Philippines radiation SMS a hoax

There is no truth behind an sms message making the rounds that radiation has hit the Philippines and may affect other Asian countries.

Meanwhile, Japanese officials have played down health concerns after a third reactor at Fukushima lost its cooling system. But the US military has moved away from the area after one of its aircraft carriers detected low-level radiation 160km offshore, reports the BBC.

According to ABS-CBN:

MANILA, Philippines – There is no truth to text rumors that radiation from a nuclear plant in Japan has reached the Philippines, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said Monday.

DOST Secretary Mario Montejo said the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI)’s routine daily radiation monitoring in the environment showed the level of radiation in the environment in the country has remained stable since the Fukushima incident in Japan.

“The advice that people should stay indoors and to wear raincoats if they go outdoors did not come from DOST or any agency member of the National Disaster Coordinating Council,” the DOST said in a statement.

The department also advised the public not to believe rumors currently spreading through text messages, emails, the Internet, and other means of communication.

“DOST emphasizes that there is no immediate danger of nuclear radiation in the Philippines,” it said.

A DOST-PAGASA plume trajectory study also showed that the plume from the site of the incident at Fukushima will not pass the Philippine territory as of March 14, 2011.

“The direction of the smoke appears to go away from the direction of the country,” DOST-PNRI Director Alumanda dela Rosa said. “The smoke is carried away by the northeast monsoon (amihan).”