[LINK] Geiger counters hot -and- *confirmed* meltdowns in three of Fukushima's reactors

[Kim Holburn]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/27/3228865.htm

> Geiger counters sell out in Japan
> 
> By North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy
> 
> The hot, new, must-have item in Japan is not the latest smartphone or computer pad, but a geiger counter - a device that measures radiation.
> 
> After the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant this week confirmed meltdowns in three of the facility's reactors, geiger counters have sold out in most electronics shops.
> 
> "Before, no-one even looked at geiger counters or knew the name of them," electronics store manager Makoto Ogasawara said.
> 
> "But ever since the massive earthquake struck, people have become very interested in them. So we are selling 100 times more geiger  counters than before."
> 
> The reason for this surge in sales is simple - good old-fashioned scepticism, even cynicism, directed at Japanese authorities and the operators of the Fukushima plant.
> 
> Many people simply do not believe the information that is being released, while others say the extent of the disaster at Fukushima is being covered up.
> 
> Another cause for concern is that radioactive traces above safety standards have been detected in crops grown well away from Fukushima - for example, a tea plantation even further south from the plant than Tokyo.
> 
> "I don't think that the information you got of the real information in Japan that is the problem," said Bruno Menard, a French chef living in the capital.
> 
> "I mean, I checked this morning, a French company in French, there was some warning that the level is very high around Fukushima and especially when it is raining, we have to be concerned."
> 
> Mr Menard has much to be concerned about. Rain is predicted for the rest of the week in Tokyo and the shops are sold out of geiger counters.
> 
> Manufacturers of these gadgets, like Japan's Fuji Electric, are among the very few industries to benefit financially from this nuclear disaster.
> 
> Its factory is working around the clock to meet the soaring demand.
> 
> "We are producing four to five times the number of geiger counters than before," Fuji Electric chief executive Michihiro Kitazawa said.
> 
> "We have also been producing devices that are easier for people to operate."
> 
> The factory produces about 2,000 geiger counters every month.
> 
> Right now that is nowhere near enough to keep up with demand - the ABC's Tokyo office ordered one weeks ago and has been told it will not arrive until well into next month.


-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
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