Update on the Fukushima Incident
20 May 2011 02:39 PM
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.