Tokyo: Tap Water Safe to Drink

CNN reports:

New tests Thursday showed that radioactive iodine in Tokyo's tap water has dropped to levels considered safe for babies -- just hours after authorities announced plans to distribute bottled water to tens of thousands of parents around the Japanese metropolis.

Tests from 6 a.m. at the Kanamichi Water Purification Plant, which provides water to 23 wards in Tokyo as well as five other cities, showed 79 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram of water, the city government said in a news release.

A becquerel is a measurement of radioactive intensity by weight.

This is below the 100 becquerel level, the maximum considered safe for infants ages 1 and younger. And it is well below the 210 becquerel reading measured Tuesday night.

As a result, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara told reporters on Thursday that he was lifting the recommendation that babies not drink tap water -- though bottled water will continue to be distributed to households with youngsters.

Shintaro said that 240,000 bottles will be given out Thursday, with a similar number set to be distributed on Friday.

Despite the development, concerns remain over how radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may affect food, water and air in the Asian nation.

Click here to read more.