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Radioactivity 60 times annual limit found 40 km from Fukushima plant

Published: June 1st, 2011 at 4:49 pm ET
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French research institute finds high radioactivity, NHK, June 1, 2011:

A French independent radioactivity watchdog has found radiation in Fukushima Prefecture 60 times higher than the annual reference level for ordinary people recommended by an international commission. [...]

The measurements and calculations found an annualized amount of 60 millisieverts at a farm in Iitate Village in the prefecture.

The level is 60 times higher than the annual limit for ordinary people, except for radiation workers, of 1 millisievert, recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. [...]

Published: June 1st, 2011 at 4:49 pm ET
By
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50 comments

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June 1st, 2011 | Tags: , , , | Category: Radiation Releases
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50 comments to Radioactivity 60 times annual limit found 40 km from Fukushima plant

  • xdrfox
    June 1, 2011 at 5:04 pm

    No mans land, and so much for the 20km exclusion zone !
    Radiation contaminating the Entire Northern Hemisphere. It will be a by day, by week, by month of culmulative exposure. Granted, it will be worst of all in Japan, also eastern China, eastern Russia, the Korean peninsula, Singapore and most all of south east asia.

    Watch out Austrailia and New Zeland, the waters first !


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    • ocifferdave
      June 1, 2011 at 5:18 pm

      Hey, don’t say nothing bad about my future home of New Zealand! But do wonder if the water currents ignore that equater buffer like the air does.


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    • Jonjon
      June 2, 2011 at 2:59 am

      Please don’t spread false and alarming disinformation. If you have ever bother to watch the simulation of the radiation spreading into the atmosphere, you’ll notice it goes east-north-east towards northern america/canada and only reaches south east asia after having gone full circle around the earth. I was in south east asia up to 2 weeks ago and I’ve been checking on that since the start of the crisis. The first time we had some kind of direct exposure was on April 6-8 during rare sustained north winds. The fact is, due to the rotation of the earth and the jet stream, south east asia remains the least likely to be contaminated if compared to the USA. It’s not a matter of distance, but a matter of air currents. The analogy would be, to put a ball on a slope.. If you’re above it, even if very close, it won’t come rolling on you, but if you’re down below, it will be headed your way first whether you’re 2 feet away or 15000 miles away.


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  • Doctor Neutron
    June 1, 2011 at 5:07 pm

    How much of Japan is a permanent wasteland already?

    Very sad.


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    • xdrfox
      June 1, 2011 at 5:23 pm

      @ Doctor Neutron
      Radiations in high levels have been found 40 Km south of Tokyo over a month ago !
      Tea was havested and found high levels way south of Tokyo also over a month ago !


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      • pAnIc
        June 1, 2011 at 11:46 pm

        Reference pls & how high are those levels?


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        • xdrfox
          June 2, 2011 at 12:41 am

          On these back stories you will find that inf.


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        • mono
          June 2, 2011 at 5:43 am

          In tests of green tea from 18 different areas in Shizuoka prefecture, the highest level of caesium 134+137 (combined)
          was 379 Becquerels per kilogram in just one sample of processed (steam dried) green tea from Izu. The average level of caesium in all 18 samples was 99 Becquerels per kilogram. These levels are below legal limit is 500 Becquerels per kilogram.

          http://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/sangyou/sa-340/documents/test_results.pdf

          But you don’t normally eat dried green tea directly. You use about one teaspoonful of dried green tea weighing about 0.005 kilograms to make one cup of green tea, so your caesium intake would be about 1.9 Becquerels for one cup of Izu green tea (there might be a little additional caesium in the water, but as far as Shizuoka is concerned apparently none has been detected so far in tests of Shizuoka water supplies).

          For more information about what a Becquerel is, see:

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel


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  • jump-ball
    June 1, 2011 at 5:16 pm

    The dispersion is so uneven that 20-40 KM or 50 mile circular zones have no meaning. There probably are radioactive streaks going out 100s of miles, and isolated hot spots out similiar distances.

    If there is a wearable patch that shows what individuals have been exposed to, it should be made available to all.

    And the donated digital detectors locked safely out of use in the Tokyo warehouse should immediately be distributed for government as well as civilian use, and the readings made public daily, and plotted on a 200 mile circle.

    But it is in the interest of the authorities, manufacturers and even foreign nuclear utilities and experts to prevent such data from ever being publicized in order to keep contamination levels and patterns such as would be seen from ever being made public.

    High time for a citizens neighborhood nuclear watch.


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    • tacomagroove
      June 1, 2011 at 5:59 pm

      Ya but then everyone would know the truth…


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    • mono
      June 2, 2011 at 5:07 am

      Totally agree. The dispersion of the radiation is extremely uneven. The evacuation zones at Fukushima are based on the absurd assumption that the radioactivity spreads and dilutes uniformly in all directions away from the Fukushima Daichi plant. Of course the atmosphere doesn’t work like that. People with geiger counters are finding hotspots with dangerous levels of radioactivity outside the existing evacuation zones. But the government either refuses to listen or reacts too slowly. Recently, the towns of Namie and Iidate which were outside the 20km evacuation zone were found to have dangerously high radioactivity, 10 times higher even than the 15 Ci/km^2 threshold for the mandatory evacuation zone immediately around the Chernobyl disaster plant. Concerned citizens raised the alarm two months ago. There were thousands of people including young children still living there! What did the government do? Nothing for two months! Corrupt, cosy corporate-government relationships, and untrustworthy.

      Informative blog:

      http://onioni2.blogspot.com/2011/05/summary-of-detected-radioactive.html


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  • Buck-O
    June 1, 2011 at 5:18 pm

    The radiation readings would be higher if it was not for the new atomic radiation sewer called the Pacific Ocean.


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  • icone
    June 1, 2011 at 5:33 pm

    Anyone notice that despite no new data for days about that 225sv spike in radiation in the drywell of Unit1, the graph now goes up to 300sv?

    Just noticing a detail.

    http://atmc.jp/plant/rad/


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  • icone
    June 1, 2011 at 5:55 pm

    I meant the chart not the readings. The top of the scale was just a bit over 200sv last week, now it goes up to 300sv. Maybe not important, but it makes me wonder what the next reading will be.


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    • tacomagroove
      June 1, 2011 at 6:00 pm

      I noticed that… I doubt it went down to 46 also…


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      • tacomagroove
        June 1, 2011 at 6:07 pm

        I get this strange impression that they are all fake graphs…

        In march 11th – april 4th… Tepco was reporting 200 millisieverts and microsieverts… Now were at 225 SIEVERTS….!
        that means in another month and a half; it should multiply by about another 1000% so the new release level will be 22,500 sieverts… In the event tepco does not change the game…


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  • tacomagroove
    June 1, 2011 at 5:58 pm

    Hey wanted to say what this article says…

    Radioactivity 60 times annual limit found 40 km from Fukushima plantA French independent radioactivity watchdog has found radiation in Fukushima Prefecture 60 times higher than the annual reference level for ordinary people

    Annual = a year…
    60 times annual = 60years radiation exposure…
    live there 1 year = 60years the maximum exposure


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    • Jeremie
      June 1, 2011 at 7:58 pm

      I don’t understand why they are speaking about the yearly exposure. If the level is 60 times higher than official limit, it’s 60 times higher, period. No matter the time. 1s there is 60s the normal level, 1mn is 60mn the normal level, and so on. Due to stochasticity of depositions with weather conditions, as jump-ball pointed out, there are for sure some places more far with even highest rates. It will only increase.


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    • Willie
      June 1, 2011 at 8:40 pm

      THIS MIGHT HELP PUT AND THEN KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE
      PRINT A HARD COPY FOR QUIK REFERENCE.
      The following is from…
      http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/ionizing.html
      Equivalent dose is often referred to simply as “dose” in every day use of radiation terminology. The old unit of “dose equivalent” or “dose” was rem.
      Dose in Sv = Absorbed Dose in Gy x radiation weighting factor (WR)
      Dose in rem = Dose in rad x QF
      1 Sv = 100 rem
      1 rem = 10 mSv (millisievert = one thousandth of a sievert)
      1 Gy air dose equivalent to 0.7 Sv tissue dose (UNSEAR 1988 Report p.57)
      1 R (roentgen) exposure is approximately equivalent to 10 mSv tissue dose

      What effects do different doses of radiation have on people?
      One sievert is a large dose. The recommended TLV is average annual dose of 0.05 Sv (50 mSv).
      The effects of being exposed to large doses of radiation at one time (acute exposure) vary with the dose. Here are some examples:
      10 Sv – Risk of death within days or weeks
      1 Sv – Risk of cancer later in life (5 in 100)
      100 mSv – Risk of cancer later in life (5 in 1000)
      50 mSv – TLV for annual dose for radiation workers in any one year
      20 mSv – TLV for annual average dose, averaged over five years

      What are the limits of exposure to radiation?
      The Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) published by the ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists) are used in many jurisdictions occupational exposure limits or guidelines:
      20 mSv – TLV for average annual dose for radiation workers, averaged over five years
      1 mSv – Recommended annual dose limit for general public (ICRP – International Commission on Radiological Protection).

      What is the relationship between SI units and non-SI units?
      Table 3 shows SI units (International System of Units or Systéme Internationale d’unités), the corresponding non-SI units, their symbols, and the conversion factors.
      Table 3
      Units of Radioactivity and Radiation Dose
      Quantity SI unit and symbol Non-SI…


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      • Willie
        June 1, 2011 at 8:47 pm

        THIS MIGHT HELP PUT AND THEN KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE
        PRINT A HARD COPY FOR QUIK REFERENCE.

        ” NOW, GO BACK AND READ SOME ATICLES TODAY AS THEY TALK ABOUT RADIATION LEVELS
        YOU CAN START HERE
        http://enenews.com/

        (You might use this to send to a friend that isn’t paying attention…yet)


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  • xdrfox
    June 1, 2011 at 8:10 pm

    Japan hit by unemployment rise and credit rating threatMoody’s places Japan’s Aa2 rating under review while jobless rate rises for first time in six months
    Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan, who faces a vote of no confidence. Photograph: Yuriko Nakao/Reuters
    Japan’s hopes of bouncing back from the economic turmoil caused by the earthquake and tsunami in March have been knocked by the threat of a credit rating downgrade from Moody’s, and a rise in unemployment.
    Moody’s warned on…
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/may/31/japan-unemployment-credit-rating-threat


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  • Terranigma
    June 1, 2011 at 10:41 pm

    Interesting article related to stuxnet virus — Cyberattacks now viewed as acts of war:

    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4076623,00.html

    Moret stated that the stuxnet virus shut off power to the Fukushima reactors, resulting in complete meltdowns.


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  • California Dreaming
    June 1, 2011 at 11:53 pm

    Would any of you know when the summer monsoons hit SE Asia, will Singapore and Hong Kong be affected by the fallout (assuming rate of emission remains the same from Fukushima)? I have friends who are expats living in Singapore and HK, and I thought they are better off where they are (closer to the equator) than where I am in California given the direction of the jet stream. I was thinking of taking my baby and staying with them in the summer. Is this a good idea?


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  • California Dreaming
    June 1, 2011 at 11:59 pm

    Are there any French speaking folks in ENE who can ask the French group CRIIRAD to test produce and soil sample in US East Coast? Besides UC Berkeley testing in CA, is there any testing done for NY, MA, DC or FL now that EPA has gone silent?? It would be nice to know where I can take my baby within the US, but I don’t have enough data to make that decision. I remember reading a ENE article that said cesium level was nearly the same in East Coast as in CA. Anyone living in East Coast aware of testing results?


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  • xdrfox
    June 2, 2011 at 12:06 am

    Japan is too far north for monsoons, but the monsoons were in Veitnam !
    You didn’t dry out before sweating your self wet again ! Hard hard rains, could set your whatch to them everyday !

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_monsoon_climate

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon


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  • California Dreaming
    June 2, 2011 at 12:21 am

    Hi xdrfox – would you know the answer if my baby and I are better off in CA or in HK/Singapore? Can’t really tell from your last reply. I just know that it rains cats and dogs in Asia from HK down to Thailand through the summer. Would the rain contain nearly the same radioactive content in Asia as the rain in CA?


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    • xdrfox
      June 2, 2011 at 12:49 am

      California Dreaming
      HK/ they found radioactive fish 1,890 km from Japan in waters off Hong Kong, Singapore is just a drop down from there !
      It will be everywhere soon enough, but South America and other southern hemisphere lands are the best bet, the further south the better.
      If it keep out putting, we all will just need to bite the bullet where ever we are !
      You have a child.. right !


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  • California Dreaming
    June 2, 2011 at 1:20 am

    xdrfox — Thanks for replying! Yes — I have a child who loves stomping in rain puddles. All things being equal, I agree the further south esp Atlantic side of S America is better. But I don’t speak Spanish, don’t think I can find a job in S America, for that matter, get a work permit in AUS or NZ. Re HK and Singapore, I’m not getting enough information on LOCAL food contamination from rain/air (other than that one fish). I’d hope that because they aren’t on the path of the jet stream, they aren’t getting as much radiation as CA. Agree we are all in deep shit if it continues to spew, but in CA it feels like we are in W Europe after Chernobyl — it keeps raining and raining long after our normal rain season which usually ends in April.


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  • Bread+Butter
    June 2, 2011 at 1:34 am

    California Dreaming, betöre moving to Australia, I recommend watching the Movie “uranium-is it a country?”. Focuses on the Kranium mining in Australia and is Wörth seeing. check on youtube!


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  • Bread+Butter
    June 2, 2011 at 1:45 am

    By the way, you can contact the CRIIRAD team in English. Maybe Greenpeace US As well?
    Greetings


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