Japan: Residents' feelings mixed over discovery of radioactive strontium in Yokohama

Mainichi Shimbun ^ | 10/17/11

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Residents' feelings mixed over discovery of radioactive strontium in Yokohama

YOKOHAMA -- Residents have expressed mixed feelings over the discovery of radioactive strontium in Yokohama's Kita Ward, some 250 kilometers away from the crisis-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.

Relatively high levels of strontium were found in two spots in the ward where it was easy for radioactive materials to accumulate when the Yokohama Municipal Government took measurements. While some residents say they can no longer let their children play outside, others maintain that the level of radioactive materials is not enough to cause concern.

In the Okurayama district of Kita Ward, where residents earlier detected 195 becquerels of radioactive strontium on the roof of an apartment complex, a 43-year-old housewife whose 4-year-old son attends a kindergarten in the area commented, "I take care around places where it is easy for water to accumulate, like at the bottom of slides in the park, and make my son properly wash his hands and gargle."

Another 62-year-old woman whose 2-year-old grandson attends a nursery said, "Young children play in the sand, so I'm worried."

Meanwhile, another 55-year-old housewife who is no longer raising her children commented, "There's no point getting in to a flurry, saying, 'I'm worried.' The people in Fukushima are worse off." Another resident, an 80-year-old man, commented, "I used to be an engineer for a thermal power plant so I know something about radiation. I don't think this is at a level that would affect people's health so I'm not that worried."

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