I just received the following text message from a Chinese friend:
BBC FLASH NEWS:
Japan govt confirms radiation leak at Fukushima nuclear plants. Asian countries should take necessary precautions. If rain comes, remain indoors first 24hrs. Close doors & windows. Swab neck skin with betadine where thyroid area is, radiation hits thyroid first. Take extra precautions. Radiation may hit Phillipine starting at 4pm today. Pls send to your friends.
My friend joked that it’s probably just a rumor. And apparently it is. I’ve confirmed that Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, is deleting similar posts from the micro-blogging site. My producer tells me this is mostly likely by government instruction, much like other censored material from that site.
In any case, there’s a strong wind from the north in Beijing today. And the weather forecast doesn’t have an ounce of rain falling here through Sunday. Maybe I’ll check the local supermarket for Betadine on the way home…
Tags: Beijing, China, fallout, Japan, Japan Earthquake, Japan Tsunami, radiation, Twitter, Weibo
