Radiation

The conditions of Japan's nuclear crisis keeps changing by the hour, and despite assurances that there is no imminent danger of radiation blowing China's way, Beijingers aren't taking any chances. The New York Times reports on a mad-grab for iodized salt over the last couple of days:

"...panicked residents combed pharmacies in a mostly vain search for potassium iodine tablets. The tablets are believed to decrease the risk of developing thyroid cancer from nuclear radiation, but few Chinese pharmacies carry them, although health officials said the government has a stockpile for emergency distribution. A clerk at one downtown Beijing pharmacy said more than 20 people had asked for the tablets in the past two days."

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Olivia Lee (a.k.a. The Nutritioneer) and Dr Richard have both shared an illustrated map from Der Speigel showing a "time lapse time-lapse of the Japanese radiation exposure headed mostly east, over the Pacific, and not westerly towards China."

The People's Daily has also run a report claiming that "no abnormalities have been found in China radiation monitoring."

For now, at least , it seems Beijingers can exhale and stop clutching their iodine bottles.

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