Koreans take every precaution against radioactive rain

“They said there`ll be no impact on human health, but who knows?”

This was the typical response of people after rain containing radioactive materials leaked from Japan’s crippled nuclear power plant fell on Korea Thursday.

The Korea Meteorological Administration and related government organizations said radioactive particles in rainwater were so miniscule that they will not affect the human body. This, however, did not assure the people, with some staying indoors and many schools temporarily closed to prevent student exposure to radioactive rain.

○ Schools closed, lectures canceled, workers take day off

Some 98 elementary and middle schools and kindergartens in Gyeonggi Province were closed for the day. Another 34 schools ended early.

Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education did not announce closure of schools but urged students to refrain from outdoor activities and encouraged hand washing.

Certain parents, however, called the education office to request the closure of all schools in the city, with one saying, “We cannot see our children being exposed to radioactive rain.”

Many college professors canceled classes at their own discretion. A graduate student at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul said, “Our professor suggested skipping the lecture first,” adding, “Some foreign professors were worried and might think they should return home.”

Lots of workers also took the day off. With people who usually used public transportation driving cars to avoid rain, traffic congestion continued in the morning in downtown Seoul.

A woman in her seventh month of pregnancy said, “Since the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant, I feel worried whenever it rains,” adding, “I took the day off and stayed home today.”

In a Web community for pregnant women, messages expressing fears over radioactive rain were continuously posted. One said, “I`m six months pregnant but was exposed to several raindrops on my way to work,” while another said, “I wore gloves I didn’t even use in winter to go out.”

○ Worried parents

Parents of students whose schools were not closed drove their children to school.

The parent of a first grader at Sungshin Elementary school in Seoul’s Jongno district said, “It is less than a 10-minute walk to the school, but I drove my daughter there to protect her from radioactive rain,” adding, “Instead of an umbrella, I had her wear a mask and raincoat.”

Another parent whose son was made to wear boots said, “Not only raindrops but also puddles on the ground are dangerous,” adding, “Upon hearing of the forecast for rain, I bought boots yesterday and had my son wear them to school.”

A school in Seoul whose students were on a school trip in Jeju Island canceled outdoor activities and provided lectures instead. The parent of one of the students said, “I called the school out of worry and the school said there`s no need to be worried since indoor lectures are being given.”

○ Jeju on alert

On Jeju Island, which is closest to Japan, fears were palpable Thursday. A Jeju radiation screening center at the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety tested rainwater that fell from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 3 a.m. Thursday and detected up to 2.77 becquerels of radioactive iodine, 0.988 becquerels of cesium-137, and 1.010 becquerels of cesuim-134 per liter of rain.

These levels have no impact on the human body, but the iodine concentration was 7.8 times higher than 0.357 becquerels found in rain collected Monday.

Jeju accordingly set up an emergency task force and decided to conduct radiation screenings on farm products in cooperation with the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service. Land-based fish farms were advised to use seawater drawn from underground.

Fishermen on the island were urged to dry fish indoors, and farmers stopped harvesting broccoli, garlic and green onion. On livestock farms, cows and horses in the fields were evacuated to cattle sheds and stables, and water supply facilities were temporarily closed.

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