Ngo Dang Nhan, Director of the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Control (VARNSAC), said that the Radioactive Cloud from Reactor No. 4 at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima – Japan would reach Vietnam by March 25.

However, the leader of the national Center for Hydrometeorological Forecast (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) said that it was impossible for the wind to bring any dust or hazardous waste (including radioactive dust) to the West and South-West of Asia in the next couple of days of March or in the next months of April and May.

According to the geographical location, Viet Nam is far from Japan to the South-West and located way below the location of the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant on the latitude direction.

The National Center for hydrometeorological Forecast indentified that after analizing the wind direction in the near future; the radioactive dust from the nuclear power plant in Japan will hardly affect Viet Nam.

Mr. Vuong Huu Tan, chief of Viet Nam Atomic Energy Commission has also said that Radioactive Measuring Stations in Southeast Asia have not found any radionuclide yet.

The two stations in Ha Noi and Da Lat (Vietnam) have not reported any strange signs.

Besides, VARNSAC has examined 3 Vietnamese who have returned from Japan (1 lived in Tokyo, 1 lived in Yokohama and a student in Sendai) for radioactive contamination. The results showed that they were unaffected.

Mr. Phung Huu Hao, Deputy Director of National Fisheries Quality Assurance Department, which belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the imported water and cooking from Japan is showing contamination by radionuclide after examination by authorities.

From now to July 1, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will cooperate with the Ministry of Health to take Japan’s food samples for testing and find solutions for preventing food contaminated with radioactive waste to come to Vietam.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Products Quality Control, we are importing a large amount of poultry meat from Japan, beside vegetables and seafood for our food processing industry.

Mr. Hao also added that in order to import Japan’s food into Vietnam, a Food Safety Certification is required.

Stay indoors in case of radiation

Even if the radiation leaked from Japan’s quake-hit nuclear plant spreads to Vietnam, it will not cause adverse health effects, assured the Vietnamese heath ministry yesterday.

This is due to its low levels of radioactivity, said experts and ministry officials at a Hanoi meeting to discuss the risk of Japan’s leaked radiation.

Even if a radioactive cloud from Japan’s Fukushima I nuclear power plant reaches Vietnam, it is unlikely to be harmful to human health as its radiation level is significantly lower than the levels of radiation exposure that cause health effects, the ministry said.

Radiation can have health impacts only when one is exposed to the radiation source for a long time or to a level of radioactivity that is higher than the acceptable limit, the ministry said.

Currently, radioactivity observation stations in Vietnam take samples of the air every 10 minutes to detect radioactive particles that might come from Japan.

Some instructions

There are two types of radiation exposures: external and internal, Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety said.

External radiation exposure is the exposure originating from a source outside the body; there is no physical contact with the radiation source, and exposure ceases when one leaves the radiation-contaminated area or when the source is removed.

Meanwhile, internal radiation exposure occurs when radioactive substances are inhaled or ingested into the body, for example through eating food infected with radiation or breathing air containing radioactive particles.

In order to protect against radiation, people need to keep themselves apart from the radiation source. In case an exposure is unavoidable, it is necessary to try to reduce the time of exposure as much as possible.

Protection measures include shielding oneself against radiation by taking shelter in concrete houses; wearing helmets and gloves; and not eating or drinking food or water suspected of being tainted with radiation.

When staying in houses to avoid radiation, it is advisable to close all doors and windows, turn off ventilation fans, and put food into closed containers or wrap it up.

In case of a nuclear incident, people should keep calm and follow all instructions from competent agencies, the Agency said.

Source: SGGP