[californiadisasters] Fw: [CA_Disc.] US West Coast boosts alert for Japan radiation

Moderator's note:

I'm cross-posting this on the main group because technically it falls
on-topic.

HOWEVER, this is a news report only and warrants no replies or statements of
opinion, thankyouverymuch.
=====================

----- Original Message -----
From: <sunishun@gmail.com>
To: <sunishun@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 4:12 PM
Subject: [CA_Disc.] US West Coast boosts alert for Japan radiation

>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110317/pl_afp/japanquakenuclearhealthmonitors_
> 20110317205046
>
>
>
> http://tinyurl.com/4spz6o3
>
>
>
> US West Coast boosts alert for Japan radiation
>
> - 2 hrs 20 mins ago
>
> LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The United States is boosting radiation monitoring on
> the West Coast and Pacific territories, as officials forecast that low
> levels could be detected in California by Friday.
>
> While authorities say they do not expect harmful levels, the Environmental
> Protection Agency (EPA) is sending the monitoring units to Alaska, Hawaii
> and Guam to boost an existing network, said an official Thursday.
>
> Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official stressed that the move is
> precautionary. "We don't expect any significant amounts of radiation," he
> said, adding that the EPA was expected to brief reporters later in the
day.
>
> The US western states of California, Oregon, and Washington State have
also
> been monitoring for any increase in radiation levels from Japan's
Fukushima
> nuclear power plant, damaged by last Friday's earthquake and tsunami.
>
> California's Emergency Management Department, meanwhile, noted that
> California could detect heightened radiation as early as Friday.
>
> The forecast, by the UN's Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
> Organization, "indicates that monitoring stations in Southern California
may
> be able to detect extremely low levels of radiation late Friday," it said.
>
> "This projection is based on patterns of Pacific winds at the time of the
> forecast and is likely to change as weather patterns shift," it added.
>
> It added that if a radioactive plume moved across the Pacific at its
current
> strength, "it may not be detectable and would pose extremely minor health
> consequences even if trace amounts are detected."
>
> Hawaii is some 4,000 miles (6,500 km) from Japan, while the California
coast
> is some 5,500 miles (8,800 km).
>
> California's emergency department also noted that the US Nuclear
Regulatory
> Commission expects no harmful levels of radioactivity to reach the United
> States from Japan "due to the significant distance between the two
> countries."
>
> President Barack Obama also sought to reassure Americans Thursday, saying:
> "We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the United States,
> whether it is the west coast, Hawaii, Alaska or US territories in the
> Pacific."
>
> The main US manufacturer of potassium iodide pills, which can protect
> against the effects of radiation, ran out of supplies within hours of the
> Japanese earthquake, according to the company's boss.
>
> The decisions to deploy extra radiation monitoring units was made this
week,
> according to the official, who gave no more details on when they would
begin
> operating.
>
>
>
>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110317/pl_afp/japanquakenuclearhealthmonitors_
> 20110317205046
>
>
>
> http://tinyurl.com/4spz6o3
>
>
>
>

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