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Risk To Montana From Japan Radiation
From the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
We don’t expect significant levels of radioactivity in our state, and anticipate no health risk. Japan is thousands of miles from our state, and if radioactivity from the reactors there is released to the upper atmosphere it would be thinned-out by the winds before it could reach us. We could see a very small increase in radiation levels — well below levels that would be a health concern. We’re working with federal, state, and local agencies in a coordinated effort to monitor radiation levels in the air and rainwater.
At present, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) says Japan’s nuclear emergency presents no danger to the United States. The NRC is involved in the Japan emergency both at home and in Japan. There’s no need for people here to take protective action.
The events in Japan do not indicate a need for anyone in Montana to take protective action like using KI. The state does not stockpile KI; there are federal stockpiles of medical supplies including KI for distribution to all states if an emergency made that necessary.
We don’t expect significant levels of radioactivity in our state, and anticipate no health risk. Potassium iodide is typically given to people who are very near the source of high levels of radioactive iodine, such as nuclear plant workers or residents near the plant who may not be able to get out of the area soon enough after a nuclear incident. In Japan, for example, the evacuation zone is within 20 kilometers, or about 12 miles, of the plant. We’re thousands of miles away. Due to potential harmful side efforts, DPHHS recommends against KI for people in this state concerned about radiation from the nuclear event in Japan.
RadNet is a national network of monitoring stations that regularly collect air, precipitation, drinking water, and milk samples for analysis of radioactivity. Montana has two RadNet stations (Helena and Billings) that regularly samples environmental sources.
No. We do not expect contamination to be detectable in our drinking water supplies.
