Originally Posted by
nypdLieu
Yaatri,
not to say I told you so, but read this paragraph from the State dept. travel warning regarding wind direction and speed:
"•There are numerous factors in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, including weather, wind direction, and speed, and the nature of the reactor problem that affect the risk of radioactive contamination within this 50-mile (80-km) radius or the possibility of lower-level radioactive materials reaching greater distances."
Its really not as far as some think it is from hitting some heavily populated areas of japan.
This paragraph is a mere statement of the obvious. Your life is at risk depending on the wind and the size of a hurricane. It's a true statement, but in absence of a possibility of a hurricane, there is no risk.
The statement above does not mean that there is any significant risk of radiation in Tokyo, or even at NRT. That statement is true even if there were no damage to the reactors. It merely expresses a possibility. Moreover NRT is a lot farther than 80 km from the damaged reactors.
Here is the advice given by the State Department issued on March 17th.
Consistent with the NRC guidelines that apply to such a situation in the United States, we are recommending, as a precaution, that American citizens who live within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant evacuate the area or to take shelter indoors if safe evacuation is not practical.
And here is the advice from March 16th.
After a careful analysis of data, radiation levels, and damage assessments of all units at Fukushima, our experts are in agreement with the response and measures taken by Japanese technicians, including their recommended 20 km radius for evacuation and additional shelter-in-place recommendations out to 30 km.
It says nothing about Tokyo.