Radiology experts find up to 45 microsieverts/hour near school zone — 90 times higher than Chernobyl

[Generic Other]

The government should consider evacuating children and pregnant women from a wider area around the Fukushima No. 1 power plant because radiation levels remain high even outside the 20-km no-go zone, Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International, said Thursday in Tokyo.

Naidoo’s team of radiology experts found hot spots that had a maximum hourly reading of 45 microsieverts of radiation alongside a school zone. <...>

Jan Beranek, an expert on radiology from Greenpeace International who joined Naidoo’s trip to Fukushima, recommended that the government widen the evacuation zone to at least 60 or 70 km from the power plant.

He said there were parks and public spaces where the level of radiation activity hit 9 microsieverts per hour.

Even some nursery schools that have already undergone a decontamination process had a relatively high reading of 0.5 microsievert per hour, he said. That would translate into an annual exposure of 5 millisieverts, which was the evacuation threshold for Chernobyl, Beranek said. <...>

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110610a6.html

[AtomicKitten]

1. In a related story --

"Mutant" Earless Bunny

http://www.salon.com/news/japan_earthquake/?story=/news/feature/2011/06/09/earless_fukushima_bunny

[theophilus]

2. It certainly looks to be a CUTANT! Does it have any other "differences"? n/t

[AtomicKitten]

5. Vincent says no. LOL.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/455093-heard-about-the-earless-bunny

[Generic Other]

3. Not related -- the bunny is a hoax -- the fallout is real

Yikes. I like bunnies with ears. That one is sad looking.

[AtomicKitten]

11. video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw2R7y65nFg

:rofl:

[TheWraith]

4. 45 microsieverts is not a "high" reading.

That's slightly more than the 40 microsieverts you get on an airplane ride from NY to LA. Doses of that size have also been repeatedly proven to be harmless.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. "an annual exposure of 5 millisieverts, which was the evacuation threshold for Chernobyl"

is the point of the story.

[peace4ever]

9. It's insane to compare that to a plane ride

But I'm sure that won't stop you.

[wtbymark]

12. of what X rays?

I doubt many people are exposed to hot alpha and beta particles while flying in a plane, yup sure, plenty of Strontium up there, cesium floating around in the cabin area right?

please dont be an apologist for a failed experiement

[NNN0LHI]

19. Plane ride, eh?

I don't know how you folks can sleep at night.

Seriously.

Don

[ClarkUSA]

6. Are these facts known to the Japanese populace? I have heard of the protests parents have staged.

I know people who are very reluctantly traveling to Japan on business. They are carrying their own packaged food items with them for snacking and eating only imported food and drinks during the inevitable wining and dining. Their families are not happy they have to go at all.

[wtbymark]

8. Hey, It's great that they're killing a part of their population to "save face"

reported today- high levels of Strontium 90 found in E.Tokyo (over 160km away)in sludge that they are incinerating. Just show the residents within 50 miles the pictures of the kids from Pripyat. And remember that Pripyat was evacuated 48hrs after Chernoble.

In the end (IMO) The exclusion zone will be twice the size of Chernoble's, the thousands of deaths from cancer will be glossed over and covered up, and the gov't will say they have decontaminated the area in 10 years (which is a lie). Thats the best case scenario if they "buttoned" it all up today. If the 3 cores (or just one) meltsthrough to the water table....well, nothing will be able to live on that Island (Honshu?) for thousands of years.

[Octafish]

10. Going by those readings, I wouldn't let my kids go to school there.

This story has been ignored by America's press corpse for a reason: We need the nukes -- meaning our corporate masters need to make big bucks off Big Science.

Thank you for the heads-up, Generic Other. Unlike Corporate McPravda, you're doing the First Amendment proud.

[Generic Other]

15. I have self-serving reasons

My family home -- 15 generations-- 100 km from fukushima. 7 Up, 8 Down as the Japanese would say. Time to invoke the Daruma, a talisman of good luck. He is round and can roll with the punches. 7 up, 8 down. Only one eye is filled in. The other stays blank until we get our wish.

[Octafish]

18. My wife has visited Nippon...her best friend lived in Hiroshima for several years...

...So, I've heard wonderful stories of an amazing place and great people.

My main contact with the people of Japan was professional, a delegation of educators from the Sister Cities program came to the town where I was a newspaper reporter. They treated me as a VIP, giving me several wonderful gifts that I treasure. I'll never forget them.

The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters have made me fear for the people of Honshu and all of Japan and the world at large. I pray we learn from them and build a better future. In the meantime, we must do all we can who are here.

Those new to the region may enjoy the National Geographic feature on Basho and his trip journey through northern Honshu:

On the Poet's Trail

PS: Good luck and strength to you and yours, in this and future generations, Generic Other.

[godai]

13. Where does "90 times higher" come from? n/t

[Generic Other]

14. quoted here?

"high reading of acceptible level 0.5 microsievert per hour vs. high reading currently being measured at parks and public spaces where the level of radiation activity hit 9 microsieverts per hour."

So by my math, that would seem slightly higher than 90?

[godai]

16. Thanks...This is a little misleading, since it's microsieverts. It's about 20x

Nothing to sneeze at but apparently this was a relatively low level of radiation used for evacuation at Chernobyl, and it's the highest levels seen in a few samples away from Fukushima.

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. not good