Parents demand lower radiation limit for children

A group of parents of school children is calling for lowering the government-set radiation limit for children.

The group is from Fukushima Prefecture, where a crippled nuclear power plant is posing the danger of nuclear contamination.

On Monday, members of the group visited the education ministry and submitted a petition bearing more than 15,000 signatures.

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident, the government set the yearly limit for accumulated external radiation for children undertaking outdoor activities at 20 millisieverts.

The parents have been pointing out that the government safety level is too high for children and are demanding that it be lowered to 1 millisievert per year.

One millisievert per year is the level recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection as a long-term annual reference level for humans.

The parents say the government should take as many measures as possible to reduce children's radiation exposure, such as removing contaminated topsoil from schoolyards.

A ministry official admitted that the 20-millisievert yearly level is not necessarily an appropriate limit for children. The official told the group that the ministry wants to consider all possible measures to reduce radiation risk