Fukushima cesium ‘equals 168 Hiroshimas’ via Global Post

Official figures compare radioactive cesium at Fukushima with World War II blast.

News DeskAugust 25, 2011 09:03

The amount of radioactive cesium-137 that has so far been released by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster is equal to 168 Hiroshima atomic bombs, according to government estimates.

Cesium-137 is a radioactive isotope of cesium, and is the principal source of radiation in the dead zone around the Chernobyl [3] nuclear power plant.

In a report on Thursday, the Japanese daily Tokyo Shimbun said the government calculated that the amount of cesium released in the six months since the three reactors were hit by the earthquake and tsunami is 15,000 tera becquerels.

In comparison, Little Boy [4], the World War II bomb dropped on the western Japanese city of Hiroshima, released 89 tera becquerels.

The figures were submitted by Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s cabinet to a lower house committee.

But despite the estimate, nuclear experts say it is impossible to properly compare the reactor meltdowns at Fukushima with the dropping of an atomic bomb, which was designed to inflict damage.

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◇ Article in Japanese:

・福島第一放出セシウム１３７　広島原爆１６８個分 via 東京新聞