing of radiation exposure among people living outside of the 30-kilometer evacuation zone. Acro says the results underscore the need for Tokyo to be more active in trying to measure the potential effects of the accident on Fukushima prefecture residents.

When asked whether the cesium levels found in these children were significant, Mr. Boilley said, “The amount of cesium should be zero.”  He said Acro has determined traces of Cesium-137 in the air, soil and water around the world before the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, saying these traces could be remnants from nuclear experiments in the 1960s and the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. But he says that Cesium-134 is certainly from the Fukushima disaster.

July 2, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | - Fukushima 2011