Via The Japan Times: High radiation found outside no-go zone. Excerpt:
The International Atomic Energy Agency weighed in on the simmering nuclear crisis with alarming radiation data, but the government said Thursday it has no plans for now to expand the current evacuation zone.
The international nuclear watchdog said Wednesday in Geneva it detected about 2 million becquerels of radioactive substances per square meter, double the IAEA limit to prompt an evacuation of residents, in soil samples from the village of Iitate about 40 km northwest of the Fukushima No. 1 plant.
With the data, the IAEA effectively urged the government to expand the current no-go zone of 20 km around the plant. Residents of areas 20 km to 30 km of the plant are advised to stay indoors.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano only said the government may consider expanding the mandatory evacuation zone if the higher levels of radiation continue.
"If a person is exposed to the radiation levels exceeding the IAEA criteria for a long time, it might affect their health because radioactive substances could accumulate in the body," Edano said. "If that is the case, we need to consider evacuating residents from the area."
But for now, he said, the government will conduct air and soil monitoring in a more detailed manner at Iitate, where about 100 people still resides.
If you go to the IAEA through the "sad Wednesday" link above, scroll down to the "Radiation Monitoring" section; the relevant information is in the fourth paragraph, expressed in very bland language: "one of the IAEA operational criteria for evacuation is exceeded in Iitate village."
