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Here's the image of the test report by Isotope Research Institute in Yokohama City:Strontium-90: 195 becquerels/kg

From the same sample, cesium-134 and cesium-137 were also detected earlier.Cesium-134: 29,775 becquerels/kgCesium-137: 33,659 becquerels/kgTotal cesium: 63,434 becquerels/kg

Isotope Research Institute didn't start testing for radioactive strontium until August 20, according to the Institute's website. Thus the time lag.At the Institute, it costs 65,000 yen (US$847) (pre-tax) to test one sample for strontium-90 (no separate testing for strontium-89), and it takes one week. No volume discount, the webpage says.The ratio of strontium-90 to cesium-137 in this case is about 0.58%. In comparison, the same ratio from the samples taken in Fukushima Prefecture was between slightly less than 0.1% to 8.2%. In other words, the ratio varies too much to discern any pattern.Yokohama City has said it is testing for strontium in the sample taken from the same apartment rooftop but with much higher cesium density (105,600Bq/kg total cesium). But remember there was no official announcement about this high cesium detection because "the apartment building is a private property", according to the city. We'll see if Yokohama will announce anything about strontium-90.

The Ministry of Education and Science (and the media reporting the news) is spinning it as "good news" that radioactive materials detected in river water and well water in Fukushima Prefecture are "far less than the provisional safety limit".If you compare the measured level to the provisional safety limit for water which is high as 200 becquerels/liter for radioactive cesium for adults, well yes, it is far less.If you compare the level to the one before the Fukushima I Nuke Plant accident, it is a different story altogether. The highest strontium-90 level in the Ministry's survey is 5.14 times the highest level measured in 2009, and the highest cesium-137 level is 6,500 times the highest level measured in 2009.The Ministry's announcement (10/20/2011) is here (in Japanese, PDF).

From Asahi Shinbun (10/20/2011):

The Ministry of Education and Science announced the result of the survey of water contamination in rivers and wells in Fukushima Prefecture, except in the 20-kilometer radius from the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. Nuclides such as cesium and strontium were tested, but according to the Ministry there was no detection of radioactive materials exceeding the standard for drinking water.

On location report from Minami Soma – Strontium continues to be detected – “Too early for evacuees to be returning home.” Nationally declared “emergency evacuation preparedness zones” have been simultaneously lifted, however excessive risks may remain. Lab results from a radioactive contamination survey commissioned by Minami Soma City Council yield shocking results. - Desipite the lifting of the “emergency evacuation preparedness zone” designation, the perception is that contamination questions linger. - 59,000 people lived within the 20-30km “emergency evacuation preparedness zone”, 28,000 have relocated. Citizens view the lifting of the designation as good news, but unease persists.

From a local council perspective, the sooner evacuees return to start rebuilding the better. - Citizens infuriated with fuzzy official statements regarding severity of contamination, particularly when they have to consider the safety of their own kids. - Local government testing reveals strontium contamination, further complicating the situation. 17 spots around Minami Soma were tested, and four locations showed 33 – 1,113 Bq/kg of strontium contamination, including 100 Bq/kg from an area previously covered by the recently lifted evacuation advisory zone. - Regarding the possibility of internal exposure, Strontium is much more serious than cesium. As explained by a researcher from the Japanese Atomic Energy Institute, biological half life of cesium is 100 days vs 50 years for Strontium, which mimics calcium in the body.

It’s reasonable to expect that where there is cesium, there is also strontium, however it takes much longer to run tests for strontium and there are very few labs equipped to run the tests. - On the same day that the evacuation advisory zone was lifted, MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) finally released results of strontium testing carried out around the plant. - Of the samples, collected since June, Futuba (inside the 20km zone) was the highest, at 5,700 Bq/m2 (note the change in unit from kg to square meters). Of particular concern were results from within the lifted evacuation advisory zone: Minami Soma (three locations: 600, 260, 160 bq/m2), Tamura (610 Bq/m2), Kawauchi (380、130、39 Bq/m2) and Hirono (220、150、120、76、61 Bq/m2). - Plutonium also detected for the first time outside the plant, however official attitude is to ignore the results, as ‘compared to cesium the quantities are minuscule, therefore the focus will remain on cesium’.

(UPDATE) So far, it is dead silence from the Japanese MSMs; even the critical papers like Tokyo Shinbun is mum on strontium in Tokyo.

A citizen group did the soil survey of three locations in central Tokyo, and had the soil samples tested for radioactive cesium and strontium. All three had both.Summary of reporting by Yasumi Iwakami, independent journalist:Locations and amounts of radioactive materials:Kiyosumi Shirakawa Station, Koto-ku:Radioactive cesium (134 and 137 combined): 19,126 Bq/kgRadioactive strontium (89 and 90 combined): 44 Bq/kg

Yurakucho Station, Chiyoda-ku:Radioactive cesium (134 and 137 combined): 20,955 Bq/kgRadioactive strontium (89 and 90 combined): 51 Bq/kgFront of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Chiyoda-ku:Radioactive cesium (134 and 137 combined): 48,176 Bq/kgRadioactive strontium (89 and 90 combined): 48 Bq/kg

Vermont Yankee could close by March 2012 * Entergy fighting for reactor survival NEW YORK, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Vermont health regulators said on Tuesday they found a fish containing radioactive material in the Connecticut River near Entergy's (ETR.N) Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant which could be another setback for Entergy to keep it running. The state said it needs to do more testing to determine the source of the Strontium-90, which can cause bone cancer and leukemia.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin wants the 620 megawatts reactor shut in March 2012 when its original operating license was to expire. "Today's troubling news from the Vermont Department of Health is another example of Entergy Louisiana putting their shareholders' profits above the welfare of Vermonters," Shumlin said in a statement. "I am asking my Health Department to keep a close eye on test results moving forward to determine the extent of any contamination that has reached the environment."

New Orleans-based Entergy, the second biggest nuclear power operator in the United States, however wants to keep the reactor running for another 20 years under a new license. Entergy filed a complaint in federal court to block the state from shutting the reactor next year. Officials at Entergy were not immediately available for comment. "One finding of (Strontium-90) just above the lower limit of detection in one fish sample is notable because it is the first time Strontium-90 has been detected in the edible portion of any of our fish samples," the Vermont Department of Health said on its website. The Health Department said it did not know how the Strontium-90, which is both naturally occurring in the environment and a byproduct of nuclear power production and nuclear weapons testing, got into the fish.

It turned out that Yokohama city government had received the report of the measurement of Strontium-90 in mid September. It was asked in the city council but an “expert” of Yokohama City University ,Inoue Tomio asserted that additional measurement is not needed because the air dose is low.

It is impressive that the “expert” did not even know strontium-90 emits beta radiation. Having the advice, Yokohama city government declined additional measurement of Strontium. Successfully, strontium got the permanent residency in Yokohama.(Source)(Source) Also, the news broadcasting organization IWJ run by Iwakami Yasumi, which reported measurement of strontium, was banned to attend the press conference of Yokohama city “government”. Probably plutonium will be found in Tokyo or Yokohama soon. However, it is highly likely they will not do anything to protect the citizens. The video below is the athletic festival of a kindergarten in Yokohama held in October. The soil around shows 0.95 uSv/h.

*Google Translation* Title: Cesium 9,686 Bq / kg soil in Osaka Bay seabed emergency essentials – 1 / 14, strontium-90 detected! Source: http://dub314.blog.fc2.com Date: Jan 14, 2012 Cesium 9,686 Bq / kg soil in Osaka Bay seabed emergency essentials – 1 / 14, strontium-90 detected! - Kind of analysis [core] MAX 9,686Bq/kg

1 / Bay / Osaka grab bottom sampler, December 29 Kansai International Airport near the seabed soil Cesium 134 7,271Bq／Kg Cesium 137 705Bq／Kg Strontium-90 28Bq／Kg 2 / Bay / Osaka grab bottom sampler, December 29 浜寺, seabed soil near the river mouth of the Yamato Cesium 134 8,924Bq／Kg Cesium 137 762Bq／Kg Strontium-90 31Bq／Kg

3 / Bay / Osaka grab bottom sampler, December 29 An Zhichuan estuary to pay near-bottom soil reel Cesium 134 3,527Bq／Kg Cesium 137 269Bq／Kg Strontium-90 ND (not detected) Tsuna / Awaji Cesium 134 2,590Bq／Kg Cesium 137 172Bq／Kg

Fish taken from a lake in northern Vermont had similar levels of strontium-90 and cesium-137 as fish taken from the Connecticut River near Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon. During a Feb. 3 meeting of the House Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources Committee in the Vermont Statehouse, committee members heard from Bill Irwin, chief of radiological health for the Vermont Department of Health. "We got preliminary results from our fish sample analysis from Lake Carmi in northern Franklin County," Irwin told the Reformer on Monday. Irwin said Lake Carmine, in Enosburg Falls, is about as far away from Yankee as you can get and still be in the Green Mountain State. "The results are that cesium-137 and strontium-90 in Lake Carmi fish is in the same range as Connecticut River fish," said Irwin. "We take this as some evidence that all fish in Vermont are likely to have radioactive cesium and strontium at these levels and that, as we've hypothesized, it is from nuclear weapons fallout and the releases of Chernobyl. All of us are glad to have proof and not just conjecture." The fish taken from Lake Carmi were small-mouth bass, he said, and were taken from the lake by Vermont Fish and Wildlife fisheries personnel. Cesium was found in both edible and inedible portions of the bass, he said, while strontium was found only in inedible portions, which include bones, the head, fins and scales. "There's no danger in eating the fish," said Irwin. "Should we ever find that there are reasons to restrict diet from any sampling for any kind of radioactive or toxicological events, we would keep in mind different cultures have different diets."

In the same analyses, the fish had almost 500 times more potassium-40 in them than they do cesium-137, he said. Potassium-40 is a naturally occurring radioactive material that is in nearly everything and was created when the planet was formed billions of years ago, said Irwin. A fish taken from the Connecticut River in 2010 had the highest levels of strontium-90 in bone that his department has seen in any samples. "In that same sample we did find very low but measurable amounts of strontium-90 in the meat of the fish," said Irwin, which could have been a sampling or contamination error. "But we don't know that." The sampling is part of an ongoing multi-state operation to help determine what is the level of the two radioactive isotopes in fish in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York. "We hope to further populate this data with fish taken from waters unaffected by nuclear power plants," said Irwin. The states are also working with the a Food and Drug Administration laboratory in Winchester, Mass., to develop sampling and analysis protocols. When more data has been assembled from around the region, Irwin said they hope to publish it in scientific journals. The results of the sampling from Lake Carmi will be posted soon on DOH's website, he said. When this year's fishing season begins, Fish and Wildlife personnel will be taking more fish for the Department of Health.

Tepco Press Release, Dec. 5: “At 11:33 am on December 4, workers found that there was puddle water inside the barrier around the evaporative condensation apparatus (estimated volume of water was approx. 45 m3 [1 cubic meter of water = 1 metric ton]).” NHK: “The water is believed to have contained 130,000 becquerels per cubic centimeter of radioactive strontium.” New York Times: “Tepco said a check on Saturday had found no sign of the leak, suggesting that it began Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The company said it was exploring ways to stop any more water from escaping.” 45 metric tons = 45,000 kg = 45,000,000 cubic centimeters * 130,000 becquerels per cubic centimeter of strontium = 5,850,000,000,000 Bq strontium

Radioactive cesium of 39,012 becquerels per/kg was also detected in the sample from the gutter but it is the presence of strontium that makes the Yokohama reports exceptional. There had previously been no reports of strontium contamination beyond 100 kilometers of the Fukushima plant. Although Kohoku Ward is about 250 kilometers from the Fukushima plant, the concentration found in the gutter is higher than the 77 becquerels per kilogram detected in soil in Fukushima city between April and May. Dirt at the bottom of a dry fountain in the Shin-Yokohama district in Kohoku Ward was also found to contain 59 becquerels/kg of strontium and 31,570 becquerels per/kg of cesium.

They found strontium at two more different places in Yokohama. Now they have measured strontium at three places in Total. All of them are located just around the corner from my apartment. It’s possibility that strontium is already everywhere around in Tokyo. I went to Tokyo last weekend. I visited Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan to have a pre-interview. The interviewees have worked for National Geographic or Jiji , They have done great reports about Sarin terrorism and the Tokai village nuclear accident. They met me because they were interested in my idea of “radiation refugees”.

They kindly offered me to help set up a new visa of “radiation refugee” in EU. For the further interview, they are planning to meet me this Sunday again. I need to clean my room before. In the interview, they asked me what I think must be done. I answered all honestly. I answered: I think all the Japanese must evacuate to Australia at the closest. Then South Korean, Philippine people, Malay, Singaporian, Indonesian, West Coast, they all must evacuate and leave Japan empty except for pro-nuc mental cases.

UN, American army, etc will all have to build the front line of the radiation shield on the Japan island, to minimize the potential international risk. No wonder Japanese race will lose their land. We will have to live like old Jewish. (Nika here – Iori refers to the millennia long Jewish Diaspora) We can no longer eat sushi. All the Pacific Ocean will keep being contaminated until human-beings invent a technology to pick up melted nuclear fuel rods from miles deep in the ground. Sure, the reporter called me unrealistic. It even seems so to me. However, I can not find any reason to deny it. On the other hand, the Japanese government is so eager to conceal the fact. US government seems to be helping it too. Why?

This is an estimation of Asahi newspaper so it is not trustworthy enough. However, it would be some kind milestone to judge something. One of the propaganda mass media – Asahi newspaper – yet tried to estimate the total amount of leakage of strontium. They are based on the Tepco’s press release. They assumed it only leaked from reactor 2 in April and from reactor 3 in May for some reason. Also, they ignored the strontium from the fall-out as well. However, it turned out to be as bad as the worst historical sea contamination of Sellafield in 1970′s, which was about 500 trillion Bq. Probably this “500 trillion Bq of leakage” is a false data as well. Even Asahi newspaper warns about the biological concentration in the sea. They requires radiation measuring of the sea to be conducted as soon as possible.

Biological samples taken from waters in the Western Pacific region east of Fukushima, Japan show excessive radiation levels, said a statement from China's State Oceanic Administration on Wednesday.The administration suggested that government agencies intensify radiation testing of marine products from the targeted waters to protect public health in China.

The samples were also found to contain argentum-110m and cesium-134, which are normally difficult to detect in biological samples from China's coastal waters, the statement said. The administration sent professional personnel to these waters in June to monitor the impact of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, as well as its impact on China's territorial waters.

According to the statement, the levels of strontium-90, a radioactive isotope of strontium, found in squids are 29 times higher than the average background level of samples taken from China's coastal waters. This indicates that these waters have been clearly affected by radioactive material that leaked from the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima during the massive earthquake and tsunami disaster on March 11, the statement said.

plus cesium-134 (half-life of about 2 years) and silver-110m (half life about 250 days). Strontium-90's half life is about 30 years.

From Jiji Tsushin (8/24/2011)

China's State Oceanic Administration announced on August 24 that strontium-90 was detected in the firefly squid caught off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture in the amount that was 29 times as high as the marine organisms along the coast of China. Cesium-134, which is normally never detected in the marine organisms along the coast of China, and silver-110m, a gamma-ray emitter, were also detected.

While readings of radiation in the air have returned to pre-3/11 levels in most areas of Japan — not including areas close to the plant and the so-called hot spots — the contamination of soil, which affects the food chain, could pose a long-term health risk, experts say. Iodine-131, cesium-134 and cesium-137 were released in large quantities by the nuclear plant, and if they are accumulated in the body, they could cause cancer.

Kunikazu Noguchi, lecturer at Nihon University and an often-quoted expert on radiological protection, assures that consumers need not worry too much about any produce on the market, because at present, radiation levels in most vegetables, meat, dairy and other foods, even those from Fukushima Prefecture, are far below the government's safety limits and often undetectable. But for consumers concerned about the few incidents of tainted food slipping through the government checks (such as the beef from cattle that had been fed with tainted straw in Fukushima, which was shipped nationwide in July), or families with small children, Noguchi suggests a simple way to minimize their radiation exposure through food: rinse it.

rinsing the food well before cooking, preferably with hot water, and/or boiling or stewing it, a large portion of radioactive elements can be removed. In his book, published in Japanese in mid-July, "Hoshano Osen kara Kazoku wo Mamoru Tabekata no Anzen Manyuaru" ("The Safety Manual for Protecting Your Family From Radiation Contamination"), Noguchi offers tips on how to prepare food, item by item, so consumers can reduce their radiation intake at home.

SOURCE: Dr. Ernest J. Sternglass is Emeritus Professor of Radiological Physics in the Department of Radiology, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Part 3 (Part 2 at end of post): 8:15 in Turkey Point reactors in Miami, FL released an enormous amount of radioactivity In some parts of Dade County we have seen teeth that are 10-20 times than minimum level we can detect Strontium-90 should be less than 0.5 picocuries per gram of calcium — it should be less than 0.5 — and we find levels as high as 15, 16, or 17 “Strontium-90 is considered a cancer-causing substance because it damages the genetic material (DNA) in cells.” -Delaware Health and Social Services

A big present from my home town Yokohama to the world. This is the measurement result of Strontium 90. Measurement 9/1/2011 Analysis 9/2/2011 Strontium 90  195Bq/Kg Sample 605g Dust on the roof of an apartment in Kouhokuku Yokohama Below is the bonus. Cesium 134  29,775Bq/Kg Cesium 137  33,659Bq/Kg Measurement 8/10/2011 Analysis 8/11/2011

If you look at the photos released so far by TEPCO (see my posts here and here) while being told only 45 tonnes of treated water leaked from the evaporative condensation apparatus (desalination) at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant and that only 150 liters (about 40 gallons) of it leaked into the ocean, and wonder "45 tonnes? 150 liters? The numbers look too low", you may be right.The amount of water leaked from the apparatus may be 220 tonnes, not 45 tonnes as widely reported. In this case, one of the first reports by Asahi Shinbun (print/digital print version) may have gotten it right. 45 tonnes just inside the building that houses this apparatus.

Let's do some recalculations. 150 liters of the treated water that have leaked into the ocean, according to TEPCO, had 26,000,000,000 becquerels (26 billion becquerels) of radioactive materials (cesium, strontium, etc.). If 750 liters leaked instead (using the ratio of 220 tonnes to 45 tonnes), 130 billion becquerels. If one tonne (1000 liters) leaked, about 173 billion becquerels.The first news of an event in this nuclear disaster has often proven to be right, just like the March 12 announcement by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency that there may have been a core meltdown at Fukushima. (That spokesman was replaced the next day of course.)Anyway, here's Asahi Shinbun's report at 10:47PM on December 4, 2011 (print/digital print version):

Hanford officials have settled on a plan to clean up what may be the most highly radioactive spill at the nuclear reservation. It depends on calling back into service the 47-year-old, oversized hot cell where the spill occurred to protect workers from the radioactive cesium and strontium that leaked through the hot cell to the soil below. Radioactivity in the contaminated soil, which is about 1,000 feet from the Columbia River, has been measured at 8,900 rad per hour [89 sieverts per hour]. Direct exposure for a few minutes would be fatal, according to Washington Closure. [...]

In the 1980s, cesium and strontium spilled inside the hot cell, according to a 1993 report that referenced the spill. Germany needed a heat source to use for tests of a repository for radioactive waste, which emits heat, and the cesium and strontium were being fabricated into the sources. “This was concentrated material,” said Mark French, the Department of Energy’s project director for Hanford cleanup along the Columbia River. [...]

It migrated down in a open square shape, with the worst contamination down to five or six feet deep, McBride said. There is not evidence that it has reached the ground water which is about 54 feet below the ground there and about 42 feet below the bottom of the hot cell [...]