I had just found this article this morning, explaining that levels of Cesium-137 are used to indicate evacuation.

As it stands, levels in Fukushima are already "surprisingly high" and 3x the EPA levels for evacuation. (150 millisieverts vs 50 millisieverts recommended by the EPA)

However, nuclear engineer Shih-Yew Chen of Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois goes on to state that the samples taken near Fukushima would be the equivalent of 8 million Bq/m2...compared to 5 million Bq/m2 at the highest readings outside of Chernobyl.

Chen just said Fukushima samples are SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER than highest cesium-137 levels around Chernobyl

Is this correct? Even if it approaching Chernobyl levels, isn't this causing anyone in Japan any alarm???

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Japan Soil Measurements Surprisingly High

by Jocelyn Kaiser on 25 March 2011, 6:14 PM

Meanwhile, on Wednesday the Japanese science ministry began to report measurements of cesium-137 in upland soil around the plant. The levels are highest from two points northeast of the plant, ranging from 8690 becquerels/kilogram to a high of 163,000 Bq/kg measured on 20 March from a point in Iitate about 40 kilometers northwest of the Fukushima plant

...Assuming the radiation is no more than 2 centimeters deep, Chen calculates that 163,000 Bq/kg is roughly equivalent to 8 million Bq/m2

The highest cesium-137 levels in some villages near Chernobyl were 5 million Bq/m2.


...The soil measurements are more significant for evacuation purposes than radioactivity in the air, says nuclear engineer Shih-Yew Chen of Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, because cesium dust stays underfoot while air is transient.

Levels of cesium-137 are also more important than soil readings of iodine-131, which is short-lived and more of a concern in milk and vegetables. "It's the cesium that would prompt an evacuation," says Chen.

[link to news.sciencemag.org]