Government Radiation Monitors Confirm No Radiation Threat to U.S.

In the wake of the earthquake in Japan and the near meltdown at a Japanese nuclear power plant, there has been speculation about hazardous radiation reaching the west coast of the United States. The Department of Energy, along with the EPA, released a statement this week confirming that no radiation levels of any concern to public health have been detected.

The information is based on the extensive network of radiation monitors, known as the RadNet system, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has at locations around the country. This system, designed to provide real-time notification of increased radiation levels, was monitored, in conjunction with similar equipment located at DOE facilities, to assess any level of threat.

Using the DOE’s International Monitoring System (IMS), designed to monitor for even trace amounts of radioactive materials resulting from any underground nuclear tests around the world, the agency was able to detect only extremely low quantities of radioactive particles. The DOE statement indicated that the levels detected are about 100,000 times less than radiation levels from natural sources in the environment including the sun.

Source: U.S. Dept of Energy