Radioactive Cesium in Urine from Children in Miyagi, Iwate, Chiba

France's ACRO (Association pour le Contrôle de la Radioactivité de l'Ouest) released the result of the urine tests of children in Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Saitama Prefectures.

While the radioactive cesium levels in children in Tokyo, Kanagawa and Saitama were below detection levels, children in Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Chiba (Kashiwa City) were found with radioactive cesium in their urine.

Most troubling were the results for children outside Fukushima with rather high levels of radioactive cesium. ACRO suspects (I think correctly) that they may come from ingesting contaminated food.

• 8-year-old boy in Kakuda City, Miyagi: 3.12 becquerels/kg

• 11-year-old boy in Marumori-cho, Miyagi: 3.03 becquerels/kg

• 10-year-old boy in Oshu City, Iwate: 2.89 becquerels/kg

• 4-year-old girl in Kashiwa City, Chiba: 1.47 becquerels/kg

Even in the Aizu region of Fukushima (western third) where the radiation contamination is far less than the rest of Fukushima, a 36-year-old woman was found with 1.84 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium in her urine.

From ACRO's announcement in February 2012:

ACRO continues to face a large demand for urine testing from Japan at the request of local NGOs or individuals and to provide free analysis. This time, the urines come from prefectures that further from the Fukushima NPP.

Results show that urines are still contaminated almost one year after 3/11 and are contaminated in places located as far as Oshu (Iwate Pref.) at about 220 km from the NPP. In Miyagi Pref. that is closer, urines are also contaminated. It is particularly the case in Marumori.

Sample n°11 comes from the same girl from Ichinoseki as the last time. We notice a significant decrease of the contamination. Parents were eating vegetables from the Grandparents’ garden without expecting that they could be contaminated. The urine test provided by ACRO allowed them to change their food habits and protect themselves.

Marumori-cho is located in southern Miyagi. 1600 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was just found in shiitake mushrooms in Marumori-cho.

The 4-year-old girl in Ichinoseki City in Iwate Prefecture had been found with 4.64 becquerels/kg of cesium in the urine test done by ACRO in September 2011.

Contaminated food could come from home-grown vegetables, or from school lunches in which local produce is used. As far as schools are concerned, it's "safe" as long as the food items are sold in the market, or the food items test below the government safety limit (500 becquerels/kg for radioactive cesium, until April 1, 2012; then 100 becquerels/kg).

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France's ACRO Finds Radioactive Cesium in Vacuum Cleaner Filters in Fukushima, Iwate

The highest is Watari District in Fukushima City, close to 20,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium. Kashiwa City in Chiba and Ichinoseki City in Iwate, about 200 kilometers south and north of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant respectively, also tested rather high, with close to 6,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium.

ACRO used Osaka as control.

No mention of whether other nuclides were tested or found.

From ACRO press release on December 15, 2011:

House dust

ACRO has analysed dust of vacuum cleaners from 13 dwellings. Excepted Osaka, chosen as a reference because it is located 600 km from the plant, all dust samples are contaminated with cesium 137 and 134 following the catastrophe of Fukushima.

It is in the district of Watari of Fukushima-city that the contamination is highest with almost 20,000 becquerels per kilogram for both cesium. This district, located about fifty kilometres from the plant, is known to be particularly contaminated and the sale of rice is prohibited.

Homes are also significantly contaminated in Ichinoseki in Iwate province to the north and in Kashiwa in Chiba to the south, situated in the northern suburbs of Tokyo. In both cities, located about 200 km of the plant, contaminated dust is nearly 6,000 becquerels per kilogram.

We don’t know from when the dust was collected by the vacuum cleaners. In Japan, one removes shoes before entering home.

(H/T anon reader)

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#Radiation in Japan: Radioactive Cesium from Urine Samples of 10 Children in Fukushima City

From Sankei Shinbun (6/30/2011):

福島県内の保護者らでつくる市民団体「子どもたちを放射能から守る福島ネットワーク」などは３０日、福島第１原発事故の影響調査のため福島市内の６～１６歳の男女１０人の尿を検査した結果、全員から微量の放射性物質が検出されたと発表した。

A citizens' group in Fukushima Prefecture "Fukushima Network to Protect Children from Radiation" tested the urine samples from 10 children in Fukushima City, age 6 to 16, and announced on June 30 that a small amount of radioactive materials was detected from all samples.

　放射性セシウム１３４の最大値は８歳の女児で尿１リットル中１・１３ベクレル、セシウム１３７の最大値は７歳男児で同１・３０ベクレルだった。

The highest amount of cesium-134 was from an 8-year-old girl, at 1.13 becquerels per liter. The highest amount of cesium-137 was from a 7-year-old boy, at 1.30 becquerels per liter.

　尿は５月下旬に採取し、チェルノブイリ原発事故で周辺の子供の被ばく量を調査した経験がある、フランスの放射線測定機関「アクロ研究所」に検査を依頼した。

The samples were taken in late May, and sent to the French laboratory ACRO (Association pour le Contrôle de la Radioactivité dans l’Ouest) to testing for radiation. ACRO has experience in surveying the radiation exposure in children after the Chernobyl accident.

　アクロのデービッド・ボアイエ理事長は記者会見で「福島市周辺の子供らに極めて高い確度で内部被ばくの可能性がある。事故前の数値はゼロだったと考えられる」と話した。

ACRO's president David Boilley said in the press conference, "There is a very high possibility that children in and around Fukushima City have been exposed to internal radiation. Prior to the [Fukushima] accident, these numbers would have been zero."

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