Japan: Yokohama finds high strontium-90 levels(some 160miles away from Fukushima)

Japan Times ^ | 10/12/11

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Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011

Yokohama finds high strontium-90 levels

Kyodo

YOKOHAMA — Radioactive strontium exceeding normal levels has been detected in sediment from atop an apartment building in Yokohama, some 250 km from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, city officials said Wednesday.

While the discovery of 195 becquerels of strontium-90 in the rooftop sediment fueled concerns that leaked radiation may have spread farther than the central government expected, the officials said the city is carefully examining where the isotope came from.

If the substance is from the Fukushima plant, it will be the first time strontium at a concentration of more than 100 becquerels per kilogram has been found beyond 100 km from the troubled plant.

The strontium-90 was detected by a private agency that conducted the test at the request of a resident.

"Radioactive substances tend to accumulate in sediment and so we still don't know whether the substance found in this test came from the nuclear accident," said an official of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Strontium-90, with a half-life of 29 years, had been detected at concentrations roughly between 10 and 20 becquerels at various places across Japan prior to the nuclear crisis.

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P!

[cll]

I was there two weeks ago and I feel fine.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Strontium-90 is not a nerve gas. Its effect is not immediate. If you stay around, this thing will accumulate in your body(in this case your bones,) and in time can create serious(potentially deadly) health problem. Especially if you are a child growing up.

Good thing that you went in and out of the place quickly. Anyhow, this is an indicator of how widespread the contamination can be. There are pockets of area way outside Fukushim Prefecture, let alone Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, where people should be seriously concerned with radiation contamination.

[cll]

I was being silly. I only spent a day in Yokohama. BTW, this was my first trip ever to Japan and I loved it. The Mrs. and I went all over Honshu by train, Shinkansen, bus, tram, etc. Visited Kyoto for two days, Hiroshima/Miyayima for three, and downtown Tokyo at the New Sanno for a weekend. The rest of the time we were based near Sagamihara. What a wonderful place and such elegant, polite and nice people who inhabit it. I already want to go back.

Thank you for your news and insight on Japan.

[justa-hairyape]

High levels of Strontium-90 in Yokohama City now confirmed by city government. Uh. Oh. Might stir up the natives a bit.

Just In: Yokohama City Just Confirmed Strontium-90 Existence in Rooftop Sediment

[TigerLikesRooster]

Well, in this case, I doubt Strontium-90 has come out of bottles, unlike the case in Setagaya Ward.:-) The case of Funabashi District is not still resolved. No bottles they can trace to yet.