The NRA proposes new safety guidelines

Nuclear disaster guidelines to be expanded

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20121003_25.html

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has called for expanding evacuation areas in case of nuclear disasters. It's also considering distribution of iodine tablets to people near nuclear power plants.

The agency on Wednesday presented a draft of revised guidelines for dealing with nuclear disasters.

It calls for expanding evacuation areas around nuclear plants from the current 10 kilometers to 30.

The number of municipalities covered by the guidelines is to increase from the current 45 in 15 prefectures to 135 in 21 prefectures. The municipalities are to reestablish by March 2013 their plans for handling nuclear disasters.

The plan calls for consideration of instructing people to stay home during nuclear disasters, and distributing iodine tablets to people within 50 kilometers of nuclear plants to protect them from radioactive plumes that could cause thyroid damage.

Since iodine tablets can have side effects, it would be necessary to explain their risks before distribution and to decide how to compensate for such effects.

The authority also calls for increasing the maximum distance between nuclear power plants and offsite emergency response centers from the current 20 kilometers to 30.

The agency also proposes prohibiting centers from being located within 5 kilometers of plants and establishing alternative facilities outside of the 30-kilometer area.

Crisis centers to be moved farther from reactors

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20121003_18.html

A Japanese government agency has proposed new guidelines for dealing with nuclear disasters, including locating emergency response centers farther away nuclear power plants.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority presented a draft of the guidelines on Wednesday.

The plan calls for increasing the distance between nuclear power plants and off-site emergency response centers to a 30-kilometer radius from the current 20 kilometers. It also proposes prohibiting centers from being located within 5 kilometers of a plant.

The decision came after the emergency response center serving the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant lost almost all functions during the disaster in March last year.
The Fukushima center, located about 5 kilometers from the plant, was exposed to radiation.

Five of the 16 off-site emergency response centers around Japan are located within 5 kilometers of a nuclear plant.

The guidelines also propose expanding evacuation areas around nuclear plants to a 30-kilometer radius from the current 10 kilometers.

The plan also calls for distributing iodine tablets to people within 50 kilometers of a nuclear plant as a safeguard against the spread of radioactivity.It also proposes instructing them to stay at home.

The new guidelines will be finalized by the end of the month