Japan hit by radiation-tainted water, but Tokyo conditions improve

TOKYO, March 24 Kyodo - Water with radiation levels considered to be unsafe for infants to drink has been found at several purification plants outside of Tokyo, local officials said Thursday, while Japanese authorities have been trying hard to increase the supply of bottled water in light of the drawn-out crisis at a quake-hit nuclear power plant.
The city of Hitachi in Ibaraki Prefecture said it detected traces of radioactive iodine more than twice the stipulated safe limit for infants in water taken from a purification plant on Wednesday.
The city said levels of iodine-131 rose to 298 becquerels per 1 kilogram of water at the plant. The amount detected is almost on par with the 300-becquerel limit for people other than infants.
Chiba prefectural officials also recommended that residents not give tap water to infants as levels of the iodine rose to 220 becquerels per 1 kilogram of water at one of its filtration plants and 180 becquerels at another facility. The samples were taken on Wednesday from the two plants located both in Matsudo.
The announcements came just a day after the Tokyo metropolitan government said it detected 210 becquerels of radioactive iodine on Tuesday at a water purification plant and advised that infants in its 23 wards and five cities -- Musashino, Mitaka, Machida, Tama and Inagi -- not be given tap water, just in case.
But its survey conducted Thursday showed that the levels dropped to 79 becquerels at the purification plant in question, located in the Kanamachi district of Katsushika Ward, Tokyo officials said.
Following the latest findings, the Tokyo officials said it will no longer warn against consumption of tap water in the metropolitan area.
''I believe readings will go up and down. But even if levels exceed standards temporarily, it will be no problem as long as they stay (most of the time) within the range throughout the year,'' Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said at a news conference. ''I hope people in Tokyo would act calmly.''
Still, people in the capital area -- located about 220 kilometers from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant -- and elsewhere continued to buy up limited supplies of bottled water from shops and vending machines.
An Ito-Yokado supermarket in Matsudo gave preference to consumers with documents showing they have children under 1 year old to purchase water. Parents stood in a long line but all the bottled water prepared was sold out in one hour.
''I rushed to the store after hearing about the priority sales,'' Shinichi Udagawa, a 38-year-old company employee, said after he could not buy water. ''I don't have information where I can obtain it.''
Under such circumstance, the metropolitan government on Thursday started distributing a total of 240,000 bottles of water, each containing 550 milliliters, to families with infants. The officials said three bottles will be given per infant.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference that the government will ask firms to increase their output of bottled water.
Edano also said the government does not rule out the possibility of importing more bottled water from abroad.
The top government spokesman, however, reiterated that levels of radiation so far detected pose no risk to the health of children and adults, asking people without infants to refrain from buying up bottled water.
The city of Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture also said the iodine rose to 120 becquerels per 1 kilogram of water at its treatment facility on Tuesday, adding that the levels on Thursday have stayed below the limit of 100 becquerels for infants.
Kawaguchi officials said tap water in the city is safe enough and they would not issue a warning on its consumption.
Miyabi Ishikawa, the mother of a 4-month-old girl, nonetheless said she remains concerned about using tap water to make her daughter's milk.
''I wonder what I should do from now,'' the 28-year-old said.