West Coast Preparing for Japan Radiation Scare

March 22nd, 2011

With the unfortunate tsunami incident in Japan, Americans are beginning to raise their concerns for radiation levels. The destruction of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has caused numerous Americans to call for a monitoring of the food and drugs imported from Japan in order to test the radioactivity amongst each object.

Though Japan only exports a fraction of the pharmaceuticals consumed by Americans, The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it  will indeed keep an eye on every import from the country. Japanese authorities have already suspended some domestic shipments of spinach and raw milk after detecting radiation, but maintained that the radiation levels would not pose a hazard danger to the people consuming them.

That has not stopped many Americans from raising their levels of concern. The United States Surgeon General has warned Americans to ‘be prepared’ for radiation from Japan to hit the West Coast, and many Americans have already begun preparing for such an event.

Potassium iodine pills, a medication believed to help fight radiation, has begun to sell at an increasingly rapid rate. Some have begun to be sold second hand as well; packs usually selling for 9.99 have been found to sell for over 200 dollars on auction sites such as eBay. Anbex, a well known drug company, sold out incredibly quickly of their 10,000 strong supply of potassium iodine pills themselves.

President Barack Obama has advised Americans not to panic over the situation, and many experts have countered the statements in saying that there is actually a small chance of the radiation actually reaching America.

Despite the assurances, many Americans are preferring to be safe than sorry.

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Brandon Yu, Senior Managing Editor