Our field radiation monitoring teams have wrapped up a second round of data collection outside of the exclusion zone that surrounds the stricken Fukushima nuclear complex: one investigating health threats and testing food and milk and the other is looking at surface contamination. Based on the radiation levels found, we are calling for the greater Fukushima area to be given official protective status and for the evacuation of pregnant women and children from high risk areas in Fukushima City and Koriyama.

Map of the measurements made by the field team


View Map of Radiation Measurements by Greenpeace team in a larger map

The press release issued today lays it out:

Tokyo, Japan, 11 April 2011 – Following extended monitoring of the area outside the exclusion zone that surrounds the stricken Fukushima nuclear complex by two specialist radiation monitoring teams, Greenpeace is calling for the greater Fukushima area to be given official protective status (1) and for the evacuation of pregnant women and children from high risk areas in Fukushima City and Koriyama.

The international environmental organisation also called on the Japanese government to fully evacuate several radiation hotspots (2), including those engulfing towns such as Iitate and Namie, after analysis of data collected by the monitoring teams suggested widespread caesium contamination (3).


The teams also found radiation levels above official limits in vegetables collected from gardens near Fukushima City, Koriyama, and Minamisoma, and from a supermarket in Fukushima City. At least one of the vegetable samples taken from the region could be categ

“With over one million people living in the greater Fukushima City and Koriyama area, it is not acceptable for the authorities to continue ignoring the seriousness of the situation”, concluded Greenpeace Japan Executive Director Junichi Sato. “The government needs to not only provide people with clear advice (9) on how to protect themselves from the contamination threats, they need to start taking real and meaningful action by declaring the official protective status”.