Japan to Map Atmospheric Contaminants From Nuclear Plant
Japan on Tuesday resolved to map atmospheric radioactive material concentrations in 22 prefectures spanning its entire eastern region in a bid to more accurately identify localized areas with unusually high quantities of contaminants from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the Asahi Shimbun reported on Thursday (see GSN, Aug. 3).Authorities have battled to prevent radioactive contaminants from escaping the six-reactor facility following a March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 20,000 people dead or missing in Japan. Radiation releases on a level not seen since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster have already forced the evacuation of about 80,000 residents from a 12-mile ring around the facility.
Under a "comprehensive monitoring plan" approved on Tuesday, Japan is set later this month to begin publishing online diagrams showing precise radioactive material dispersal levels inside "emergency evacuation preparation zones" that are close to the facility but beyond the exclusion zone. The measurements will inform policies on those areas and on permitting re-entry by evacuees (Hisae Sato, Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 4).
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