nuclear-news

Radiation levels still up, but some Fukushima residents to go home

Fukushima residents cleared to return home (CNN) By Euan McKirdy, CNN April 1, 2014 — Hundreds of residents of an area contaminated by a catastrophic reactor meltdown at a nuclear plant in northeastern Japan have been allowed to return home three years after the disaster.

An evacuation order, declared in the aftermath of a devastating tsunami that crippled the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant in March, 2011, was lifted at midnight on Monday from the Miyakoji district of Tamura city in Fukushima Prefecture.

Residents of the town, who have been in limbo ever since, are now free to re-inhabit their homes following decontamination work in the area……..

Radiation worries

However, concerns remain about background radiation levels and uncertainty surrounding the safety of the area, especially given past concerns about the reporting of radiation levels in the area by Fukushima’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). Last month, Miyakoji residents were told at a community meeting that radiation contamination levels had lowered sufficiently to enable their return to the area — though some voiced concern over existing radiation levels despite decontamination efforts around some communities…….

Areas are declared suitable for habitation if residents are exposed to a maximum of 20 millisieverts of radiation per year. Officials have said they would like to get radiation exposure down to one millisievert a year……http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/01/world/asia/fukushima-miyakoji-return/

April 2, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima 2014