The Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety has recorded radioactive isotopes Cs-137 in Hanoi’s atmosphere, head of the agency Doctor Trinh Van Giap said. This means that the capital city is now contaminated with both I-131 and Cs-137 isotopes, he said, adding that the contamination is around 500,000 times below the danger level, which will pose no threat to the human health and environment. Stations from Da Lat Nuclear Research Institute based in the central highlands province of Lam Dong have recorded I-131 isotopes, but not Cs-137 ones in the air so far, the institute’s director Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Nhi Dien attributed. Radioactive has also been found in the northern province of Lang Son recently, he added. Cs-137 detection showed that radioactive clouds have arrived in Vietnam, Dien said, confirming that the current level of contamination is too small to pose any health risk. Earlier, the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology announced that local stations have detected I-131 radioactive isotopes in atmosphere, adding that it will become self-disintegrated in 8 days. Nguyen Huu Nghia, head of the Military Institute for Radioactive Medicine and Tumor, said that iodine medicine will be provided for protection in the worst case. (tuoitrenews.vn Mar 30, vietnamplus.vn Mar 30)
