Radioactive Plume Reaches California; Situation Being Monitored

for a March 19 update on radiation levels in California.

As a radioactive plume released last week from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan reached Southern California today, concerns of widespread have diplomats and U.N. officials seeking to dispel fears.

According to reports from the Associated Press, the U.N. nuclear agency described the radioactivity emanating from Japan's crippled nuclear reactors as worrying but stable, and that there are outside the immediate vicinity.

Diplomats and officials are asserting there is little to fear outside of the 20 kilometer (12-mile) evacuated zone around Japan's nuclear plant.

Today in California, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said that radiation measured at its three sites was not higher than typical levels.

In the event the situation escalates, the California Emergency Management Agency reports that it will coordinate emergency response efforts with state public health officials and local officials.

The California Department of Public Health has also set up a hotline for concerned residents: 916-341-3947.