"From the perspective of protecting human health from radiation, it is clear that they unfortunately cannot continue to live in their homes"

CNN has reported that on June 19th it was announced that all 15 persons tested last month by Nanao Kamada at the Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine of Hiroshima University were positive for internal radioactive contamination, such as with cesium and iodine (detected in urine). The evacuated residents from Iitate and Kawamata towns, 25 miles northwest of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, ranged in age from 4 to 77 years old. Their towns are well outside the primary 19 mile evacuation zone, but were evacuated over two months after the catastrophic radioactivity releases began because of the undeniable intense fallout falling with rain onto their mountainous communities. Given confirmed external exposure levels as high as 4.9 and 13.5 millisieverts (0.5 rem to 1.35 rem) in just two months of exposure, Kamada was moved to say "From the perspective of protecting human health from radiation, it is clear that they unfortunately cannot continue to live in their homes."

Japan Times Online also reported on this story, quoting Kamada as saying "This won't be a problem if they don't eat vegetables or other products that are contaminated...But it will be difficult for people to continue living in these areas...The figures did not exceed the maximum of 20 millisieverts a year, but we want residents to use these results to make decisions (to move)." But 20 millisieverts, or 2 rem, per year is the amount of radioactivity German nuclear power plant workers are limited to.