Effects of radioactive materials
Ver.1.1 (Updated: 110323-16:08)
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According to information as of March 22 08:52 JST.
Professor Shunichi Yamashita
About the initial evacuation
"During the first week, it was unfortunate that the quick succession of unpredicted events had made it difficult for everyone to share information. I first became aware of the seriousness of the situation when the government issued an evacuation warning that didn’t follow the usual standards. Normally people living within 10km of the site would be evacuated in the case of an emergency. People would first be asked to stay indoors, and then be given the order to evacuate if the radiation levels wouldn’t drop. In the current case, people living within 20km were evacuated, and then people living within 30km were told to stay indoors. It doesn’t make sense that people who had been evacuated to a safer area should be asked to stay indoors.
"The series of troubles at the reactor were unprecedented. Radiation continues to come out at an on-again, off-again basis. The type of radiation coming out varies, and so do the amounts. We need to continue monitoring the area and find out whether the 30km indoor evacuation order was necessary."
The effects of radioactive material as compared to the Chernobyl disaster
Currently, the chances of getting cancer are not rising
No need to worry about radiation exposure for general public
What’s next
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