State and federal authorities agreed Wednesday that there is
currently no danger to California residents from Japan’s nuclear
emergency, and no reason for residents to be concerned about
possible radiation effects.
State and federal authorities agreed Wednesday that there is currently no danger to California residents from Japan’s nuclear emergency, and no reason for residents to be concerned about possible radiation effects.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has assessed the situation and declared that the release of radiation from Japanese nuclear power plants following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami does not pose a health threat to California residents. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the California Emergency Management Agency are also monitoring the situation.
The California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) radiological branch routinely tests air, water and food supply for radiation safety. CDPH also has a response plan for radiological emergencies in place and stockpiles emergency supplies, including potassium iodide (KI) tablets. Potassium iodide tablets are useful in blocking some types of radiation uptake in the thyroid following confirmed radiation exposure, generally close to the source.
California and San Benito County Public Health authorities do not recommend taking potassium iodide at this time.
“Potassium iodide can have serious side effects and should not be taken unless
medically recommended; it can present a danger to people with allergies to iodine or shellfish, or who have thyroid problems,” said Alvaro Garza, the San Benito County Public Health officer. “We continue to stay in contact with CDPH and we will work together to alert our residents if the situation changes.”
The State has established a hotline to answer questions from residents. For more information, please call the California Department of Public Health at (916) 341-3947. Calls will be answered by a Health Physicist from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All other calls on the situation may be referred to the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) at (916) 845-8510.
