WHO says food contamination affects only surrounding areas

The risk of the contamination of food products from nuclear radiation in Japan is limited to the specific area surrounding the damaged nuclear plant, according to a source from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Gregory Hartl, spokesman for the WHO in Geneva, said that “it is a local risk” while adding that “if there is any contamination, it will only affect products within a 30 kilometer radius from the Fukushima plant.”

Hartl also said that the organization is working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the UN’s agriculture sector to gather more information about the risks, according to a new agency.

Refrigeration systems at the Fukushima plant failed after the earthquake and the tsunami that shook Japan last week.

Italy prohibited the importation of products from Japan as fears of contamination still loomed, according to Italy’s Health Minister.