Radiation from Japan's Nuclear Crisis Poses No Threat to California

Public health and safety do not face any threat from radiation leaked from nuclear facilities in Japan this week, California Governor Jerry Brown said on Friday.

"As this very tragic situation in Japan unfolds, I want Californians to know that we are closely monitoring any potential impact on our state. I also want to emphasize that there is no threat to the people of California due to radiation in Japan," said Brown.

"The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and our Emergency Management Agency are in constant contact with the federal agencies responsible for monitoring radiation levels in California, and we will tell the public if any precautions become necessary. However, there is no cause for alarm," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, CDPH Interim Director Dr. Howard Backer said that "as both President (Barack) Obama and Governor Brown have stated, there is no threat to California, and so people should not be taking precautionary health measures."

"Potassium iodide is only appropriate for much higher levels of radiation that may be generated within close proximity to a nuclear source," Dr. Backer noted. "Using potassium iodide when inappropriate can result in significant side effects."

Backer said his department "takes the situation in Japan seriously, and we are monitoring it very closely."

Earlier in the day, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said no measurable radiation from failed Japanese reactors has been detected so far in Southern California.

Radiation monitors did not detect any signs of radioactivity in Southern California related to the Japanese nuclear crisis, EPA said.

The EPA deploys 12 air monitors across California out of a total of 124 nationwide. These monitors provide hourly readings of radiation levels. California Air Quality Management District (CAQMD) also said on Friday they saw no elevated radiation levels on the US West Coast from Japan's nuclear power plant disaster.

"At this point we're unable to verify if there are any elevated levels," said Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the CAQMD in San Francisco. "We're not seeing it on our live data in California."

But according to CNN, small amounts of radiation was detected in Sacramento in Northern California Friday morning. The amount of radiation was so small that it posed no threat to human health, the report said.

Amid reports that winds could deliver a "radioactive plume" to the West Coast as early as Friday, California and Los Angeles County officials have urged calm.

Any radiation emitted by the failing Japanese nuclear reactors would dissipate during the 5,000-mile (8,000-kilometer) journey across the Pacific Ocean, health officials said.