New Cesium Maps Released by Japan
The most detailed government maps yet of cesium concentrations and radiation levels stemming from the crisis-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant are now available online.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology site (link below) went live on Oct. 18 with both web-based and PDF versions of the maps, providing not only information by municipality as had been the case previously, but measurements by district.
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1100/2011/11/1100_102001.pdf
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/monitoring_by_prefecture_environmenta...
Decontamination Reality
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Facing the reality of radioactive decontamination
English: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20111017p2a00m0na004000c.html
Japanese: http://mainichi.jp/select/seiji/fuchisou/news/20111017ddm002070110000c.html
Shinzo Kimura, an associate professor in radiation hygiene at Dokkyo Medical University, originally worked as a researcher at a corporation under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, but the organization restrained him from conducting a survey in Fukushima right after the outbreak of the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant catastrophe, so he immediately quit.
After the outbreak of the nuclear crisis triggered by the March 11 quake and tsunami, a thick radioactive cloud hung over the Japanese archipelago. He entered the affected area on March 15, just four days after the March 11 quake and tsunami, and created a radiation contamination map based on his surveys.
"To decontaminate homes in hot areas (areas with localized high radiation levels), a space within a 100-meter radius of each home must also be decontaminated; otherwise radiation will not fall back down to 0.1 microsievert per hour (the level occurring naturally in the environment). Seeking such answers, Kimura is now in the Narodychi district of the Zhytomyr Oblast province of Ukraine, conducting his 15th survey on contamination from the Chernobyl disaster.
Nevertheless, the fundamental concept that excessive exposure to radiation harms people's genes and could threaten preservation of the species remains unchanged. Restraining internal exposure to radiation from contaminated food remains an issue.
(By Takao Yamada, Expert Senior Writer)
(Mainichi Japan) October 17, 2011
Chiba is HOT!
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Proceed with caution when taking a leisurely stroll in the park …
English: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/news/20111022p2a00m0na027000c.html
Japanese: http://mainichi.jp/select/today/news/20111022k0000m040072000c.html
KASHIWA, Chiba -- Officials here announced Oct. 21 the city government has discovered a hot spot emitting extremely high radiation of 57.5 microsieverts per hour on a plot of public land in the city's Nedokoyadai residential district.
A resident strolling in the area carrying a dosimeter found the hot spot and notified the city on Oct. 18. City officials checked it with a Geiger counter capable of measuring up to only 10 microsieverts. Chiba Prefecture's environment foundation took its own measurements and recorded the startling 57.5 microsieverts per hour. On Oct. 21, the city sealed off roads around the hot spot, banned entry within 3 meters and covered the hot spot with sandbags and blue tarps. The city will work with the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry to conduct a full-scale check on Oct. 24.
Mainichi Japan October 22, 2011
… Note …
http://www.distance-calculator.co.uk/world-distances-chiba-to-fukushima.htm
Approximate distance as the crow flies in miles from Chiba Japan to Fukushima Japan is 137 miles or 220.43 Kilometers.
Tokyo is HOT!
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Japanese Environmental associations detect high radiation in Tokyo
English: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20111019p2a00m0na015000c.html
Japanese: http://mainichi.jp/area/tokyo/archive/news/2011/10/19/20111019ddlk130402...
The Katsushika Aozora no Kai, and the Katsushika branch of the Tokyo Kogai Kanja to Kazoku no Kai, made requests for testing and decontamination efforts after conducting their own radiation tests at 314 locations.
Katsushika Ward --- 5.47 microsieverts per hour
Edogawa Ward ----- 6.7 microsieverts per hour in
Adachi Ward ------- 3.62 microsieverts per hour in
Both associations took their measurements below gutters, where it is easy for radioactive materials to collect, using simple radiation measurement devices. At 65 locations, they found the radiation level one to two centimeters above the ground was 1 microsievert per hour or greater, and at least 5 microsieverts per hour in two of those locations. "This is a level that has not been detected before so we're surprised," a Katsushika ward official commented.
(Mainichi Japan) October 19, 2011
About Time
Finally, Japan is posting SOME data ...
I wonder if the data is accurate or is another example of 'data diddling'?
We shall see, soon enough.
All these maps were released
All these maps were released during the last months. The first one was done in collaboration with the DOE and released in May. Now they are just combining them all on this new site.
Some of them are translated here: http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/monitoring_around_FukushimaNPP_MEXT_D...
Soil Cesium Concentrations
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Map of Radioactive Cesium Concentration in Soil
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1270/2011/08/1270_083014-2.pdf
Corrections to the Readings of Airborne Monitoring Surveys
(Soil Concentration Map) based on the Prepared Distribution Map of Radiation Doses, etc.
(Map of Radioactive Cesium Concentration in Soil) by MEXT(August 30, 2011)?PDF:2750KB?
Hot Earth
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Hot Earth
It is noted that the Cesium-134 concentration in the Red Zone exceeds 3,000 Bq/M?2 and that the Cesium-137 similarly exceeds the red maximum value.
Thus the cumulative value, in much of the red area exceeds 6,000 Bq/M?.
It is also noted that the inner radius, near the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant Campus is 'hatch-marked' rather than red, and indicated to be incomplete. Presumably that can be interpreted to be quite hot earth.
It would be appropriate at some point to provide public access to composite maps of the seabed radionuclide concentrations as well as the soil radionuclide concentrations.
Data Dump
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The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster data log-jam is beginning to break-up.
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/monitoring_around_FukushimaNPP_MEXT_D...
MEXT and DOE Airborne Monitoring
Results of Airborne Monitoring Survey by MEXT in the Western Part of Fukushima Prefecture(September 12, 2011)?PDF:5860KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1270/2011/09/1270_0912_2.pdf
Results of Airborne Monitoring Survey by MEXT and Yamagata Prefecture(September 8, 2011)?PDF:3191KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1270/2011/09/1270_0908.pdf
Corrections of the Results of Airborne Monitoring Survey by MEXT and Ibaraki Prefecture(August 31, 2011)?PDF:3427KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1270/2011/08/1270_083114.pdf
Results of Airborne Monitoring Survey by MEXT and Ibaraki Prefecture(August 30, 2011)?PDF:2253KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1270/2011/08/1270_083014.pdf
Corrections to the Readings of Airborne Monitoring Surveys (Soil Concentration Map) based on the Prepared Distribution Map of Radiation Doses, etc. (Map of Radioactive Cesium Concentration in Soil) by MEXT(August 30, 2011)?PDF:2750KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1270/2011/08/1270_083014-2.pdf
Results of Airborne Monitoring by MEXT and Tochigi Prefecture(July 27,2011)?PDF:1635KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1270/2011/07/1270_0727.pdf
Results of aircraft monitoring by MEXT and Miyagi Prefecture(July 22, 2011)?PDF:925KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/5000/2011/07/1304797_0722.pdf
Results of Airborne Monitoring Survey by MEXT and Miyagi Prefecture(July 20, 2011)?PDF:1350KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1270/2011/07/1270_072018.pdf
Results of the Third Airborne Monitoring Survey by MEXT(July 8, 2011)?PDF:612KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1840/2011/07/1304797_0708e.pdf
Results of the 2nd Airborne Monitoring by the MEXT and the U.S. Department of Energy(June 16, 2011)?PDF:460KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1270/2011/06/1304797_0616e.pdf
Results of Airborne Monitoring by the MEXT and the U.S. Department of Energy(May 6, 2011)?PDF:1635KB?
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/1280/2011/05/1304797_0506.pdf
Reference
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Contacts
Emergency Operation Center Horita, Oku Tel : 03-5253-4111 Ex.4604, 4605
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) 3-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8959, Japan Tel : +81-(0)3-5253-4111(Reception)
Map
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Excellent
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