- Title: SWITZERLAND: Japan taking correct health measures says World Health Organisation
- Date: 16th March 2011
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (15 MARCH 2011) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THE UNITED NATIONS' EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS UNITED NATIONS PRESS BRIEFING ROOM WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) DIRECTOR OF WHO'S DEPARTMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT, DR. MARIA NEIRA SITTING IN THE U.N. BRIEFING MARIA NEIRA WALKING OUT OF THE U.N. PRESS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) DEPARTMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT, DR. MARIA NEIRA, SAYING: "What we are saying is that the situation is evolving very, very quickly, so the recommendations need to be adapted to the situation as it is evolving. For the time being, with the current information that is available, with the prevailing situation, with the type of radioactivity that is in the area, the measures of evacuating, the measures of requesting people to stay indoors, and the measures to preposition and eventually distribute potassium-iodide if it's needed, those are the ones that the public health community is recommending or we recommend for this type of scenario." CHIEF OF THE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION DIVISION AT WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION (WMO), MARYAM GOLNARAGHI SPEAKING TO JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHIEF OF THE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION DIVISION AT WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION (WMO), MARYAM GOLNARAGHI, SAYING: "So far, they have been mainly offshore. That is the winds have been dispersing materials introduced into the atmosphere to the open ocean. However, meteorological systems develop and progress." GOLNARAGHI SPEAKING TO JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHIEF OF THE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION DIVISION AT WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION (WMO), MARYAM GOLNARAGHI, SAYING: "Over the course of today and tomorrow, primarily the directions are north- easterly and easterly except for tomorrow, if particles are released in the lower levels of atmosphere or at 1,000m, they will be westerly, they would be towards inland. Now, in terms of amounts of concentration, we don't have information on how much particles are being released at this point." GOLNARAGHI WITH JOURNALISTS
- Embargoed: 30th March 2011 22:37
- Keywords:
- Location: Switzerland, Switzerland
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Health
- Reuters ID: LVA78HWQO70Y6WQX988YJCU97AZJ
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: United Nations agencies addressed Japan's unfolding nuclear crisis on Tuesday (March 15), and according to the World Health Organisation, Japan is taking the right measures, including evacuations, to protect its population from the radioactivity.
"What we are saying is that the situation is evolving very, very quickly, so the recommendations need to be adapted to the situation as it is evolving. For the time being, with the current information that is available, with the prevailing situation, with the type of radioactivity that is in the area, the measures of evacuating, the measures of requesting people to stay indoors, and the measures to preposition and eventually distribute potassium-iodide if it's needed, those are the ones that the public health community is recommending or we recommend for this type of scenario", director of the WHO's department of public health and environment, Dr. Maria Neira said, speaking to Reuters following a UN briefing.
Japan faced potential catastrophe on Tuesday after a quake-crippled nuclear power plant exploded and sent low levels of radiation floating towards Tokyo, prompting some people to flee the capital and others to stock up on essential supplies.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan urged people within 30 km (18 miles) of the facility north of Tokyo to remain indoors and conserve power amid the world's most serious nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986.
According to WHO, people who live more than 30 kilometres away are at much lower risk than those within that zone.
The WHO's network of experts known as REMPAN (Radiation Emergency Medical Preparedness and Assistance Network) was set up in 1987 -- the year after Chernobyl disaster -- and can be deployed in emergencies if a government requests assistance.
It links experts at collaborating centres specialising in diagnosis, monitoring, dosimetry, treatment, and long-term follow-up of radiation injuries, acute radiation syndrome, internal contamination and other radio-pathology.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said that winds are now dispersing radioactive material from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant over the Pacific Ocean, away from Japan and other Asian countries.
But the United Nations agency warned that although winds had blown particles offshore so far, weather conditions could change and it was closely monitoring satellite and other data.
"So far, they have been mainly offshore. That is the winds have been dispersing materials introduced into the atmosphere to the open ocean. However, meteorological systems develop and progress" Maryam Golnaraghi, chief of WMO's disaster risk reduction division said.
The WMO's assessment was based on models derived from data from three meteorological agencies in Japan, China and Russia, as well as other information.
Winds on Tuesday and Wednesday (March 16) in the stricken area would mainly blow out to sea, but particles in low atmospheric levels could be blown inland, Golnaraghi said.
"Over the course of today and tomorrow, primarily the directions are north- easterly and easterly except for tomorrow, if particles are released in the lower levels of atmosphere or at 1,000m, they will be westerly, they would be towards inland. Now, in terms of amounts of concentration, we don't have information on how much particles are being released at this point," she said - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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