The Department of Health (DOH) assured the public on Monday that the radiation leak from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan poses no immediate threat to the Philippines.
DOH Undersecretary Mario Villaverde debunked rumors that radiation from the nuclear plant that exploded in Japan after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake rocked that country on March 11, will affect the Philippines.
The Department of Science and Technology's (DOST) Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) also assured that there has been no increase in radiation levels in the country.
Japanese authorities are working to prevent a meltdown of its nuclear plant in Fukushima, after its cooling systems failed.
"There is no need for any undue alarm for the public on this issue," Villaverde said.
He added that even in Japan, the leak is not a huge public health and safety threat except in the immediate vicinity of the plant.
Villaverde cited rumors that radiation leak will reach the country at 4 p.m. on Monday and that people exposed to it will experience burns on their skin.
A dzBB report on Monday said students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) were sent home by school authorities because of the radiation threat.
PUP authorities said they know the rumors are not verified but they did not want to risk it in the event that the danger is indeed real.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), meanwhile, appealed to those spreading the text message to refrain from doing so and not treat it as a joke.
"We are appealing not to make jokes especially at this time because all our fellowmen will be affected…This is a serious matter," said NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos, who is the concurrent administrator of the Office of Civil Defense.
Article Source: gmanews.tv
