Radiation Symbol over Washington State Map

Trace levels of radiation from Japan were detected in Washington on Monday.

Trace levels of radiation from Japan were detected in Washington on Monday, but health officials say levels are too low to be a health concern.

The Washington State Department of Health published a news release saying the small amounts of radioactive material are “millions of times lower than levels that would be a health concern.”

“The positive results are consistent with findings reported by federal and Canadian partners and by independent researchers. As expected, because of the distance from Japan and air mixing, radiation reaching our state is so diluted there is no health risk here, making protective action unnecessary,” officials said in the release.

The department advises Washington residents to refrain from taking potassium iodide as it is only meant for “people who work in or around nuclear power plants during an emergency, or who live near such a plant and can’t get away.”

For more information, visit the Department of Health’s Japan earthquake page and its air monitoring data page. Both are updated daily.

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