Japanese Radiation Reaches Region: Not Harmful to Humans

Radiation from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant has reached the region, sparking panic in Lebanon over the possibility of the dangers the radiation poses on human health, according to Israeli reports on Thursday.

Officials from Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research conducted a study in the area to verify whether the radiation had actually reached Lebanon.

The Secretary General of the council Moeen Hamzeh told the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Friday that the council’s Atomic Energy Commission has launched daily rounds to monitor the situation along the entire Lebanese coast and the Bekaa Valley.

It said that until 4:00 pm Thursday, no radiation was detected in Lebanon in the areas that were tested.

Lab reports stated that gas particles contain minimal amounts of radiation, much less than those that reached the area after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

An Nahar said that the radiation levels detected yesterday reached 0.0005 bq per cubic meter, meaning that they are not harmful to human health.

Hamzeh added that the daily sweeps will be increased to more than three times a day to determine whether the radiation levels will increase.