» Lake Biwa would receive fallout if nuclear disaster occurs

2014/01/21

If a Fukushima-style nuclear disaster were to occur in Fukui Prefecture, 26 percent of the surface of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture would receive radioactive fallout exceeding the country’s threshold allowable for drinking water, Shiga officials speculated.

The prefecture’s forecast assumed the fallout of radioactive iodine would be the same as what occurred when the Fukushima No. 1 plant suffered three meltdowns in March 2011.

Last November, Shiga officials announced estimates that a nuclear disaster in Fukui might cause radioactive fallout exceeding safe levels to cover up to 21.7 percent of Lake Biwa’s surface.The forecast this time has been prepared based on meteorological conditions that would likely affect the lake, including wind patterns and the amount of rainfall observed in Shiga Prefecture from fiscal 2010 to 2012.

<Media Report>
Shiga ups Biwa’s Fukui fallout threat (Japan Times)

Tags:contamination, news

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