Traces of radiation felt in Beijing and other cities

PTI Updated - March 30, 2011 at 07:29 PM.

Traces of radiation from ruptured Japanese nuclear power plant are being felt in several parts of China and low levels of radioactive iodine-131 were detected in the air in Beijing, Tianjin, Ningxia Hui, Shandong, Hebei, Henan and Shanxi provinces.

Caesium-137 and caesium-134, (radioactive alkali metal) was detected at very low levels, in Anhui and Guangdong provinces, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China's National Nuclear Emergency Coordination Committee said.

The committee said the levels of radioactive material were below one-hundred-thousandth of the average annual exposure level.

The findings follow the discovery of iodine-131 in the air above Shanghai on Monday and again yesterday.

The Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau said yesterday's levels were still too low to have any effect on the environment or people's health, official Shanghai Daily reported today.

The traces could take two to three months to disappear from the city, experts said.

Low levels of iodine-131 were detected in Shanghai and other southeastern coastal areas including the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Anhui and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Monday after its detection in Heilongjiang Province at the weekend.

Published on March 30, 2011 13:58