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Update on the Fukushima Incident

The Health Protection Agency, Environment Agency and Northern Ireland Environment Agency monitoring stations have reported further minute traces of radiation associated with events at the Fukushima nuclear facility in Japan. Overall, the levels are lower than those observed in the previous update published on May 5.

The levels being detected mean there is no risk to public health in the United Kingdom from the environmental concentrations resulting from the release of radioactive material at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The monitoring equipment is extremely sensitive and can pick up trace levels well below any potential risk to human health.

Notes


1. The HPA, Environment Agency (EA), Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have jointly been providing updates of their monitoring findings associated with the Fukushima event via the HPA website. As the levels of radiation detected are consistently low, generally falling and no risk to public health, a final update related to this incident will be published on July 14. However, HPA will continue to monitor levels of radiation as part of its routine surveillance programme and will report results in its annual Environmental Radioactivity Surveillance Programme report.

2. Air Monitoring – Weekly Averages

Location

Seven day Measurement ending:

Air concentration, micro Becquerel per cubic metre

Iodine-131

Tellurium-132

Caesium-134

Caesium-137

Dishforth, N Yorks (EA)

18/4/11

17

Not detectable

8

8

Orfordness, Suffolk (EA)

25/4/11

14

Not detectable

10

11

St Hellier, Jersey (HPA)

29/4/11

10

Not detectable

14

12

Seascale, Cumbria (HPA)

29/4/11

11

Not detectable

17

21

Chilton, Oxon (EA)

3/5/11

6

Not detectable

10

12

Aberporth, Ceredigion (EA)

3/5/11

7

Not detectable

13

15

Dishforth, N Yorks (EA)

3/5/11

5

Not detectable

11

10

Orfordness, Suffolk (EA)

3/5/11

4

Not detectable

10

10

Glasgow (HPA)

12/5/11

Not detectable

Not detectable

Not detectable

Not detectable

The volume of air sampled in a week at the different locations varies due to the different equipment used. This does not affect the measured levels in air.

3. Air monitoring – Other averages

Location

Sample duration

Measurement ending:

Air concentration, micro Becquerel per cubic metre

Iodine-131

Tellurium-132

Caesium-134

Caesium-137

Aberporth, Ceredigion (EA)

8 days

26/4/11

18

Not detectable

9

9

Dishforth, N Yorks (EA)

8 days

26/4/11

Not detectable

Not detectable

3

3

Conlig, Co Down N.I. (NIEA)

15 days

8/5/11

3

Not detectable

11

11

Aberporth, Ceredigion (EA)

6 days

9/5/11

Not detectable

Not detectable

3

3

Chilton, Oxon (HPA)

14 days

12/5/11

Not detectable

Not detectable

4

3

St Hellier, Jersey (HPA)

15 days

13/5/11

Not detectable

Not detectable

4

4

The volume of air sampled in a week at the different locations varies due to the different equipment used. This does not affect the measured levels in air.

4. Tables of other environmental data can be viewed on the HPA's Environmental Monitoring webpage.

5. For further information about radiation and the Japanese incident please go to the HPA website page on the HPA response to events at the Japanese nuclear power plant.

 

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