Radiation Exposure to be a “Fact of Life” for U.S. Military on Japan Rescue

Viola Gienger
Bloomberg
March 16, 2011

Low levels of radiation exposure probably will become “a fact of life” for U.S. military forces flying relief and rescue missions to aid victims of Japan’s earthquake as they near areas affected by leaks from a damaged nuclear plant, according to a U.S. Navy spokesman.

“Having crews return with detectable levels of radiation is going to be a fact of life with this mission for the foreseeable future,” said Lieutenant Anthony Falvo, a spokesman for the Seventh Fleet in Japan. “As long as we take every precaution to ensure that the risk is contained and mitigated, these folks will be just fine.”

The Navy treated two Seventh Fleet air crew members with potassium iodide pills as a precaution this week after they became contaminated with radiation emitted from the damaged nuclear plant at Fukushima.

Read entire article

This article was posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 6:41 am

---

---

---

---