Energy official: No harmful radiation in U.S.
A plume of radiation from Japan's stricken nuclear reactors is expected to reach the U.S. Friday. Computer models show the jet stream carrying those radioactive tars touching the Aleutian Islands before hitting the California coast.
Scientists say the plume will lose its radiation concentration and won't be a threat to people in the West, something President Barack Obama reiterated in a White House statement Thursday. On Friday, deputy U.S. Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman echoed those assurances and downplayed concerns about trace amounts of radiation detected on flights arriving at U.S. airports.
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"We are continuously monitoring the situation. We have monitors in the U.S., [and] we have been sending flights over in Japan to monitor the situation there," Poneman told CBS' "The Early Show." So rest assured that as any new data comes in, we're going to be analyzing it."
Poneman stressed that U.S. is providing extensive and ongoing aid to its Japanese ally, but that the nuclear crisis is, at heart, a Japanese problem.
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"This is a situation that developed in Japan. The reactors are in Japan, and it's their responsibility. They are understandably focused on addressing the situation of the reactors," he said. "We've done everything we can from the Department of Energy to provide the monitoring, the crisis management support that we can and rest assured this is a close friend and a strong ally and we're going to be there for the Japanese people."
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As for the specter of radiation in the U.S., the president is relying on Department of Energy experts and the independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Poneman said. "We expect no harmful levels of radiation to reach the West Coast, to reach Hawaii, Alaska, or any of the pacific territories."
