Trace amounts of radiation have been detected by a California monitoring station in Sacramento. Are these amounts enough to pose a threat to Californians? No, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In fact, according to Bloomberg, it is one-millionth of the dose a person gets from rocks, bricks, the sun and natural background sources. President Obama has also stated that his advisers do not believe that harmful levels will reach as far as the U.S., and, so, pose no threat to us.
We are assured that any traces of radiation heading towards the United States will be diluted by the time they reach the states and so are no more damaging or harmful than what we are already exposed to by walking out of our front doors. Although there seems to be no threat, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine the path that any radiation may take towards the U.S.
According to the L.A. Times, potassium iodide pills, which are used to prevent the body from absorbing radioactive iodine, have sold out at numerous stores, despite warnings from health officials that the pills were unnecessary and could even have harmful side effects. Some people, though, would rather be safe than sorry.