Perilous
Times
High levels of Plutonium 'detected outside Fukushima plant'
AFP
High levels of plutonium has been detected in soil outside Japan's
troubled Fukushima nuclear power plant which was crippled by the
March 11 quake-tsunami disaster, the government said Friday.
It was the first time plutonium had been found in government tests
outside the plant, presumably due to the nuclear accident, the
worst since 1986 Chernobyl, the education and science ministry
said in a statement.
Plutonium was detected in soil at six places in a survey which was
conducted in June in an area within 80 kilometres (50 miles) from
the Fukushima Daiichi plant, the ministry said.
Nuclear reactors at the plant suffered meltdowns after cooling
systems there were knocked out by the double disasters. Plutonium
has been already detected in the plant's compound, some 220
kilometres from Tokyo.
The highest density of plutonium-239 and 240 -- 4.0 becquerels per
square metre -- was registered in a town some 30 kilometres from
the plant, the ministry said.
In a village 45 kilometres away, the reading was 0.82 becquerels
per square metre.
Plutonim has previously been detected in Japan following
atmospheric nuclear tests, the ministry said.
The average density of plutonium, which was detected in soil
samples between 1999 and 2008 in Japan, was 0.498 becquerels, the
ministry said. The highest reading before the Fukushima accident
was 8.0 becquerels.
"The plutonium density, which was detected this time, was within
the range of past readings. So the dose of radiation is deemed
very small," the ministry said.
Plutonium is formed from uranium in nuclear reactors and generally
stays in the body for decades, exposing organs and tissues to
radiation and increasing the risk of cancer, experts say.