Japan's Nuclear Accident Spreading to Some Parts of the United States - MarketWatch

Japan's Nuclear Accident Spreading to Some Parts of the United States - MarketWatch

Universal Detection Technology Comments on Traces of Japanese Radiation Found in US Rain and Food

LOS ANGELES, CA, Oct 17, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Universal Detection Technology ( www.udetection.com ) UNDT -33.33% , a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies that protect against biological, chemical, and radiological threats, commented today on a recent study funded by the US Departments of Energy and Homeland Security that linked elevated radiation in US rain water and food to the nuclear accident in Japan. The study found that following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan, elevated levels of radiation were detected in US rain water as well as vegetables and milk. "The first sample that showed elevated radioactivity was collected on March 18 and levels peaked on March 24 before returning to normal," said the study led by Professor Eric Norman in the department of nuclear engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. The study also noted that "similar gamma ray counting measurements were performed on samples of weeds collected in Oakland and on vegetables and milk sold commercially in the San Francisco Bay area."

On October 19-21, 2011, UNDT will be presenting at the RISCON Safety and Trade Expo in Tokyo, which will feature over 283 exhibitors specializing in the security and safety fields and is sponsored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the National Police Agency and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. UNDT plans to display the full array of its Radiation Detection Devices. These include dosimeter systems used for measurement of cumulative radiation exposures and advanced survey meters and surface monitors used in detection on contamination on surfaces and in particular food and water.

The detected levels of radioactive isotopes caesium iodine and tellurium in the US were small and posed no risk to the public. Nonetheless, such findings reveal the urgency for the public to be prepared to deal with possible natural or manmade disasters. On August 27, 2011, the Japanese government warned that areas surrounding Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant could remain uninhabitable for decades due to high radiation, as it struggles to clean up after the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. If a disaster of such magnitude spreads globally, the consequences can be dire and difficult to predict.

In September, Japanese officials ordered more tests after detecting elevated levels of radiation in rice crops near the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. This underscores how quickly and easily contamination can spread to the food and water supply, making it ever more important to respond and contain the damage as quickly as possible.

UNDT is committed to supplying cutting edge equipment for detection of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. The Company has actively used its resources to provide much needed radiation detection systems to Japan in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident.

These include dosimeter systems used for measurement of cumulative radiation exposures and advanced survey meters and surface monitors used in detection on contamination on surfaces and in particular food and water.