Phl still safe from Japan's radioactive winds

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Science of Technology said today that the radiation level in the country remained normal despite explosions and reaction fires at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant yesterday and early today.

In a press briefing, DOST Secretary Mario Montejo said that based on monitoring by the state weather bureau, the movement of the wind is moving away from Japan, towards the Pacific Ocean.

“The pattern of the wind is going away from Japan, towards the east. The wind carrying radioactive materials will not affect any part of the country,” Montejo said.

With no expected disturbances that will affect weather conditions in the next three days, the DOST chief said nuclear radiation from Fukushima will have no significant effect in the Philippines.

He, however, noted that emergency measures are at hand for any untoward incident, adding that the Philippine National Research Institute is continuously monitoring the situation on a 24-hour basis.

He also asked the public to verify the accuracy of text messages on radiation leak before forwarding it to prevent panic.

Meantime, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the fire that hit Fukushima’s nuclear reactor 4 today has already been contained.

But Japanese authorities informed the IAEA that the water level in unit 5 reactor has decreased to 201 cm above the top of the fuel, which may cause another explosion.

Officials at the plant were planning to use an operational diesel generator in unit 6 to supply water to unit 5.

The IAEA also said evacuation of the population from the 20-kilometer zone around the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant has been completed.

Japanese authorities have also advised that people within a 30-km radius to stay indoors. Iodine tablets have been distributed to evacuation centers.

The Japanese government today requested assistance from the IAEA in the areas of environmental monitoring and the effects of radiation on human health, asking for teams of experts to be sent to Japan to assist local experts.