Japanese kids to get radiation meters

TOKYO -- Radiation meters will be distributed to about 34,000 children living in the largest city near the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant to monitor their exposure levels, a city official said yesterday.

The decision to hand out the meters comes amid growing concern over the safety of children as the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant drags on, posing potential long-term health risks.

The devices, called dosimeters, will be distributed in September to children between ages 4 and 15 living in Fukushima city, which has recorded relatively high radiation levels since a massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami severely damaged the nuclear plant.

Dosimeters have already been supplied to area schools but not to each student, according to city official Koichi Kato. Other towns in the area have begun similar measures, but Fukushima's plan is the largest to date.

"We intend to continue the program for about three months," Kato said. "We are still considering whether to expand it further to include other residents." Fukushima city, where about 300,000 people live, is 45 miles from the nuclear facility.

The government has established a 12-mile "no-go" zone around the plant, and a further 6-mile ring outside of that in which residents -- particularly pregnant women and children -- have been instructed to take special precautions and be prepared to evacuate.

Some 80,000 people have been forced from their homes by the crisis, leaving nearby towns almost completely empty. Many children from those towns are now going to classes in or around Fukushima city.

Because Fukushima city is outside the area that has been officially designated as too dangerous to live in, schools, businesses and government offices continue to operate as usual.

But health concerns remain.

Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of radiation, so parents and some private groups have demanded stronger measures to protect them.