NAIROBI, Kenya, April 2 (UPI) -- Radioactive material from Japan is gradually spreading globally in low concentrations that do not present a health hazard, the United Nations said Friday.
But in the wake of the nuclear crisis at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for "solid" safeguards for nuclear safety.
"We should take all necessary measures to ensure the highest possible standards for health, the food supply and the environment," Ban told reporters while in Nairobi, Kenya. "We must also put in place a solid disaster response framework that includes accurate and actionable data."
Ban said he still believes nuclear energy will be "an important energy resource -- particularly given the problem of climate change."
Meanwhile, Denis Flory, the International Atomic Energy Agency deputy director-general and head of its Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, told reporters in Vienna the overall situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant remains "very serious." Efforts continue to cool down the damaged reactors in an attempt to prevent a meltdown of radioactive fuel.
Flory said restrictions on drinking tap water for infants remain in force in two locations in Fukushima prefecture, while radiation analytical data from three prefectures -- Chiba, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Tochigi -- show contamination levels of vegetables, fruits, seafood, various meats and unprocessed milk remained above the levels set by the Japanese authorities.
