"Highly toxic radioactive strontium has been found in groundwater near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
It is the first time the substance has been detected in groundwater near the plant's No. 1 and No. 2 reactors.
The operator of the Fukushima plant has also confirmed strontium up to 240 times the legal limit has been found in seawater near the facility.
Strontium tends to accumulate in bones and can cause bone cancer and leukaemia.
"Last week, soil samples from outside the Fukushima plant also revealed concentrations of strontium." ABC News
Fukushima city officials say they will distribute radiation readers to 30,000 children between the ages of four and 15. ABC News
News reports vary as to when the children will receive the badges.