Strange Smoke Rises From Reactor

CNN reports:

Tokyo (CNN) -- Officials evacuated workers at the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant Wednesday afternoon as a black plume of smoke billowed above one of the reactors, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

The company said it was unclear what was causing the smoke, which rose above the plant as workers were continuing efforts to cool down fuel rods and restore power there.

Earlier Wednesday, Tokyo government officials advised residents to stop giving tap water to infants after tests detected higher levels of radioactive iodine that officials said was likely caused by problems at the plant, located 240 kilometers (150 miles) away.

Tests found iodine levels exceeding government standards for infants at a purification plant supplying Tokyo and some surrounding cities, officials said.

Government samples taken Tuesday night found 210 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram of water -- more than double the government limit, Tokyo's water agency said.

The standards for infants are more stringent than for adults: 300 becquerel per kilogram.

"There's no immediate health threat," Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara told reporters, urging people to "stay calm."

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