UC Irvine Professor Says Radiation Cloud From Japan Is Not Damaging
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Professor Charlie Zender from UC Irvine says radiation from the compromised Fukushima Nuclear Plant in northern Japan is heading for the west coast, and will arrive sometime tomorrow in the late afternoon.
But don't change your plans he says the image from the United Nations (UN) showing radiation expanding and ready to attack the west coast, has been widely viewed today but it may be misleading. Believe it or not the bigger this radiation cloud gets, the better. The more it expands the less damaging the effects as it essentially dilutes and loses it's toxicity.
Many associate the word radiation with horror stories like Chernobyl -- experts say this nuclear problem isn't even in the same ballpark, not even for those in Japan -- let alone 5500 miles southeast in southern California.
Causing even more panic in so-cal, was a phony email sent out by a prankster mimicking the LA County Fire Department warning of acid rain tomorrow and enough radiation to cause cancer. The source of that false information is still unknown.
(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
