Food to be tested for radiation

BEIJING. March 29. KAZINFORM The Ministry of Health has ordered local administrations in 14 places including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and some coastal provinces to test drinking water and food for radiation, according to an online statement issued on Sunday.

The announcement came after the authority had confirmed over the weekend that the level of radiation stemming from iodine-131, a radioactive isotope, was higher than usual in four counties in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

Exposure to iodine-131 can cause several diseases including thyroid cancer, according to the statement.

Even so, the Ministry of Health said the radiation level detected in Heilongjiang was too low to pose a danger.

"Based on the current situation, people don't need to worry about the contamination of the air or of food and water here," said Wang Zhongwen, a researcher at the China Institute of Atomic Energy's radiation safety department.

As for the radiation testing ordered by the ministry, Wang said it was part of routine inspections of food and water undertaken in many parts of the country, China Daily reports.

See www.chinadaily.com.cn for full version.