» Evacuees can return home by 2021 according to Gov estimation

2014/06/24

Evacuees can return home in the hardest-hit areas around the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant by 2021, after decontamination work sufficiently reduces radiation levels there, according to government estimates released on June 23.

The Cabinet Office’s working team in charge of assisting the lives of nuclear disaster victims estimated that cleanup efforts and “natural decontamination effects” will cut annual radiation doses by 54 to 76 percent in the “difficult-to-return” zones around the plant.

The numbers were presented to local government leaders at a meeting in the prefectural capital of Fukushima. The meeting was held by the industry ministry’s panel that is promoting reconstruction of coastal areas in Fukushima Prefecture.
The Cabinet Office’s team took into account the results of the Environment Ministry’s model decontamination program in the zones last fiscal year. It also factored in natural decontamination effects based on the half-lives of radioactive substances and the impact of rain, wind and other natural elements.

The estimates are also based on the premise that personal exposure to radiation remains around 70 percent of the air dose rates.

The central government currently plans to allow evacuees to return to their homes when annual radiation doses in each region decline to 20 millisieverts or less.

According to the team’s estimate for areas where 100 millisieverts per year were detected in November, adults who live in wooden houses and stay outside for 6.5 hours a day will be exposed to 6 to 12 millisieverts in 2021 if decontamination work is conducted.
<Media Report>
Estimates of 2021 radiation doses predict drop-off in Fukushima (Japan Times)

Government estimates all Fukushima areas safe for living by 2021 (Asahi Newspaper)

Radiation near nuke plant could be reduced below 20 millisieverts in 2021: gov’t (Mainichi Newspaper)

Tags:decontamination, evacuation, japanese government, news

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