Huang Lijie Straits Times 23 Mar 11;
# Levels here within normal range, says Govt
# No problem with Japanese food imports
# No need to screen those visiting Republic from outside evacuation zone
SINGAPORE is monitoring the situation in Japan closely, and ongoing checks by agencies here show there is little risk the Republic will be affected by the nuclear incident, said a government statement yesterday.
Giving an update on the situation, it said radiation levels here are within the normal range, tests on Japanese food imports have shown no radioactive contamination, and people returning home from outside Japan's evacuation zone will not need to go for medical screening.
The Singapore statement came as some good news was reported at the stricken nuclear power plant in Japan where workers managed to reconnect power lines to all its six reactor units.
While the plant's operator cautioned that it would still be days before the electricity can be turned on, the development was a significant step forward in bringing the overheated complex hopefully under control.
In the inter-ministry statement - the second update issued in a week - the Government reassured the public that it was watching the situation closely.
'The current assessment is that the likelihood of any radioactive plume reaching Singapore remains very low,' it said.
'Even in the event that prevailing winds were to transport a plume to Singapore, the impact is expected to be insignificant,' it added.
'The radioactive concentration of the plume, after travelling the long distance, would have been significantly reduced to the normal background levels.' Japan is 5,300km away from Singapore.
In any case, government agencies here said they are ready to deal with any potential impact from the nuclear incident.
It said the National Environment Agency (NEA) has been monitoring radiation levels round-the-clock since the start of the accident.
Its average reading of about 0.08 micro-sieverts per hour is within Singapore's normal range.
Simulations by the agency, and by the World Meteorological Organisation-designated Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres for Environmental Emergency Response in Tokyo and Melbourne, continue to show minimal risk of a radioactive plume reaching Singapore.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) also confirmed that there have been no food imports from affected regions in Japan, where items such as milk, spinach and fava beans were reported to have higher levels of radiation.
Nevertheless, the authority has been testing samples of all fresh produce from Japan for ra-dioactive contaminants. So far, none has been detected in the more than 120 samples tested, including seafood, fruit, vegetables and meat.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) reiterated that any Singaporean outside of the evacuation zones - a 20km radius from the Fukushima Daiichi plant and a 10km radius from the Fukushima Daini plant - will not need any medical assessment.
It added that those who may have consumed any contaminated produce are unlikely to experience immediate adverse health effects.
MOH, however, advised Singaporeans returning from the evacuation zone and who feel unwell to visit the emergency department of a public restructured hospital for medical consultation.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is not screening passengers, as there is no health risk associated with increased radiation levels at some airports.
To help the public stay informed of the agencies' responses to the nuclear incident, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts has launched a micro-site on www.gov.sg
It is also available through the www.gov.sg app for iPhones and Android phones, as well as the www.gov.sg mobile site.
For more information, the public can also refer to the following websites:
# www.nea.gov.sg
# www.mfa.gov.sg
# www.ava.gov.sg
or call the MOH hotline on 1800-333-9999, and the PUB hotline on 1800-284-6600.
