Japan's neighbors order strengthened radiation monitoring of shipments

PanARMENIAN.Net - Japan's neighbors have ordered strengthened radiation monitoring of shipments from the earthquake-stricken country amid its frantic attempts to cool overheating reactors at a damaged nuclear power plant. The UN health body said there was no evidence of contamination outside Japan.

Regulators in China, which is Japan's largest trading partner, issued an order Wednesday, March 16, calling for radiation monitoring to track any goods possibly contaminated by leaks from nuclear power reactors damaged by Friday's 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. Several other Asian nations were taking similar precautions.

A statement from the World Health Organization's China representative Michael O'Leary said WHO "would like to assure governments and members of the public that there is no evidence at this time of any significant international spread from the nuclear site" in Japan's northeast. The statement also warned against rumors falsely saying a radiation cloud was spreading across Asia, The Associated Press reported.

Japan ordered emergency workers to withdraw from the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima on Wednesday amid a surge in radiation, temporarily suspending efforts to cool the overheating reactors.