Low Levels of Radioactive Iodine Detected in China Harmless

The low levels of radioactive iodine-131 that have been detected in the air above China's northeastern Heilongjiang Province do not post a threat to public health, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Sunday.

No protective measures are needed as the levels of detected iodine-131 are very low and do not pose a threat, the CDC said in a statement.

The discovery of the radioactive material is a sign that some radioactive material released from Japan's crippled nuclear power plant has reached China, but it will not affect public health, the CDC said.

China's authorities are monitoring the situation and are continuing to determine whether Japan's nuclear leak will affect China, the CDC said, adding the government will release information about the situation in a timely manner.

China's local health care authorities have designated health care organizations for conducting radioactive contamination tests and related medical procedures, the CDC said.

China's National Nuclear Emergency Coordination Committee announced on Saturday that low levels of radioactive iodine-131 had been detected in the air above Heilongjiang Province.

The committee said the detected levels of iodine-131 were below one-hundred-thousandth of the average annual exposure level and were not considered to be harmful.