Japan nuclear crisis poses no radiation risks for Canadians, Harper says
SURREY, B.C. - The prime minister is reassuring Canadians that the nuclear crisis unfolding in Japan caused by last Friday's earthquake and tsunami poses no risk to this country.
The disaster caused radiation leaks at a nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, and some in this country, particularly on the West Coast, are worried that radiation could blow across the Pacific.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says officials in this country have assured him there is no evidence that the radiation leaks in Japan pose any risk to Canada.
He says there isn't a plausible scenario that would see radiation harm to people living in Canada.
Some pharmacies in British Columbia have reported customers asking for potassium iodide, which is thought to help protect against radioactive iodine contamination.
The province's health office, Dr. Perry Kendall, says it would take five or six days for any radiation to cross the Pacific, and by that time it would have dispersed into the atmosphere.