Recommended Reading: British Embassy Tokyo – April 11, 2011

It has been difficult to find well-reasoned information about the aftermath of the earthquake and the situation in Fukushima. Here is one web page that we think is worth reading.

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The latest advice on Japan from the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser

The first thing to say is that although the situation is still extremely serious it’s improved for two reasons. First, TEPCO has now established an electricity supply to the plants, and is now able to use freshwater for cooling the reactors and it’s really helped a lot. Second, the natural processes of radioactive decay coupled with the short half life of Iodine 131, means that any threats to your health from any future emissions at the plant have significantly reduced.

Read the web page: http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=News&id=581967082

Earthquake Updates as of April 11, 2011

There was a large aftershock (M7.1) on April 11 at 17:16pm Japan time. A tsunami warning was issued, but it was cancelled. Reactors #1, #2, and #3 at Fukushima Dai-ichi temporarily lost external power. Water injection was interrupted between 17:16 to 18:05 at these three reactors, but there were no reports of abnormalities in the radiation levels around the plant.

Water Updates as of April 11, 2011

Readings at Lake Kasumigaura (water source for Tsukuba)

March 29 at Tsuchiura City 14.9 Bq/kg for iodine 1.06 Bq/kg for cesium	March 30 at Sakuragawa City 11.6 Bq/kg for iodine 1.01 Bq/kg for cesium
March 31 at Tsuchiura City 13.4 Bq/kg for iodine 1.05 Bq/kg for cesium	April 1 at Sakuragawa City 9.2 Bq/kg for iodine 1.96 Bq/kg for cesium
April 2 at Tsuchiura City 11.2 Bq/kg for iodine cesium not detected
April 4 at Tsuchiura City 10.1 Bq/kg for iodine 0.90 Bq/kg for cesium	April 5 at Sakuragawa City 6.2 Bq/kg for iodine cesium not detected
April 6 at Tsuchiura City 7.1 Bq/kg for iodine cesium not detected	April 7 at Sakuragawa City 5.5 Bq/kg for iodine 0.72 Bq/kg for cesium
April 8 at Tsuchiura City 6.0 Bq/kg for iodine cesium not detected	April 9 at Sakuragawa City not tested
April 10 at Tsuchiura City 6.2 Bq/kg for iodine cesium not detected	April 11 at Sakuragawa City 4.0 Bq/kg for iodine cesium not detected

Source: http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/20110311eq/pdf/0352.pdf (Ibaraki prefectural government)

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Levels at which we need to start getting concerned
iodine: 300 Bq/kg for drinking water (adults) and 100 Bq/kg for drinking water (babies)
cesium: 200 Bq/kg for drinking water

Verdict: Safe to drink the water in Tsukuba

Food Updates as of April 8, 2011

1. Rice Planting

The following chart shows that there is currently no reason to place restrictions on rice planting in Ibaraki. Tests were done on soil in various parts of the prefecture and the levels are all below the 5000 Bq/kg limit.

http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/important/20110311eq/20110408_20/files/20110408_20a.pdf

Here is a map with the same information, showing how far the places in Ibaraki are from the nuclear power plants.

http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/important/20110311eq/20110408_20/files/20110408_20b.pdf

2. Foods That Have Been Banned from Being Shipped

The following chart compares the measurements taken of iodine and cesium levels in spinach, parsley, and kakina from Ibaraki on March 30 to the levels on April 6. Levels of iodine and cesium are going down in all cases, and only spinach from Takahagi remains above the threshold. (The reading from Takahagi is underlined.)

http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/20110311eq/pdf/0324.pdf

Levels at which we need to start getting concerned
iodine (I-131): 2000 Bq/kg for vegetables
cesium (Cs-134, 136, 137): 500 Bq/kg for vegetables

Verdict: I couldn’t find (through laziness, mainly) an official statement that the shipping ban has been lifted, but it probably will be soon if the numbers keep going down like this.

Nuclear Plant Updates as of April 8, 2011

The reactors in Kanto, Tohoku, and Hokkaido were not significantly damaged by the April 7 aftershock of the March 11 earthquake.

Source: http://www.nisa.meti.go.jp/english/files/en20110409-3.pdf

Recommended Reading: World Health Organization – April 8, 2011

It has been difficult to find well-reasoned information about the aftermath of the earthquake and the situation in Fukushima. Here is one FAQ that we think is worth reading.

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FAQs: Japan nuclear concerns

Includes:

• Current risk
• Ionizing radiation
• Human exposure to ionizing radiation
• Travel advice
• Health effects
• Public health actions
• Personal protective measures
• Food safety
• Water contamination
• WHO’s response

Read the FAQ: http://www.who.int/hac/crises/jpn/faqs/en/index.html

Earthquake Updates as of April 8, 2011

There was a large aftershock on April 7 at 11:32pm Japan time. A tsunami warning was issued, but no tsunami came so it was cancelled. There have been reports of power outages in several places in Tohoku. Some reactors in Tohoku lost external power, but are continuing to be cooled with power from the back-up diesel engines. From what they can tell so far, there are no changes to the conditions at Fukushima Dai-Ichi, Fukushima Daini, or Tokai. Water is still being injected into the #1, #2, and #3 reactors at Fukushima Dai-ichi.