Radiation Levels in Tokyo 10 Times Normal

City officials say there is no threat to human health.

A fire at the Fukushima nuclear power plant’s No. 4 reactor caused a temporary spike in radiation levels Tuesday, although temperatures at the plant had significantly lowered by the end of the day. Radiation levels were 100 times higher than normal just south of the plant and they were 10 times higher than normal in Tokyo, but even the highest radiation level recorded Tuesday is not considered lethal. The unfolding nuclear crisis is ranked a six on the seven-point INES scale of nuclear disasters. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster was ranked a seven. Tuesday’s fire released radioactive steam from the plant, which is considered less dangerous than radioactivity emanating directly from the plant’s fuel rods, but there are still fears of a complete meltdown.