I received the following message from the City's Health Officer in response to constituent inquires about precautions needed due to the radiation in Japan:
I was just on a statewide conference call, and the radiologic experts at the state continue to emphasize that the nuclear reactor problems in Japan are extremely unlikely to pose any health threat to the US due to the types of releases that have occurred so far, the weather conditions in Japan (rain and snow for last 3 days) and the distance between Japan and the US (5000 miles). As a precautionary measure, there are numerous radiation monitors throughout the state, which are very good at picking up changes in radiation levels, and no change has been detected to date. As a mother myself, I have absolutely no concern about this affecting the health of my child. If anything changes, we will certainly put out recommendations for what people should do to protect themselves.
Helene Calvet, M.D.
Health Officer and TB Controller
Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services
2525 Grand Ave., Long Beach, CA 90815
Phone (562) 570-4047, Fax (562) 570-4049
