Fukushima radiation:
No impact here
Chaminda Perera
*Atmosphere monitored
*Intensity less than Chernobyl
The Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Authority yesterday advised against panic
over the alleged threat of radiation following four blasts at a nuclear
power plant in Fukushima in Japan due to failure of the cooling system.
Monitoring
* Imported food items
* Vegetation |
Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Authority Chairman Prof Wimaladharma
Abeywickrama said that there is no impact on Sri Lanka due to a possible
leakage of radiation in the aftermath of blasts that took place at
Fukushima nuclear power plant.
“The International Atomic Energy Authority in Vienna has placed
Japan’s disaster at Level Four which is not so serious as the Chernoby1
nuclear power plant explosion in Russia which was categorized as a Level
Seven accident.
“There is no impact on Sri Lanka and the Authority has started
monitoring the atmosphere, imported food items and vegetation to
ascertain the radiation level as a precautionary measure” he added.
Prof Abeywickrama said that the Japanese Government has only warned
the people living within a radius of a 30 km from the nuclear power
plant in Fukushima where several blasts occurred in various stages.
Addressing a press conference at the Authority, Prof Abeywickrama
added that his Authority is testing samples of milk powder imported by
various companies to the country to ensure that they are not
contaminated with radio active substances after the Chernobyl accident
in the 1980s.
The Authority held a high level meeting with the Met Department and
Disaster Management Centre officials to discuss the possible impact on
the people in Sri Lanka due to the Fukushima nuclear blast and to
provide information about the situation to the people in advance.
He added that the Authority has latest technology and the instruments
to check the radiation level of the atmoshpere.
Met Department Director General S H Kariyawasam said the North and
East monsoonal rain is gradually weakening with the onset of
inter-monsoonal rain.
He added that if the radio active substances were released from the
nuclear plant in disaster-hit Japan, it takes more than one month to
reach the country and there are many countries in between. “It does not
show that the wind is blowing directly from Japan,” Kariyawasam added.
Kariyawasam asserted that there is no possibility of such substances
being carried into Sri Lanka due to the prevailing wind pattern.
Authority Senior Scientist and Co-ordinator of Emergency Response
Planning A Jayalath said that there is a possibility of emission of
various types of radio active substances following an accident in
nuclear power plants and there would be several reactions too.
He said many countries could face the impact of the emission of
radiation from the Fukushima power plant but it depends on several
factors. The impact on the particular country due to this blast is
decided by the wind pattern and the lifetime of radiation substances, he
added. Jayalath added the lifetime of some substances are lesser than
one week and the other substances like CCM are active for more than 30
years.
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