Plutonium detected outside compound of Fukushima plant - 1st Oct 2011

Plutonium detected outside compound of Fukushima plant - 1st Oct 2011

The government has detected plutonium apparently from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant outside the compound of the plant for the first time, science ministry officials said Friday. The plutonium was detected at six locations in Fukushima Prefecture, including Iitate village around 45 kilometers northwest of the Fukushima complex, they said, adding the amounts were small and posed no danger to health.
The radioactive substance may have been carried by vapor or fine particles from the nuclear plant, said an official of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant.
Plutonium has an extremely long half-life and is associated with a high risk of cancer if it enters the human body by breathing or other means. As plutonium is heavy, it does not spread far.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology also detected radioactive strontium at various locations including one around 80 km from the plant.