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Details
  • The DOST-PNRI continues to closely monitor the situation at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
  • The condition in the plant remains very serious but is slowly getting better. Some of the highly contaminated water has been transferred to secure storage tanks. Remotely controlled equipment are being used to clear contaminated rubble. The radiation levels inside the plant and surrounding prefectures are steadily going down.
  • The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) of Japan had raised its provisional rating of the severity of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from Level 5 to Level 7 under the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). This new rating considers the accidents that occurred at Units 1, 2 and 3 as a single event on INES and is based on the estimated total release to the environment since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
  • This new rating does not represent a worsening of the situation at the nuclear plant but a reassessment of overall radioactivity releases. Although small releases are still happening, the great bulk of the radioactivity releases to the environment happened during the first week of the accident.
  • The INES rating is not an alert level like a typhoon signal or a volcano alert level and is not intended to be used as a basis for emergency response. On the other hand, the INES rating is similar to the MAGNITUDE SCALE for earthquakes.
  • The radiological and safety impact on the Philippines REMAINS INSIGNIFICANT as it had been since the beginning.
  • The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) air monitoring station in the Philippines being serviced by the DOST-PNRI detected the following radioactivity concentrations:

Day

Iodine-131
*(µBq/m3)

Cesium-134
(µBq/m3)

Cesium-137
(µBq/m3)

March 23

33

4.2

5.7

March 24

480

92

120

March 25

54

6.3

7.7

March 26

20

0.7

0.7

March 27

47

2.6

3.1

March 28

93

4.4

5.3

March 29

130

4.6

5.3

March 30

210

1.7

1.6

March 31

31

Not detected

0.7

April 1

57

4.3

5.7

April 2

61

9.9

12

April 3

160

86

100

April 4

79

53

79

April 5

51

18

20

April 6

21

8.7

11

April 7 to present

Data still being processed by CTBTO

*microbecquerels per cubic meter; 1 microbecquerel = 1 x 10-6 becquerel 

  • The peak values on March 24 correspond to a dose of 131 nanosieverts in a year; sleeping next to someone for 8 hours a day for one year gives a dose of 20,000 nanosieverts because of the natural radioactivity present in the body.
  • Activity Concentration of Soil Samples taken from PNRI grounds:

 

Date Collected

Sample Type

Activity Concentration, Bq/kg

Iodine-131

Cesium-134

Cesium-137

March 23

Topsoil

Not detected

Not detected

**0.064

March 24

Topsoil

Not detected

Not detected

**0.175

Activity Concentration of Water Samples taken from Cagayan and La Mesa Dam:

Date Collected

Sample Type/Site

Activity Concentration, ***mBq/L

Iodine-131

Cesium-134

Cesium-137

April 2

Seawater/Sta. Ana, Cagayan

Not detected

Not detected

**1.66

April 5

Freshwater/La Mesa Dam

Not detected

Not detected

Not detected

Activity Concentration of Samples taken from Cagayan:

Date Collected

Sample Type/Site

Activity Concentration, Bq/kg

Iodine-131

Cesium-134

Cesium-137

April 11

Topsoil/Gattaran, Cagayan

Not detected

Not detected

Not detected

April 12

Fish/Cagayan

Not detected

Not detected

**0.164

** The Cesium-137 levels in the soil, water and fish samples are way below the safe levels. The Cesium-137 is residual activity from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing in the 1950’s and 1960’s and not from the Fukushima accident.

***millibecquerels per liter; 1 millibecquerel = 1 x 10-3 becquerel; some copies of Information Bulletin No.22 may have erroneously stated this as Bq/kg instead of mBq/L

  • Latest DOST-PNRI RADIATION LEVEL CHECK at PNRI grounds as of 9:00 AM, April 14, 2011: 110 nSv/hr (nanosieverts per hour), STATUS: NORMAL

Details
  • The DOST-PNRI continues to closely monitor the situation at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
  • The condition in the plant remains very serious but not worsening despite the recent series of strong aftershocks.
  • There have been media reports that the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is being raised from Level 5 to Level 7 in consideration of the cumulative radioactivity releases. It is believed that the radioactivity released so far is 10% of that of the Chernobyl accident. However, the DOST-PNRI is waiting for the official advisory from the Japanese authorities and the reason for such action.
  • The INES scale is a worldwide tool for communicating to the public in a consistent way the safety significance of nuclear and radiological events. Level 5 is an accident with wide consequences, Level 6 is a serious accident, and Level 7 is a major accident.

Details
  • The DOST-PNRI continues to closely monitor the situation at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
  • The condition in the plant remains very serious but not worsening and there are early signs of recovery in some functions such as electrical power and instrumentation.
  • The DOST-PNRI does not expect that the Philippine waters will be threatened by the discharge of radiation-contaminated water from the Fukushima plant. Cesium and iodine are soluble in water. The Pacific Ocean is so vast with its sheer volume and depth that the radioactive contaminants will be very much diluted and will not pose harm to the Philippine public and marine organisms.
  • To ensure safety of our marine environment and the public, the DOST-PNRI is continuously performing radiological surveillance activities and these include collection, monitoring, and analyses of our marine biota and seawater for radioactivity.
  • The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) air monitoring station in the Philippines being serviced by the DOST-PNRI detected the following radioactivity concentrations:

 

Day

Iodine-131
*(µBq/m3)

Cesium-134
(µBq/m3)

Cesium-137
(µBq/m3)

March 23

33

4.2

5.7

March 24

480

92

120

March 25

54

6.3

7.7

March 26

20

0.7

0.7

March 27

47

2.6

3.1

March 28

93

4.4

5.3

March 29

130

4.6

5.3

March 30

210

1.7

1.6

March 31

31

Not detected

0.7

April 1

57

4.3

5.7

April 2

61

9.9

12

April 3

160

86

100

April 4

79

53

79

April 5

51

18

20

April 6

21

8.7

11

 

*microbecquerels per cubic meter; 1 microbecquerel = 1 x 10-6 becquerel

 

  • The peak values on March 24 correspond to a dose of 131 nanosieverts in a year; sleeping next to someone for 8 hours a day for one year gives a dose of 20,000 nanosieverts because of the natural radioactivity present in the body.
  • Activity Concentration of Soil Samples taken from PNRI grounds:

 

Date Collected

Sample Type

Activity Concentration, Bq/kg

Iodine-131

Cesium-134

Cesium-137

March 23

Topsoil

Not detected

Not detected

**0.064

March 24

Topsoil

Not detected

Not detected

**0.175

 

  • Activity Concentration of Water Samples taken from Cagayan and La Mesa Dam:

 

Date Collected

Sample Type/Site

Activity Concentration, mBq/L

Iodine-131

Cesium-134

Cesium-137

April 2

Seawater/Sta. Ana, Cagayan

Not detected

Not detected

**1.66

April 5

Freshwater/La Mesa Dam

Not detected

Not detected

Not detected

 

**The above Cesium-137 levels in the soil and water samples are way below the safe levels.

 

Details
  • The DOST-PNRI continues to closely monitor the situation at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
  • The condition in the plant remains very serious but not worsening and there are early signs of recovery in some functions such as electrical power and instrumentation.
  • On 6th April, the IAEA reported that the leakage of water from the sidewall of the pit closest to the sea had stopped after coagulation agents (liquid glass) were injected into the holes drilled around the pits. Work continues to prevent further releases to the sea.
  • The DOST-PNRI does not expect that the Philippine waters will be threatened by the discharge of radiation-contaminated water from the Fukushima plant. Cesium and iodine are soluble in water. The Pacific Ocean is so vast with its sheer volume and depth that the radioactive contaminants will be very much diluted and will not pose harm to the Philippine public and marine organisms.
  • To ensure safety of our marine environment and the public, the DOST-PNRI is continuously performing radiological surveillance activities and these include collection, monitoring, and analyses of our marine biota and seawater for radioactivity.
  • As of 4th April, the Japanese Government imposed food restrictions (distribution and/or consumption) in four prefectures (Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma) and in certain locations in Chiba prefecture (Katori City, Tako Town and Asahi City).
  • The IAEA confirms that a 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan at 10:32PM (Manila time), 7 April 2011. The epicenter of the earthquake was 20 km from the Onagawa nuclear power plant and approximately 120 km from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant. TEPCO reported that the earthquake did not cause further damage to the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant. Likewise, conditions are reported safe at the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant which had been on shutdown since March 11, 2011.
  • The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) air monitoring station in the Philippines being serviced by the DOST-PNRI detected the following radioactivity concentrations:

Day

Iodine-131
*(µBq/m3)

Cesium-134
(µBq/m3)

Cesium-137
(µBq/m3)

March 23

33

4.2

5.7

March 24

480

92

120

March 25

54

6.3

7.7

March 26

20

0.7

0.7

March 27

47

2.6

3.1

March 28

93

4.4

5.3

March 29

130

4.6

5.3

March 30

210

1.7

1.6

March 31

31

Not detected

0.7

April 1

57

4.3

5.7

April 2

61

9.9

12

April 3

160

86

100

April 4

79

53

79

April 5

51

18

20

*microbecquerels per cubic meter; 1 microbecquerel = 1 x 10-6 becquerel 

  • The peak values on March 24 correspond to a dose of 131 nanosieverts in a year; sleeping next to someone for 8 hours a day for one year gives a dose of 20,000 nanosieverts because of the natural radioactivity present in the body.
  • Latest DOST-PNRI RADIATION LEVEL CHECK at PNRI grounds as of 9:00 AM, April 8, 2011: 89 to 106 nSv/hr (nanosieverts per hour), STATUS: NORMAL
  • For the latest information, please access the following websites:
  • For further advisories, please call the PNRI trunklines with Tel Nos. 929-6010 to 19 or visit the following: