Kashiwa City's Radioactive Dirt: 276,000 Bq/Kg of Cesium [22Oct11] - 0 views
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The highly radioactive dirt in Kashiwa City in Chiba, which measured 57.5 microsieverts/hr 30 centimeters below the surface, was not from radium after all or any other nuclides that are used in industrial or medical use (some suggested cobalt-60, for example). It was from radioactive cesium.On October 22 Kashiwa City announced the result of the analysis of three dirt samples from the location at different depth (one on the surface, two at 30 centimeter deep). The analysis was done on October 22. The unit is becquerels per kilogram:Sample A (surface dirt)Radioactive iodine: NDCesium-134: 70,200Cesium-137: 85,100Total cesium: 155,300
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Sample B1 (30 centimeters below the surface)Radioactive iodine: NDCesium-134: 87,000Cesium-137: 105,000Total cesium: 192,000Sample B2 (30 centimeters below the surface)Radioactive iodine: NDCesium-134: 124,000Cesium-137: 152,000Total cesium: 276,000The address of the location is announced by the city as: 柏市根戸字高野台457番3地先. According to the residents, the place is a strip of open space between the residential area and the industrial area, and is used as playground by many residents, young and old.
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On receiving the result of the analysis, the Ministry of Education and Science, who had expressed doubt that this high radiation spot in Kashiwa had anything to do with the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident, now says it cannot deny that it is the result of the accident. The ratio of cesium-134 and cesium-137 is consistent with the radio from the accident.Some speculate that someone in the city cleaned out his house and dumped the resulting radioactive sludge and dirt in this location.What I find it odd is the mismatch of the radiation on the dirt surface, 57.5 microsieverts/hour, and the density of radioactive cesium, maximum 276,000 becquerels/kilogram. The density is too low to account for the extremely high radiation. Cesium alone may not account for the high radiation, but There's no mention in the city's announcement whether it is going to test for other gamma nuclides not to mention alpha and beta.