Full Focus

A man rows a boat near a house built on a rock on the river Drina near the western Serbian town of Bajina Basta, about 160km (99 miles) from the capital Belgrade May 22, 2013. The house was built in 1968 by a group of young men who decided that the rock on the river was an ideal place for a tiny shelter, according to the house's co-owner, who was among those involved in its construction. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Editor's choice

Our top photos from the past week.   Slideshow 

Pictures

Photo

Reuters Photojournalism

Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography.  See more | Photo caption 

Photo

Devastated by Tornado

A huge tornado tears through an Oklahoma City suburb.  Slideshow 

Photo

Message of humility

A religious fraternity in Rio considers the election of Pope Francis, a confirmation of their beliefs in poverty and simplicity.  Slideshow 

Sponsored Links

Radiation level falls at Japan Fukushima plant: agency

A handout photo shows Tokyo Electric Power Co. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant reactor no. 4 (center) and no. 3 (L) in northern Japan March 15, 2011. REUTERS/Tokyo Electric Power Co./Handout

A handout photo shows Tokyo Electric Power Co. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant reactor no. 4 (center) and no. 3 (L) in northern Japan March 15, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Tokyo Electric Power Co./Handout

Related Topics

TOKYO | Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:42pm EDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - The level of radiation detected at the Tokyo Electric Power Co Fukushima plant has fallen steadily over the past 12 hours, an official at Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said on Thursday.

A level of 752 microsieverts per hour was recorded at the plant's main gate at 5 p.m. (0800 GMT) on Wednesday, said the official, Tetsuo Ohmura. The monitoring point was then changed to the plant's west gate and readings were taken every 30 minutes, he said. At 5 a.m. the reading was 338 microsieverts per hour.

That level was still much higher then it should be, but was not dangerous, and that by comparison absorption of a level of 400 was normal from being outside over the course of a year, Ohmura said.

(Reporting by Terril Jones)
World
Japan
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (5)
BlueEagle wrote:
West gate! The wind flows east, so the levels would be much less on the west gate. What are they at the main gate?

Mar 16, 2011 7:44pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
kennethss wrote:
Doing the math, at this rate of release people in the immediate vicinity could be getting radiation equivalent to two brain CT scans, or one chest CT, per day.

Mar 16, 2011 8:14pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
malefidus wrote:
Exactly, BlueEagle – Wind is coming from the west. They moved their point of measurement up wind. They measured 752 microsieverts per hour at the main gate, then stopped reporting on the levels at the main gate and started reporting levels at the west gate instead. There, they measured 338 microsieverts per hour and started saying ‘Look everyone, it’s decreasing!’.

This is the equivalent of standing in front of a flashlight, saying “Wow, that’s bright” then moving around behind the flashlight and saying “Look everyone, it’s not as bright anymore!”.

Mar 16, 2011 8:25pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.
See All Comments »