Perilous
Times
High levels of Nuclear contamination found beyond Japan
no-go zone
by Staff Writers
Tokyo (AFP) Oct 5, 2011
High levels of radioactive contamination have been found in soil
in the capital of Japan's Fukushima prefecture, a study showed
Wednesday, prompting calls to make the area a voluntary evacuation
zone.
Some 307,000 becquerels of caesium per kilogramme (2.2 pounds) of
soil was detected in an independent survey conducted on September
14 by a radiological engineering expert and citizens' groups.
The Japanese government's legal limit is 10,000 becquerels per
kilogramme.
The contamination is believed to have been caused by radiation
that has leaked from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which
was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The development comes days after Japan lifted evacuation
advisories for five areas between 20-30 kilometres from the
nuclear plant and as it looks to convince tens of thousands of
people that it is safe to return home.
The groups tested soil samples from several areas near central
Fukushima some 60 kilometres (35 miles) away from the plant.
"We are urging the central and local governments to have children
and expecting mothers evacuated from the areas," said Takeshi
Sakagami, a member of Citizens Against Fukushima Aging Nuclear
Power Plants.
Sakagami said his group was calling on authorities to at least
designate the area as a non-mandatory evacuation zone due to the
level of contamination.
A 9.0-magnitude quake on March 11 triggered a monster tsunami that
left 20,000 dead or missing and crippled cooling systems at the
Fukushima plant, northeast of Tokyo, causing reactor meltdowns.
Radiation leaks forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of
people from a 20-kilometre radius around the troubled plant, and
in some pockets beyond.
On Friday the government said it would lift five "evacuation
preparation" zones between 20 and 30 kilometres from the plant,
where residents were not forced to evacuate but were told to be
ready to do so in the event of further setbacks at the crippled
plant.
Public confidence in the safety of Japan's nuclear plants has
plummeted in the wake of the disaster, with only 10 of the
nation's 54 reactors currently online.
Reactors will be required to undergo stress-testing and need the
approval of local authorities before restarting.
On Tuesday a nuclear reactor in southwestern Japan was
automatically shut down due to a problem with its cooling system,
but operator Kyushu Electric said no abnormalities had been
detected.