You've probably heard of radiation sickness after the recent
problems at two nuclear power plants in Japan. People you know
may be talking about whether they should worry about radiation
getting into the air or food. The good news is, there's no
reason for most people to worry. Only people who live within a
few miles of the Japanese nuclear plants need to take special
steps to protect themselves. Radiation sickness is rare. People
need to be exposed to a lot of radiation to get sick. Even if a
nuclear plant releases large amounts of radiation, the farther
away that radiation travels from the source, the more it
disperses into the atmosphere. So even if radiation from Japan
reaches the shores of Hawaii, Alaska, or other parts of the
United States, health officials say the possibility of getting
sick from these trace amounts is "essentially zero." Food can be
contaminated by radiation, but it's not something to worry about
in the case of Japan. Experts know that radiation can cause
health problems if too much g