Subject: TRUTH
CHENNAI: The city has seen an aftershock of theJapanese tsunami<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Japanese%20tsunami>. These weren't seismic tremors but mere rumors. The earthquake and the subsequent nuclear blast in Japan have started a series of rumors in the city asking people not to go out in the rain lest they get caught in radioactive showers which could cause skin cancers and other ailments. These rumors and chain mails started by unknown sources warn people from going out in the rain as "radioactive particles, which may cause burns, alopecia or even cancer, may be in the rain." The mails warn people to use raincoats, umbrellas and scarves even if there is only a light drizzle, as even some part of the allegedly radioactive waters could be harmful. Experts have rubbished these rumors saying there is no scientific or logical basis to these rumors. "There have been blasts but the amounts of radiation released are definitely not high enough to affect people in India," said Dr M Srinivasan, former associate director of the physics group at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Bhabha%20Atomic%20Research%20Centre> (BARC). He added that even in the Chernobyl<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Chernobyl> nuclear disaster, one of the worst nuclear power plant accidents in history where huge amounts of radiation was released, only the neigbouring countries were affected. No other part of the world was affected. "Even the idea that a radiation leak in Japan could affect us is ridiculous. We are very very far away," he said. Unless the amount of radiation released was immense, and there were heavy winds blowing in the direction of India, it was impossible for India<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/India> to be affected, he said. "Even then given how far away from Japan India is, we are not at risk," he said. Experts also said that as India was not even among the countries which had been issued earthquake or tsunami warnings after the earthquake in Japan and it was impossible for us to be affected. They felt that such baseless rumors must be curbed and instead of creating panic, people must focus on what they could do to help quake victims. * *
