Philippines detects radiation from Japan Fukushima Nuclear plant

The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (NSRI) said a small amount of radiation from the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Nuclear Plant in northeastern Japan has been detected in the Philippines.

Inquirer.net reports, "We have detected the isotopes, but we would like to ask the public not to panic," Tina Cerbolis, a spokeswoman for the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (NSRI), told Agence France-Presse. "These are very tiny amounts in the air." "Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr. said the radiation monitoring equipment in Tanay, Rizal, had picked up increased isotopes from the nuclear disaster in Japan, but that the amount was so minuscule that it did not pose any health risk.", the report added. The Science Undersecretary has assured Filipinos the radiation level detected was very small and will not be harmful to the population. The NSRI advisory which was released Tuesday said: "Environment radiation monitoring around the world, including [in] the Philippines has detected very tiny amounts of radioactive isotopes, which appeared to be coming from the Fukushima nuclear power plant and which pose no human health hazards," Radiation leaks have been detected at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Japan which triggered a monster tsunami that struck the power facility, damaging the reactors and the plant's cooling machinery and equipment. Earlier Japan reported an abrupt upward reading of the plant's radioactive levels to 10 million times more than the acceptable level. This was however corrected later at only 100,000 times greater that the acceptable levels. "Based on the PAGASA [Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration] model, air parcel coming from northern Japan is forecast to move east towards the Pacific Ocean for the next three days," it said. The nearest major Philippine coastline to the badly -damaged Fukushima Nuclear Plant is approximately 2,500km to the southwest, while Manila is around 500 kilometers further.