WHO dismisses public radiation overconcern in China
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A World Health Organization (WHO) official dismissed public overconcern of radioactive fallout here on Friday, noting that the spread of radiation from the Japanese quake-damaged nuclear plant remained localized and would not pose an immediate risk to human health in China.
"The WHO would like to assure governments and members of the public that there is no evidence at this time of any significant international spread from the nuclear site," said WHO China representative Dr. Michael O'Leary at a press conference in Beijing.
Based on the information available to date, WHO believes that there is currently no significant risk to human health for anyone living outside the exclusion zone, he said.
"The risk from radiation depends entirely on exposure which is related to the amount of material released, distance over which it dispersed, and the dose people may be exposed to," O'Leary explained, adding that the WHO had received no information of significant spread of radioactive material beyond the exclusion zone in the past two days.
Rumors had circulated via text message saying a radiation cloud rising from Japan was spreading across Asia and beyond.
O'Leary called on governments and members of the public to take steps to halt such rumors, which were "harmful to public morale."
He also said that it was impossible to consume enough iodized salt to get to the protective dose against radioactivity, after nationwide panic buying of iodized salt Thursday triggered by the mistaken belief that ingesting iodized salt could help guard against radiation sickness.
"Overdose or indiscriminate taking of potassium iodine or other iodine supplements may lead to potential side effect," O'Leary warned, suggesting the people who intend to take iodine supplements should only follow expert recommendations.
The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast coast on March 11, damaged the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant, which subsequently had released radioactive materials into the air.
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