The B.C. government has said that released nuclear material in Japan is of no threat to British Columbia yet.“Based on present information, we do not expect any health risk following the nuclear reactor releases in Japan, nor is the consumption of potassium iodide tablets a necessary precaution,” said Dr. Perry Kendall, provincial health officer, in a release on March 15.“Small amounts of low-level radiation released from the nuclear reactors in Japan will have been dispersed in the atmosphere there and are not a health risk to British Columbians.“Modelling of possible scenarios suggest that any release into the atmosphere of nuclear particles would take five to six days to reach British Columbia, by which time it would be so dispersed as to be not considered a health risk.“As a result of the terrible tragedy, emergency officials in British Columbia remain in constant contact with Health Canada, the lead department responsible for co-ordinating Canada’s nuclear emergency response. The BC Centre for Disease Control, provincial and federal governments as well as Washington State and international authorities such as the World Health Organization continue to monitor the events, including radiation levels. To date, there have been no reports of nuclear particles from the facility in Japan reaching the west coast of North America.”

Ladysmith Chronicle