Slightly higher radiation in Ontario

In photo, Minister of energy of the Ontario Brad Duguid a ceremony of inauguration of the completion of the solar project Sarnia in Sarnia, Ontario, last October. Dave Chidley/Canadian Press

Higher than normal levels of radiation were detected in Ontario after the nuclear crisis at the Japan, but officials said Tuesday that the increase is so low that it poses a risk to health.

Energy Minister Brad Duguid said levels increased slightly, but he did not detail specific on the question of whether the increases were found in water, air or food.

"There is some some minor increase in radiation detection, but is not anywhere near something which would have an impact on human health," Duguid said to journalists. "This is not something that Ontario residents need to be too concerned about."

The news comes a day after the Japan has increased the rating of the severity of the crisis in the ravaged Central Fukushima Daiichi nuclear tsunami at the same level as the Chernobyl disaster.

Office of the Minister of energy distributed on some radiation that may "have been organized by the wind" of the Japan in this country and normal background of the Canadian Commission for the nuclear safety and Health Canada information.

"Natural radiation varies from one place to another, but Health Canada data do not show an increase over normal daily fluctuations," said the safety Committee.

"However, very careful of isotopes in the radiation levels have been attributed to the output to the Japan."

The actual increase of radiation "is so low that it is extremely difficult to measure against the normal background radiation, said the commission." "" The conclusions of these detectors more confirm that radiation doses do not present a risk to health for Canadians. ?

Medical officer of Health Dr. Arlene King, Ontario of health Chief, said all the products imported and domestic, tested by the Federal Government are below levels of Health Canada action to harmful radiation.

"Based on current information, I am of the opinion that there is no risk to the health of Ontarians and Ontario of the damaged nuclear installation at the Japan", King said in a statement.

Ontario's Environment Minister John Wilkinson said that there is no problem of radiation with drinking water in the province.

"Ontario's water is safe, but given the situation in the Japan we use increased vigilance," said.

Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell said it belonged to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to determine if there were any radiation in food or milk sold in Ontario.

"All milk that is sold in Ontario is sterilized, pasteurized," said Mitchell.

The Ontario new Democratic Party, said that they could not believe that the provincial Government therefore knows little about the radiation levels one month full after the beginning of the nuclear crisis in the Japan.

"This is quite disconcerting," said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. "The people of this province just want to know that their water is safe, that their food is safe, their milk and it is quite amazing that we could get the answers from the Government today.".

The NDP noted that high levels of radiation already have been reported in several cities in the U.S. is, including in Vermont, Arkansas, California and Arizona milk and water in New Jersey, PennsylvaniaIdaho and the Tennessee.

"It is clear ongoing monitoring in other jurisdictions," said Horwath. "If they are testing and let people know what is happening, Ontario residents should expect nothing less."

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The Japan reactor operator apologises for radiation - Reuters

* TEPCO apologizes to the Japan, neighbours to radiation

* For pumping of radioactive water at sea at the end Sunday

* PM Kan to visit the tsunami zone

* Japan hopes banned agricultural imports from China will remain "reasonable".

By Kiyoshi Takenaka and Chisa Fujioka

(TOKYO, April 10, Reuters) - Japanese power company Executive has apologised for the dissemination of radiation in the air and sea as regulators said the pumping of radioactive water in the waters off the coast of the Japan of a nuclear power plant crippled would end Sunday, one day later than scheduled.

The apology of Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) (9501.T) came a day after China and the Korea of the South is concerned about discharge of contaminated water from the plant of Fukushima Daiichi broken by the earthquake of last monthreflecting the growing international unease over the nuclear crisis of long months.

"I would like to apologize for my heart on the worries and disorders we are causing to society due the release of radiological materials in water of sea and the atmosphere," Sakae Muto, TEPCO vice President, said Saturday.

"We worry and trouble for having taken this decision without taking enough time to explain the case prior to the persons concerned, to the press, the fishing industry and people abroad, and we are sorry to do this""," he added.

In Jakarta, Foreign Affairs Minister Takeaki Matsumoto explained political crisis of Japan with counterparts from the 10 ASEAN countries Saturday and his spokesperson urged the neighbours of the Japan only way to exaggerate the low levels of radiation.

"We are quite sorry on the fact that nuclear power plants are causes these concerns, concerns around the world, but you have to check the level of radioactivity the IAEA spoke,", said spokesman Satoru Sato.

Hidehiko Nishiyama, an Assistant Director-General of the Japan nuclear and industrial safety agency, told reporters Saturday: "we are working on the release of water... we are likely to complete this tomorrow."

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Report on the market of the Japan [.][T]

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The ocean of the Japan radiation strikes 7.5 million times legal limit - Los Angeles Times

A broker walks between fish market fish Hirakata in Kitaibaraki, the Japan, trade for the first time since the disaster of earthquake and tsunami on March 11. (Toru Yamanaka / AFP/Getty Images / April 5, 2011)The operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster of the Japan said Tuesday that he had found radioactive iodine to 7.5 million times the legal limit, in a sea water sample taken near the facility and officials imposed a new limit of radioactivity in fish health.

The reading of iodine-131 was registered Saturday, said Tokyo Electric Power Co.. Another sample taken Monday found at level 5 million times the legal limit. Monday samples were also found to contain radioactive cesium to 1.1 million times the legal limit.

The exact source of the radiation was not immediately clear, although Tepco said that highly contaminated water was leaking a pit near the No. 2 reactor. The utility initially believed that the leak was from a crack, but several attempts to seal the crack failed.

Tuesday, the company said that the leak instead could come from a defective joint, where the sky meets a duct, allowing the water to seep into a layer of gravel below radioactive. The utility said that it might inject "liquid glass" gravel to stop more than leak.

In the meantime, Tepco continued releasing what he described as water contaminated with low levels of radiation in the sea to make space in the storage tanks on-site for more highly contaminated water. In all, the company said it expected release 11 500 tonnes of water, but by Tuesday morning, he had left less than 25% of this amount.

Although the Government has authorized the publication of the 11 500 tonnes and said that any radiation could be quickly diluted and dispersed in the ocean, fish with high readings of iodine are located.

Monday, officials detected more than 4 000 becquerels of iodine 131 per kilogram in a type of fish called a lance took less than three miles off the coast of the city of Kita-Ibaraki. Young fish contained also 447 becquerels of cesium-137, which is considered as more problematic than iodine-131, because it has a much longer half-life.

Tuesday the Secretary to the cabinet Chief Yukio Edano said that the Government impose a standard of 2 000 becquerels of iodine per kilogram of fish, the same level it enables in vegetables. Previously, the Government lacks a specific level for fish. Another route of Lance with 526 becquerels of cesium was detected Tuesday, more than the standard of 500 becquerels per kilogram.

Fishing for sand lances has been suspended. Local fishermen called Tepco to stop the release of radioactive water into the sea and demanded that the company compensate them for their losses.

Fishing was banned near the plant, and the vast majority of the fishing activities in the region was interrupted because of damage to the boats and ports by the tsunami on March 11 and the earthquake. Yet, some fishermen are to catch, to see the lack of interested buyers because of fears of radiation.

It was not clear that Tepco may provide fishermen, but the company said Tuesday that he had offered "condolence payments", for a total of 180 million yen ($2 million) for the residents who had to evacuate their homes due to the radiation of the Fukushima plant. A city, however, refused payment.

The company has yet to decide how it will compensate residents near the plant in damages, although analysts say that the claims could be tens of billions of dollars. Executive Vice President of TEPCO said Takashi Fujimoto on damages company's decision hinges on how much of the burden the Government will do share.

Edano urged the company to accelerate its decisions on compensation.

For now, the company has offered to give 20 million yen ($ 240,000) each of the 10 villages and towns within 12 miles of the plant, Fujimoto said.

"We hope they will find of some use for the moment," he said.

Namie, a city of would be, located approximately 6 miles north of the plant, refused to lend money. Official city Kosei Negishi said that he and other officials working out of an Office of fortune in the city of Nihonmatsu in Fukushima Prefecture and had more pressing.

"The coastal areas of Namie have been hit by the earthquake of Earth and the tsunami, but due to radiation and the evacuation order, we did not have the opportunity to search for 200 people missing," said Negishi. "Why would we use our resources below 1,000 yen ($12) each resident?

Tokyo Electric Power Fujimoto acknowledged that he had a "divide" in the views of the company and officials Namie.

TEPCO shares dropped to a record, passing down Tuesday by the maximum daily commercial - about 18% - to 362 yen, below the previous record low of 393 yen reached in December 1951. The company has lost 80% of its value - almost 1.1 billion yen - since the earthquake and tsunami, according to the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

"We take very seriously the decline in the price of the shares," Fujimoto told journalists.

Annual earnings report said Fujimoto of the company, which was originally scheduled for April 28, would be postponed, but he declined to give other details.

Julie.MAKINEN@LAtimes.com

Hall special correspondent is.

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