The situation around the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant is not getting better.  Radiation contamination is spreading, and increasing.

Officials say the radiation levels at the damaged nuclear plant continue to increase, making it more difficult for workers struggling to get the facility under control.  Tokyo Electric Power Company says radiation levels at the nuclear reactor buildings are still to high for humans to approach.

Radiation levels are increasing outside the now mandatory evacuation zones.  The Fukushima state government has issued a warning to people outside the evacuation zones, saying they should limit their time outdoors.  School playgrounds and public parks are being monitored for contamination.  Already five public parks, outside the evac zones, are showing contamination at, or above, the safe limits set by the prefectural government.  Officials are telling residents, and visitors, to limit their time at those parks to no more than one hour per day.

The increasing radiation levels being reported by local governments contradicts the Japanese Prime Minister’s office, which said the risk of radiation leaks is receding.