information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
24 Avril 2015
April 24, 2015
Kyodo, JIJI, AFP-JIJI
An unusually high level of radiation has been detected at a park in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro area, the Toshima Ward Office said Thursday, prompting speculation that hazardous material has been buried there.
The ward office has banned entry to the municipal park, which is right next to Tobu Railway Co.’s Shimoitabashi Station in the Ikebukuro-honcho district and surrounded by residences.
The name of the park is Ikebukuro Honcho Densha no Mieru Koen.
On Thursday afternoon, a radiation level of up to 480 microsieverts per hour was recorded at a spot on the ground near playground equipment, the municipality said.
That is nearly half the permitted annual dose of 1 millisievert and far in excess of the ward’s decontamination standard of 0.23 microsievert.
“Because the area in which we detect radioactivity is very limited, and readings in the surrounding areas are normal, we suspect radioactive materials of some kind are buried there,” Toshima Mayor Yukio Takano said in a statement.
The ward has fenced off the playground equipment and plans to identify the buried material, remove it and decontaminate the polluted area.
A public health center in the ward was expected to offer health consultations starting Friday to those who request them.
A 62-year-old woman who lives nearby said Thursday she is very worried to learn that a hot spot has been confirmed next to her house.
“Many children play in the park daily, so the ward office should explain the situation,” she said, adding that she had heard nothing so far.
Following a report from a resident on Monday, Toshima Ward officials probed the park Wednesday and detected 2.53 microsieverts per hour radiating from an area with playground equipment.
Based on advice from the Nuclear Regulation Authority, the ward surveyed the area again on Thursday and detected 480 microsieverts.
The park, managed by the ward, opened in March 2013. Before then, the site had been used as a parking space for garbage collection vehicles from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The top soil at the lot was replaced before it was turned into a park, a Toshima Ward official said.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201504240055
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
Abnormally high levels of radiation were detected near playground equipment in a park in central Tokyo, but they should not pose a health risk to visitors, a nuclear safety official said.
A radiation dose of 480 microsieverts per hour was recorded in Ikebukuro Honcho Densha no Mieru Koen park in a residential area near Tobu Railway Co.’s Shimo-Itabashi Station on April 23, according to a Toshima Ward official.
Officials suspect radioactive material was buried at the location.
At 480 microsieverts per hour, an individual would have to be exposed for about 40 hours to exceed the government’s threshold for evacuation. The threshold was set at 20 millisieverts per year after the Fukushima nuclear disaster started in 2011.
“The area with elevated levels of radiation is limited, and people do not usually stay there for an extended period of time, so the radiation dose will not have an adverse effect on the health of visitors to the park,” said a Nuclear Regulation Authority Secretariat official who joined the investigation.
The area with the highest level of radiation was detected on the ground surface near playground equipment.
A few meters away near the end of a playground slide, the radiation level declined to 0.07 microsievert per hour, the ward official said.
Toshima Ward officials have fenced off the area around the playground and have temporarily closed the park.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150424_35.html
Apr. 24, 2015 - Updated 10:12 UTC+2
A high level of radiation has been detected at a small park in downtown Tokyo.
Up to 480 microsieverts per hour were recorded on the ground near playground equipment at the park in Toshima Ward on Thursday afternoon.
The ward has closed the park for round-the-clock surveillance.
A mother in her 30s who often visits the park with her child said she's surprised and worried about possible health effects.
A public healthcare center in the ward has begun offering health consultations. Some people have asked for thorough information on the radiation level.
A senior official at the center said the area of high radiation is extremely limited, and that she believes playing in the park will not lead to serious health problems.
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