Radioactivity released by the Fukushima accident posed a low risk to Japan's population, said the World Health Organisation. It expects no observable health effect in the wider population, but raised estimations of cancer risk for two towns.
A mass of data on radioactive emissions from the Fukushima nuclear accident has been made available by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
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_72x48.jpg "North American pollution cloud (NASA) 72x48")
A landmark study has put the figure of 1.84 million on the number of lives saved by the worldwide use of nuclear power instead of fossil fuels. The report co-authored by former NASA scientist James Hansen presents a dramatic new case for nuclear energy.
)72x48.jpg "Fukushima Daiichi 4 area and central storage facility 28-29 March 2011 (Tepco) 72x48")
Radiation levels across the Fukushima Daiichi power plant site have dropped significantly as clean-up efforts continue. Most workers receive less than 1 milliSievert of radiation per month - well within normal limits.
The latest aerial survey of the Fukushima region reveals a pattern of contamination significantly reduced in the space of a year by natural processes of radioactive decay and dispersal.
Decontamination work is accelerating in Fukushima City but a huge task remains with over 100,000 homes still to be treated.
Nasa's Curiosity Mars rover has carried out the first ever measurements of radiation on another planet. Its findings suggest that astronauts would be able to live on the surface of Mars for long enough to carry out extended missions._615x160.jpg)
Nuclear regulators in the USA and Canada are investigating an incident at a Canadian uranium refinery when the lid of a drum containing uranium oxide from a plant in the USA blew off, leading to the exposure of three workers to airborne uranium.