ID :
170873
Fri, 03/25/2011 - 19:30
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https://oananews.org//node/170873
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Radiation levels in Tokyo tap water return to normal range
TOKYO, March 26 Kyodo - Radiation levels in tap water at a Tokyo water purification plant declined further Friday, remaining within the normal range for consumption, the Tokyo metropolitan government said.
The local government's Bureau of Waterworks detected 51 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram of water sampled Friday morning at the Kanamachi water purification plant in the capital's Katsushika Ward.
The figure was below the central government's limits of 100 becquerels for safe consumption by infants and 300 becquerels for adults, the local government said.
At the Kanamachi plant, the waterworks bureau detected 210 becquerels Tuesday and 190 becquerels Wednesday, leading the metropolitan government to issue an advisory on Wednesday for people in Tokyo's 23 wards and five of its suburban cities -- Musashino, Mitaka, Machida, Tama and Inagi -- not to let infants drink tap water.
The metropolitan government lifted the advisory Thursday following a decline in radiation levels to 79 becquerels.
The rise in the radiation levels in Tokyo's tap water was apparently linked to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station that was damaged by the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The nuclear power plant run by Tokyo Electric Power Co. is located around 220 kilometers northeast of central Tokyo.
On Thursday, water with radiation levels considered to be unsafe for infants was found at several purification plants in Ibaraki Prefecture, and Matsudo and Nagareyama in Chiba Prefecture.
More reports of tap-water contamination followed Friday at purification plants in Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures.
The Ibaraki prefectural government said it had detected 106 becquerels of radioactive iodine in water sampled Thursday in Toride, while the Chiba government revealed that 110 becquerels of the same substance was recorded in Nagareyama.
As for farm products, Chiba said it had detected radiation levels above safety limits under the Food Sanitation Law in six types of vegetables, including parsley, spinach and celery. The spinach involved had 3,500 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram.
The Tochigi prefectural government reported a discovery of 4,340 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kg in ''shungiku'' garland chrysanthemum -- a vegetable served in ''sukiyaki'' hot pot -- from the city of Sakura and 2,080 becquerels in the vegetable from Mooka against the limit of 2,000 becquerels.
The Tochigi government asked shungiku farmers to refrain from shipping their produce and will recall the vegetable from the Tokyo metropolitan area and other districts to which it has been already shipped.
Radiation levels in Japan's east and northeast have mostly declined.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said the maximum radiation levels in Yamanashi and Yamagata prefectures detected in the 24 hours from 5 p.m. Thursday fell to 0.047 and 0.082 microsieverts per hour, respectively. The readings were down from 0.065 in Yamanashi and 0.085 in Yamagata.
In Tokyo, the level dropped to 0.135 from 0.148 microsieverts per hour.
But the Fukushima and Miyagi prefectural governments said they detected radiation as high as 5.02 microsieverts per hour at 10 p.m. Thursday in Fukushima and 0.18 in Sendai around 9:30 a.m. Friday.
The local government's Bureau of Waterworks detected 51 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram of water sampled Friday morning at the Kanamachi water purification plant in the capital's Katsushika Ward.
The figure was below the central government's limits of 100 becquerels for safe consumption by infants and 300 becquerels for adults, the local government said.
At the Kanamachi plant, the waterworks bureau detected 210 becquerels Tuesday and 190 becquerels Wednesday, leading the metropolitan government to issue an advisory on Wednesday for people in Tokyo's 23 wards and five of its suburban cities -- Musashino, Mitaka, Machida, Tama and Inagi -- not to let infants drink tap water.
The metropolitan government lifted the advisory Thursday following a decline in radiation levels to 79 becquerels.
The rise in the radiation levels in Tokyo's tap water was apparently linked to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station that was damaged by the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The nuclear power plant run by Tokyo Electric Power Co. is located around 220 kilometers northeast of central Tokyo.
On Thursday, water with radiation levels considered to be unsafe for infants was found at several purification plants in Ibaraki Prefecture, and Matsudo and Nagareyama in Chiba Prefecture.
More reports of tap-water contamination followed Friday at purification plants in Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures.
The Ibaraki prefectural government said it had detected 106 becquerels of radioactive iodine in water sampled Thursday in Toride, while the Chiba government revealed that 110 becquerels of the same substance was recorded in Nagareyama.
As for farm products, Chiba said it had detected radiation levels above safety limits under the Food Sanitation Law in six types of vegetables, including parsley, spinach and celery. The spinach involved had 3,500 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram.
The Tochigi prefectural government reported a discovery of 4,340 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kg in ''shungiku'' garland chrysanthemum -- a vegetable served in ''sukiyaki'' hot pot -- from the city of Sakura and 2,080 becquerels in the vegetable from Mooka against the limit of 2,000 becquerels.
The Tochigi government asked shungiku farmers to refrain from shipping their produce and will recall the vegetable from the Tokyo metropolitan area and other districts to which it has been already shipped.
Radiation levels in Japan's east and northeast have mostly declined.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said the maximum radiation levels in Yamanashi and Yamagata prefectures detected in the 24 hours from 5 p.m. Thursday fell to 0.047 and 0.082 microsieverts per hour, respectively. The readings were down from 0.065 in Yamanashi and 0.085 in Yamagata.
In Tokyo, the level dropped to 0.135 from 0.148 microsieverts per hour.
But the Fukushima and Miyagi prefectural governments said they detected radiation as high as 5.02 microsieverts per hour at 10 p.m. Thursday in Fukushima and 0.18 in Sendai around 9:30 a.m. Friday.
