IAEA: Japan (earlier this week) advised iodine for people near plant

[Hannah Bell]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/19/us-japan-nuclear-iodine-iaea-idUSTRE72I11S20110319

(Reuters) - Japanese authorities earlier this week issued a recommendation that people leaving the area near a tsunami-crippled nuclear power plant should ingest iodine, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Saturday.

On March 16, "Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission recommended local authorities to instruct evacuees leaving the 20-kilometre area to ingest stable (not radioactive) iodine," the IAEA said.

The order recommended a single dose of pills for adults and syrup for children -- with the amount dependent on age -- but that it was not necessary for people older than 40.

Radiation levels at the plant spiked three times since last week's earthquake, but have stabilized since March 16, it said.