PNRI traces ‘tiny amounts’ of radiation from Japan in PHL

(Updated 6:39 p.m.) “Tiny amounts" of radioactive materials from the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan have already reached the Philippines, according to the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI). The PNRI, according to information bulletins posted on its website, has traced “normal" levels of radiation from Japan in the country since last Thursday, ranging from 93 to 123 nanosieverts per hour. The PNRI, however, emphasized that the radiation “poses no human health hazards." [See more information on radiation here.] As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, radiation levels at the PNRI grounds in Quezon City were estimated to be between 94 and 118 nanosieverts per hour, based on the agency’s latest bulletin. Based on the PNRI forecast, air parcel coming from Japan will move east to the Pacific Ocean away from the Philippines and toward the United States in the next three days. A magnitude-8.9 earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami, hit Japan earlier this month, killing thousands and damaging the nuclear power facility in Fukushima Prefecture. This posed a radiation threat to the country and nearby areas. The Japanese government admitted on Monday the presence of high levels of radiation in water flooding the basement of the damaged nuclear reactor, which might seep into the soil or out to the sea. - Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK, GMA News