Several cities and towns in the Fukushima Prefecture have shown higher levels of contamination that first thought.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has been taking radiation readings around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.  Since 26 March the radiation readings went up to dangerous levels, and stayed up.

This was part of the government’s decision to expand the evacuation zone.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends 1,000 microsieverts as the long-term yearly limit to radiation exposure.  In Namie Town, 30km (18.6 miles) northwest of the plant, the Ministry of Science found 14,480 microsieverts of radiation had accumulated over 17-days!  They found many more areas with similar radiation levels.

Hiroshima University Professor Shizuma Kiyoshi, says most of the radiation observed in Fukushima Prefecture is probably radioactive cesium.

Shizuma advises residents to wear masks to avoid inhaling radioactive substances mixed with dust.