Barack Obama has appealed for calm today after a UN agency predicted that a nuclear plume from Japan is set to hit the U.S. West Coast by tomorrow. The President said no dangerous levels of radiation are expected to reach the U.S. as Japan runs out of time to prevent what officials are calling 'another Chernobyl'. He spoke as officials in Dallas denied reports that radiation had been detected on passengers landing there from Japan, and Chicago refused to confirm claims passengers tested positive for radiation at O'Hare airport. And last night there were also fears that particles from the cloud could cross the Atlantic and eventually reach Europe. Lars-Erik De Geer, research director at the Swedish Defence Research Institute, said levels were not dangerous for people but predicted particles would continue across the US then the Atlantic and would eventually also reach Europe. 'It is not something you see normally but it is not high from any danger point of view,' he said. 'It is only a question of very, very low activities so it is nothing for people to worry about.' A Chicago Aviation Department spokesman refused to confirm that radiation has been found at the airport, saying only that Customs and Border Protection are doing additional screenings. But a spokesman at the Dallas Fort Worth airport said no passengers had tested positive for any radiation. Customs had discovered minute levels of radiation on a flight yesterday during a routine screening - but it was related to medical equipment, not nuclear energy, the spokesman said. With terrified passengers packing Tokyo airport after scores governments, including the U.S., advised their citizens to flee, the fear of radiation arriving on flights from Japan is set to increase. Meanwhile in America, worried citizens are trying to protect themselves against the nuclear fallout with gas masks and anti-radiation tablets after U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin warned them to 'be prepared' for harmful radiation. Some are even buying pet shelters with gas filters. But today Mr Obama said he does not expect any harmful levels of radiation to reach the U.S. U.S. Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano told the AP today that no harmful levels of radiation have reached the U.S. (Daily Mail)Friday 18 March 2011
Barack Obama pleads for calm as UN warns radiation 'plume' from Japan quake could hit U.S. today before eventually reaching Europe
Barack Obama has appealed for calm today after a UN agency predicted that a nuclear plume from Japan is set to hit the U.S. West Coast by tomorrow. The President said no dangerous levels of radiation are expected to reach the U.S. as Japan runs out of time to prevent what officials are calling 'another Chernobyl'. He spoke as officials in Dallas denied reports that radiation had been detected on passengers landing there from Japan, and Chicago refused to confirm claims passengers tested positive for radiation at O'Hare airport. And last night there were also fears that particles from the cloud could cross the Atlantic and eventually reach Europe. Lars-Erik De Geer, research director at the Swedish Defence Research Institute, said levels were not dangerous for people but predicted particles would continue across the US then the Atlantic and would eventually also reach Europe. 'It is not something you see normally but it is not high from any danger point of view,' he said. 'It is only a question of very, very low activities so it is nothing for people to worry about.' A Chicago Aviation Department spokesman refused to confirm that radiation has been found at the airport, saying only that Customs and Border Protection are doing additional screenings. But a spokesman at the Dallas Fort Worth airport said no passengers had tested positive for any radiation. Customs had discovered minute levels of radiation on a flight yesterday during a routine screening - but it was related to medical equipment, not nuclear energy, the spokesman said. With terrified passengers packing Tokyo airport after scores governments, including the U.S., advised their citizens to flee, the fear of radiation arriving on flights from Japan is set to increase. Meanwhile in America, worried citizens are trying to protect themselves against the nuclear fallout with gas masks and anti-radiation tablets after U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin warned them to 'be prepared' for harmful radiation. Some are even buying pet shelters with gas filters. But today Mr Obama said he does not expect any harmful levels of radiation to reach the U.S. U.S. Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano told the AP today that no harmful levels of radiation have reached the U.S. (Daily Mail)