Problems remain, but Tokyo’s radiation level is safe (a reality check)
This is a very good, detailed summary from the Associate Press filed 40 minutes ago:
There are definitely huge problems remaining, especially in Miyagi and in dealing with the Fukushima power plant. But note this extremely important section and, in particular, the final paragraph regarding Tokyo itself:
From the AP a few minutes ago:
Much of the broader public’s concern has centered on radiation contamination of food and water. The government has already ordered a ban on spinach, canola and raw milk from the prefectures around Fukushima. The sea off the nuclear plant is showing elevated levels of radioactive iodine and cesium, prompting the government to test seafood.
Government officials and health experts say the doses are low and not a threat to human health unless the tainted products are consumed in abnormally excessive quantities.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said that radiation seeping into the environment is a concern and needs to be monitored. IAEA monitoring stations have detected radiation 1,600 times higher than normal levels — but in an area about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the power station, the limit of the evacuation area declared by the government last week.
Radiation at that level, while not high for a single burst, could harm health if sustained. If projected to last three days, radiation at those levels U.S. authorities would order an evacuation as a precaution.
The levels drop dramatically the farther you go from the nuclear complex. In Tokyo, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) south of the plant, levels in recent days have been higher than normal for the city but still only a third of the global average for naturally occurring background radiation.
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doug
Sounds better. I hope