Radiation Monitoring in Narahamachi
On October 14 – 15, five SVCF members monitored radiation level in private residences of Narahamachi, Fukushima prefecture. The monitoring work was carried out in accordance with the memorandum exchanged between SVCF and Narahamachi signed on October 1st. Narahamachi of Fukushima prefecture is the town where the TEPCO’s Fukushima No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant stands.
After the accident of Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, most areas in the town had been designated a part of the 20 km circular warning zone, but it was rearranged into a “evacuation order release preparation area” in August 2012. The town was covered by weed everywhere, because it had been deserted for two and a half years.
Currently decontamination work is pushed forward there. According to the exchanged memorandum with Narahamachi, SVCF is to work with monitoring, mapping, searching for hotspots and others, in order to detect and report accurate radiation levels inside and outside residences, as requested by the residents.
The above information was announced on the website for town residents, and a printed leaflet was also handed to residents by the town office. We have already received 9 requests so far. This monitoring was the first one covered by the memorandum. Five SVCF members engaged in monitoring 3 private residences for two days on October 14 and 15.
For the measurement procedure in the house, numbered plates were placed in the center, on all corners and along the typical passages in each room. The dose rate was measured at the height of 1 centimeter and 1 meter respectively from the floor in the numbering order.
For the outside, measurement was done at 1 centimeter and 1 meter above the ground and every 2 meter around the house including the outfall of the eaves drainpipe.
The main rule is to measure three times per point, at an initial interval of 1 minute, the two later readings taken 30 seconds apart. In the case of a typical residential house in the area, the measurement points are around 50 to 70 per house and it takes about 3 hours to complete a round. More measurement requests are expected in the future.
Inexperienced people are welcome for these monitoring attempts. As we receive requests, we advertise the recruitment on our Web and by other means. So please apply for an opportunity to participate.