Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Radiation Makes Tokyo Water Unsafe For Kids

Radiation above the levels deemed safe for young children has been detected in Tokyo's tap water.

Officials in the quake-hit Japanese capital said tests had shown 210 becquerels per litre of iodine-131.
The recommended limit for infants is 100 becquerels per litre.
"Under government guidelines, water containing a radioactive substance of more than 100 becquerels per kilogramme should not be used for milk for babies," a government spokesman said.
"It is really scary. It is like a vicious negative spiral from the nuclear disaster," said Etsuko Nomura, who lives in the city with her two young children.
"We have contaminated milk and vegetables, and now tap water in Tokyo, and I'm wondering what's next."
Workers at the country's leaking nuclear complex are hoping to bring an end to the plant's crisis after hooking up power lines to all six of its reactor units.
They will now try to restart the overheated Fukushima site's crucial cooling system, which was knocked out by a tsunami that devastated the country's northeast coast.
The earthquake and tsunami, Japan's worst crisis since the Second World War, swept away entire coastal communities.
More than 9,400 bodies have been counted and more than 14,700 people are listed as missing.
Officials say radiation is still leaking from the nuclear plant, which lies just 155 miles (250km) from Tokyo and its 30 million inhabitants.
Some food imports from quake and tsunami-hit Japan have now been banned in the US due to fears of radiation and nuclear contamination.
American authorities have placed an import alert on all milk products, fresh vegetables and fruits from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma regions.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said: "What is most important is making sure that we help Japan deal with the after-effects of whatever occurred inside the reactors and that we also make sure the Japanese people have all the food that they need during this transition period."
She said the ruling was "as much focused on determining what is or isn't safe for the Japanese people, not just what is safe for export."
The crisis also continues to batter Japan's once-robust economy, with three of the of the country's biggest brands -ToyotaHonda and Sony - badly hit.
Each has been forced to delay a return to normal production due to shortages of parts and raw materials because of earthquake damage to factories in affected areas.
Chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano said: "We must overcome this crisis that we have never experienced in the past, and it's time to make a nationwide effort."

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