Half-Life and Death: Radioactive Drinking Water Scare in Japan Subsides, but Questions Remain
Three weeks after the earthquake and tsunami that crippled Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant workers have made some headway in cooling the facility's overheated fuel rods. But overall, the situation remains "very serious," according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) . Despite the ongoing work to stabilize the plant and fears that radioactive materials had contaminated tap water as far away as Tokyo, 240 kilometers to the south, most of the recommended restrictions on drinking water have been lifted. Still, the presence of radioactive iodine and cesium in the water supply--four villages in Fukushima Prefecture are still recommending that children less than one year old not be given tap water--raises public health questions moving forward. [More]