Japanese Authorities Close Children's Park in Tokyo Due to High Levels of Radiation

High levels of radiation were detected from a buried material in a park in Tokyo. Japanese authorities closed the park located near Shimoitabashi station in a residential area of Toshima district in northern Tokyo.

Police have closed and barricaded the park as authorities search for the source of the radiation near the children's playground.

Hourly dosage level is almost half the maximum annual dose of 1,000 microsieverts is considered safe for an average person but a high level of radiation of up to 480 microsieverts per hour was detected in the area, a government spokesperson reported.

The detection occurred two days after a drone containing radioactive cesium was found on the roof of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's residence.

Given that the isotopes detected in the drone are not found in nature and are a product of nuclear fusion, authorities believe they could be the result of emissions released during the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster.

Source: Medindia