Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara is appealing to residents of the Japanese capital to remain calm after elevated levels of radioactive iodine were detected Wednesday in the city's water supply.
Authorities said the levels were not an immediate threat to health, but that parents should not give tap water or milk powder mixed with the water to infants under one year old. In a television appearance, Ishihara urged residents to “please stay calm” and “try to consume water wisely.”
Hours earlier, the government expanded restrictions on the sale of milk and leafy vegetables from areas around the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, which has been leaking radiation into the environment since a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11. The U.S. has also announced a ban on all imports of of milk and milk products, fresh fruit and vegetables from four Japanese prefectures surrounding the nuclear plant.
Work crews were evacuated from the plant after 4 p.m. local time Wednesday after black smoke or steam was observed rising from the plant's number 3 reactor. Plant officials said they did not yet know what was causing the smoke but the workers were removed as a precautionary measure.
Officials announced ealier in the day that electricity had been restored to the control room at Unit 3, considered the most dangerous of the six reactors because it is the only one that uses a mix of uranium and plutonium in its fuel rods. Workers are seeking to restore electricity to the water pumps that cool the fuel rods, preventing them from overheating and sending out more radiation.
Earlier Wednesday, power company officials said they were intensifying efforts to pump sea water into the damaged number 1 reactor after temperatures inside the core rose to about 400 degrees Celsius — well above the 300-degree temperature at which it is designed to operate. NHK Television said the temperature had come down to about 360 degrees by 11 a.m.
Further north, about 300,000 earthquake and tsunami remain in poorly equipped shelters as authorities struggle to reach them with food and other provisions. National Police said Wednesday the overall toll from the disaster has risen to more than 9,400 confirmed dead and more than 14,700 missing.
Government officials said the total cost of the disaster could exceed $300 billion. The World Bank estimated the cost a day earlier at up to $235 billion.
Officials said the radiation levels in the Tokyo water were about double the safety standard for infants. The treatment plant in central Tokyo serves residents in central and western parts of one of the world's largest cities.
Chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano told reporters earlier that people should avoid eating a wide range of leafy vegetables including cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower grown in areas around the nuclear plant.
He said the radiation levels on the vegetables are not sufficient to affect human health if eaten for a short period. He said the government is acting now because of the likelihood that contamination from the nuclear plant will continue “for some time.”
The Tokyo Electric Power Company said workers finished reconnecting power lines to all six reactor units at the complex Tuesday, a major step toward restarting the cooling systems. But the company said it will take time to check the safety of electrical equipment before turning more of the power back on.
Emergency crews continued pumping and spraying sea water onto the reactors to cool them down. Steam and smoke rose from two of the reactor buildings Tuesday, but it was not clear if the emissions were dangerous.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday that radiation continues to be emitted from the Fukushima plant. IAEA official James Lyons said it is not clear what parts of the reactors are causing the leakage.
On Wednesday morning, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the troubled nuclear power plant but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.