The Japanese government sent soldiers on a dangerous emergency mission to reduce radiation leaks at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Thursday, The Washington Post
reports. After police failed to keep the reactor cool with water cannons used for riot control, soldiers arrived and dumped 30 tons of water from fire hoses and aircraft on the reactor that was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami earlier this week. The government took these emergency measures after US officials told Americans to stay at least 50 miles away from the plant to avoid radiation. The announcement raised doubts in the Japanese assessment of the situation as the government there is allowing people to be much closer to the plant.
Any amount of ingested radiation is potentially dangerous, even if the effect may not manifest for years or decades. There is no safe dose. Taking reasonable steps to limit exposure to radiation is prudent for all people. Isotopes known to have been distributed from the plant - iodine, strontium, cesium, etc. - bioaccumulate in internal organ and bones. People using Tokyo's water supply should now drink bottled water, if possible. It is unclear whether the radiation detected on the spinach was topical or internal. If it is surficial, then washing/brushing might be able to remove some/most of the radioactive particles. If the radiation was taken up by the roots, then it cannot be removed. Public authorities, TEPCO and media outlets are downplaying the risks and incorrectly saying that the radiation is harmless or safe. Risks may be low or minimal, but not zero.
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