It is possible, but unlikely at this time, that significant amounts of radioactive fallout from Japan will spread around the world. Most of the radioactive fallout is heavy particles that will land closer to the accident site; however, lighter dust like particles will drift much farther down wind for hundreds of miles.

However, even if a Chernobyl like nuclear meltdown does not occur with a large explosion, some of the fallout that has already been ejected could be picked up by the jet stream and travel for thousands of miles dropping on U.S. surface water supplies.

According to Dr. Jeannette Sherman, author and specialist in internal medicine and toxicology from Alexandria, VA., “ But even if a meltdown is avoided, the possibility of low-level radiation circulating in the air and contaminating soil following the two steam released explosions is very real. We know nuclear radiation (from Chernobyl) drifted as far as North America.”

It should be noted that many water supplies in the United States are already contaminated by naturally occurring radioactivity including: uranium, strontium, radium 226, 228, alpha and beta particles. The levels of these radioactive contaminants are usually below the Maximum Concentration Level (MCL) allowed by the government, but long-term ingestion…even at low levels…may not be safe.

Some regions of the U.S. have higher amounts of naturally occurring radioactivity and are designated Radon Zones by the EPA. Radon is a gaseous by-product of radioactive decay and is a known carcinogen causing increased rates of lung cancer.

To protect your drinking water from radioactive contaminants, the best filtration equipment solutions include the use of; reverse osmosis, special resin tanks placed on the main pipe and filtration systems designed to remove radioactive particles.

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