Asia-Pacific News
Study shows nuclear crisis may have polluted wider areas of Japan
Nov 15, 2011, 6:09 GMT
Tokyo - Radioactivity from a damaged nuclear plant may have contaminated wider areas of Japan than previously thought, a study by a team of researchers showed Tuesday.
Radioisotopes of elements including caesium, tellurium and iodine were blown more than 500 kilometres from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, including to the northern island of Hokkaido and western parts of the country, the team said.
The plant suffered meltdowns at three reactors after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. A series of blasts and fires led to the release of large amounts of radioactive material into the environment.
The researchers simulated the spread while combining global atmospheric patterns with nationwide radioactive measurements taken over one month from March 20, public broadcaster NHK said.
Nagoya University professor Tetsuzo Yasunari said the simulation suggested caesium had dispersed across a wide area, and he called for a nationwide testing of soil, and warnings of hot spots where radiation levels are high, NHK reported.
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