Japan:Radiation forecast data for health research

Laaska News  June 29,2011

The Japanese government plans to help Fukushima Prefecture conduct health research for all local residents with estimates on the spread of radioactive substances from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The Fukushima Prefectural Government is scheduled to conduct the research for more than 2 million residents of the prefecture.

Some experts say the level of residents’ radiation exposure cannot be estimated precisely as no radiation data immediately after the March 11th accident is available due to blackouts at the plant.

The government’s nuclear disaster taskforce now says it will provide data from its computer forecasting system, called SPEEDI.

SPEEDI predicts the spread of radioactive substances based on the levels of radiation observed in each area and forecasts of wind and other weather conditions.

The system will be used to calculate radiation levels in areas within 20 kilometers of the plant between March 12th and 18th. The calculation will be based on the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency’s analysis of data on the timing and volume of radioactive substances released.

Data on radiation levels are expected to be released to the public around mid-July. The data will also be given to the National Institute of Radiological Sciences which is compiling estimates of radiation exposure.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the residents’ exposure levels for the first week after the Fukushima accident will be clarified to a certain extent, by combining the presumed radiation levels and a survey of their activities.