Highly toxic plutonium detected in soil 45 km away from
Fukushima nuclear complex
Fukushima Power Plant
EMF Protection Devices
Magnetic Field Detector
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology announced on Sept. 30 that it had detected
highly-toxic plutonium apparently from the crippled
Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power plant in soil at six locations
including Iitate village in Fukushima Prefecture.
It is the first discovery of the highly-toxic radioactive
substance outside the nuclear plant since the outbreak of
the disaster in mid-March. The ministry also said
radioactive strontium was detected in a wide swath of
Fukushima Prefecture within a radius of 80 kilometers from
the troubled nuclear power plant, underscoring the fact that
the nuclear crisis has been affecting wide areas.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20111001p2a00m0na013000c.html
The ministry conducted inspections on soil at 100 locations
within a radius of 80 kilometers from the crippled nuclear
power plant in June and July. Plutonium-238, believed to
have come from the crippled nuclear plant, was detected in
six locations including Iitate, Futaba and Namie.
Plutonium-239 and -240 were also detected in many locations,
but the ministry said it was not clear whether they were
directly linked to the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
According to the ministry, the levels of radiation in the
plutonium detected fall below the levels of radiation in
plutonium believed to have come from atmospheric nuclear
tests conducted in the past. But because very little
plutonium-238 had been detected before the outbreak of the
nuclear crisis, the ministry concluded that it had come from
the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Namie registered the highest density of plutonium-238 with 4
becquerels per one square meter of soil. The combined
density of 15 becquerels of plutonium-239 and -240 was
detected in one square meter of soil in Minamisoma, while
0.82 becquerels of plutonium-238 was detected in one square
meter of soil in Iitate. The ministry said, "The radiation
levels of the plutonium are not high enough to affect human
bodies." The half life of plutonium-238 is 88 years. Tokyo
Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) had previously explained that
plutonium is heavier than radioactive cesium and therefore
it is difficult for the radioactive substance to travel to
distant places.
Meanwhile, the ministry said it had detected radioactive
strontium-89 in nearly half of the locations inspected,
including Shirakawa, about 79 kilometers from the nuclear
plant. Because the half life of strontium-89 is only about
50 days, the ministry concluded that all the findings of the
radioactive substance were linked to the Fukushima nuclear
power plant. Namie registered the highest level of
radiation, with 22,000 becquerels per one square meter of
soil. Noting differences in distribution between the
plutonium and radioactive cesium from the Fukushima nuclear
power plant, the ministry plans to carry out more
inspections because strontium can easily builds up in bones.
Junichi Matsumoto, a senior TEPCO official, said at a news
conference on Sept. 30, "It is important to check what kinds
of radioactive substances are in the areas in order to
ensure evacuees can return home. We would like to consult
with the government and consider sampling methods."
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