VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Science and
Technology on March 28 announced that a local observing station detected
radioactive substance in the atmosphere but as the content is very limited, it
poses no health hazards.

“The observing
station of the Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology under the Vietnam
Atomic Energy Institute has detectedI-131 radioactive isotopes in the air.
However, the contamination is limited so it poses no health hazards,” the Ministry’s
report released on March 28 says.

Doctor Nguyen Huu
Nghia, head of the Military Institute for Radioactive Medicine and Tumor said
that I – 131 isotopes in small amounts have no harm to humans and will
self-disintegrate in 8 days. In the worst case scenario, iodine medicine will
be distributed to the people for protection.

According to the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), radioactive clouds
formed from leaks in the Japan
nuclear incident will float to the south of Japan. In Southeast Asia,
radioactive clouds are forecasted to reach Indonesia
and Malaysia
on March 28 and 29.

CTBTO’s observing
stations can detect minute contamination - which is practically harmless. The
nearest station to Vietnam
is the one in the Philippines,
which has detected radioactive isotopes.

The clouds are
expected to not arrive in Vietnam
yet but have the tendency to spread and are appearing to be heading towards Vietnam
in the southeast direction.

At the end of March
29, there could be some small radioactive clouds near China’s Hainan
Island and near Vietnam’s southernmost province
of Ca Mau and Phu Quoc Island.

In Japan, the nuclear incident at the Fukushima 1 nuclear plant
is still complicated.

On March 28
afternoon, medical experts met in Hanoi
to discuss plans to cope with the radiation issue.

PV