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July 5, 2011

Japan: 45 Percent of Children Near Stricken Plant Exposed to Radiation 
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Officials of the Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission say around 45
percent of children in the Fukushima region have experienced thyroid
exposure to radiation following the nuclear reactor disaster at the
Fukushima Daiichi facility. But officials said only trace amounts of
radiation were detected. The survey was done in late March and does not
reflect any exposure since then. Meanwhile, a new survey of soil at four
locations in the city of Fukushima found that all four samples were
contaminated with radioactive cesium at levels well above the legal
limit. One sample was found to be 90 times the legal limit and higher
than the limit for compulsory resettlement after the 1986 Chernobyl
nuclear accident.



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