Radiation levels rise outside Japan plant

New readings show radiation levels continue to rise in the ocean outside a leaking nuclear plant in Japan's north east, officials said today, as they debated whether to broaden the evacuation zone around the tsunami-damaged facility.

New readings show radiation levels continue to rise in the ocean outside a leaking nuclear plant in Japan's north east, officials said today, as they debated whether to broaden the evacuation zone around the tsunami-damaged facility.

Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (Nisa) said it was looking into a report from the United Nations atomic agency about high levels of radiation in the village of Iitate, 25 miles from the plant in Fukushima prefecture.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the level in one spot tested in Iitate was twice its suggested threshold for evacuation.

Nisa spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama said officials were checking radiation levels in the village, which lies outside even a voluntary evacuation area 19 miles from the plant. He said most residents had left, but about 100 chose to stay.

"We take it seriously," he said. "We may consider asking these people to evacuate. But we need more time to study the situation."

People in a 12-mile radius around the plant have already been ordered to leave their homes.

Experts say the spike does not pose an immediate danger to human health, but evacuation recommendations tend to be conservative to prevent long-term exposure to any elevation in radiation levels.

Operations continued today to cool down the dangerously overheated Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which has leaked radiation after being damaged in the March 11 quake and tsunami.

The mission to stabilise the plant, 140 miles north east of Tokyo, has become more complicated since the discovery a week ago that radioactive water is pooling inside, restricting the areas in which crews can work.

It also puts emergency crews in the uncomfortable position of having to pump in more water to continue cooling the reactor while simultaneously pumping out contaminated water.

French nuclear officials who are experts of the removal of such radiation have recently arrived to help out, and the IAEA is also sending experts.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy was arriving in Tokyo today for talks with Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan. France currently holds the presidency of the Group of 20 leading world economies.

Contamination from the plant has been seeping into the sea, posing no threat to human health because fishing and swimming aren't allowed in the vicinity but sparking concern about the continued leaks, Mr Nishiyama said.

However, radiation levels are rising. Seawater some 360 yards from the shore south of the plant measured 4,385 times the legal limit, up from 3,355 times the allowed amount the previous day, officials from plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) said.

Experts say the radioactive particles are unlikely to build up significantly in fish, but the seafood concerns in the country that gave the world sushi are yet another blemish for Brand Japan.

Radioactive iodine is short-lived, with a half-life of just eight days, and in any case was expected to dissipate quickly in the vast Pacific Ocean. It does not tend to accumulate in shellfish.

Other radioactive particles have been detected in the waters near the plant, and some have made their way into fish. Trace amounts of radioactive cesium-137 have been found in anchovies as far afield as Chiba, near Tokyo, but at less than 1% of acceptable levels.

"We have repeatedly told consumers that it is perfectly safe to eat fish," said Shoichi Takayama of Japan's fishery agency.

Citing dilution in the ocean, the US Food and Drug Administration has played down the risks of seafood contamination.

But, as with other reports of radiation levels in food and tap water, fear has begun to override science. Several countries, including China, India and South Korea, have ordered special inspections for or outright bans on fish from areas near the plant.

Tepco, which owns the Fukushima plant, has come under growing criticism for its handling of the nuclear crisis.

The nuclear safety agency yesterday ordered plant operators nationwide to review their emergency procedures. The agency told utilities they must have on hand mobile backup generators and fire engines, which have been used at Fukushima to cool the reactors.

Meanwhile, the beleaguered utility announced that its president had been admitted to hospital with dizziness and high blood pressure.

Masataka Shimizu, 66, has not been seen since a news conference two days after the March 11 quake that spawned the destructive wave. His absence fuelled speculation that he had suffered a breakdown.

The tsunami has also created another disaster overshadowed by the nuclear crisis: hundreds of thousands of people were forced from their homes after the wave drove miles inland, decimating entire towns.

The official death toll stood at 11,417 today, with the final toll probably surpassing 18,000.

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