Radiation exceeds legal limit in Fukushima plant premises

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/77248.html


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Hourly radiation at the site was measured at 882 micro sievert, in excess of the allowable level of 500.

The agency also said the company acknowledged that the No. 3 reactor of the quake-hit Fukushima plant had lost its cooling functions, while 19 people at a nearby hospital were found to have been exposed to radioactivity, in addition to three cases of exposure recorded Saturday.

The utility supplier notified the government early Sunday morning that the reactor had lost the ability to cool the reactor core. The reactor is now in the process of releasing radioactive steam, according to top government spokesman Yukio Edano.

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The Fukushima prefectural government said Saturday that three people had their clothes contaminated with radioactive substances while fleeing from the No. 1 nuclear plant.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Sunday that 15 people were found to have been contaminated at a hospital located within 10 km from the No. 1 reactor. Edano said there was a possibility that nine people who fled on a bus had been exposed to radioactivity.

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