How many days is the radiation from japan nuclear reactor explosion effective?

Powder Springs

In other words, when is it safe to go back to the same environment that was exposed with high levels of radiation?



Newtown

Really difficult to know until more information comes out. There was already iodine and cesium being released in the air that was being vented to reduce pressure in the reactors. Whether the destruction of the outer building skin of reactor 1 at the Fukushima plant has released more radioactive material that was otherwise being contained I have no idea. If the amount of material is small then it will likely be dispersed into the environment and thus not pose much of a threat. A major release of material could lead to much longer term issues. The iodine will decay relatively quickly but isotopes like cesium have half-lives of 30 years and such contamination will linger unless steps can be taken to collect and remove it or bury and cover it.