Associated Press
Posted date: March 28, 2011
BOSTON—Health officials said Sunday that one sample of Massachusetts rainwater has registered very low concentrations of radiation, most likely from the Japanese nuclear power plant damaged earlier this month by an earthquake and tsunami.John Auerbach, the Massachusetts commissioner of public health, said that the radioactive isotope iodine-131 found in the sample — one of more than 100 that have been taken around the country — has a short life of only eight days. He said the drinking water supply in the state was unaffected and officials do not expect any health concerns.
Nevada, California, Hawaii, Colorado and Washington state have also reported tiny amounts of radiation from the Japan accident. Officials have said those levels presented no health risks.The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said the in-state sample was taken in the past week, but they did not say where. The testing is part of a US Environmental Protection Agency network that monitors for radioactivity.State officials said similar testing was done in California, Pennsylvania, Washington state and other states, and showed comparable levels of I-131 in rain.Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. directed the Department of Environmental Protection to collect additional samples for testing from several water bodies across Massachusetts. Results will be available over the next several days.In Nevada, extremely small amounts of the radioactive isotopes iodine-131 and xenon-133 reached a monitoring station by Las Vegas' Atomic Testing Museum this week, said Ted Hartwell, manager of the Desert Research Institute's Community Environmental Monitoring Program.
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