YouTube Radiation Video: 5.77 Microsieverts Per Hour Recorded in Tokyo Suburb
A few days ago, a YouTube user named asuperdry began to upload video clips of radiation measurements in Kashiwa city, a suburb of Tokyo. In several clips he places a dosimeter on the ground and records radiation in of over 5 microsieverts per hour, a level far higher than one would expect in an area that is about 200 kilometers south of Fukushima:
Here’s what he says in the video description:
Another beautiful day in Japan, I am 135 miles / 220 Km south of Fukushima, on the outskirts of the Tokyo area. It is Tuesday, June 7th, as you can see in the video, I just walk outside of my house and …. radiation. The air is not dangerous but the ground is. The radiation is much higher in low lying areas and the government here is desperately trying to keep it quiet.
And this is what he claims in another video:
This whole area for miles around is just blanketed with radiation. The streets and most of the concrete and side walks are with-in normal radiation levels. Its the soil and vegetation as well as anywhere there is dirt and debris and especially around all drains and gutters and in low lying areas.
Is there truth to the video uploader’s claim? Has the area been blanketed by high levels of radiation? Let’s examine a few facts:
- He is using a DP802i dosimeter. As the Tokyo Radiation Levels Facebook group has pointed out, this particular model of dosimeter is known for giving inaccurate readings: “I can’t find much info on this DP802i device but it appears to be wildly inaccurate or you need to leave it there for a long time to get a proper reading. At the 1:50 mark you can see that the white radex geiger counter sitting on top of the thorium mantels is measuring ~2.1 uSv/h. The Dp802i sitting to the left and further away is measuring about 9.3 uSv/h. It is of course not possible to get such a higher reading from further away with less surface area. I think the algorithms of the device is over compensating for the rate of change or it needs a very long time to get a proper idea of dose.”
- The Japanese government is not the only source for information about radiation. Japanese bloggers have been conducting their own radiation measurements in Kashiwa. There are also threads on 2channel in which users in Kashiwa post radiation readings. Another Youtuber even brought her geiger counter to Kashiwa and filmed her own measurement video. Radiation measurements have been taken in the air, on the ground in parks, in flowerbeds, and on the streets. Nobody has recorded anything remotely close to 5.77 microsieverts per hour.
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
So lots concerned Japanese people throughout the Kanto region and even in asuperdry’s city have been making their own radiation measurements, none of which match the numbers in his video. They must be wrong, or all Japan must be in on the conspiracy to cover up the truth and trick poor foreigners into thinking this country is safe….
Update: An in-depth study of radiation levels in Northern Kanto has found that the area around Kashiwa does have higher radiation levels than other areas. However, it is low enough not to be a threat to human health.
[hat tip to Enosp]
