Fukushima fallout reaches Europe, but traces tiny

[The Northerner]

VIENNA – Minuscule particles of fallout from a damaged power plant in Japan have reached Iceland and are expected in France and elsewhere in Europe, experts said on Wednesday, but stressed they don't pose a health risk.

Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex was hit March 11 by a huge earthquake and massive tsunami, causing it to release radiation, and sparking fears of widespread contamination.

A plume carrying trace amounts of radioactive iodine has been detected in Iceland, the country's Radiation Safety Authority said. However, it added, the concentration was "less than a millionth" of what was found in European countries in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster that spewed radiation over a large distance.

Recollections of the accident's aftermath continue to haunt many Europeans, putting them on edge as they watch the Japanese nuclear crisis unfold.

"We thus conclude that there is no reason to worry about radioactivity levels in Iceland, nor anywhere in Europe, resulting from the nuclear accident in Japan," said Sigurdur Emil Palsson, head of emergency preparedness.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110323/ap_on_re_eu/eu_europe_japan_radiation_2

[Dogmudgeon]

1. That's why it's imopssible to hide radiation leaks

We can detect nearly ANY change in background radiation.

Of course, such a small portion of our population has any accurate information on how it's measured and what its effects are (scientifically-described, not the product of pop cynicism) that the mere WORD "radiation" can cause severe mental illness.

--d!

[MineralMan]

2. +1