DFAT gives Aussies potassium iodide

AUSTRALIAN officials in Japan have distributed protective medication to hundreds of Australians in areas of Japan affected by radiation.

AUSTRALIAN officials in Japan have distributed protective medication to hundreds of Australians in areas of Japan affected by radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plants.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed last night the Australian embassy was providing potassium iodide tablets to Australians who had decided to remain in northern Honshu.

Tablets had been provided to all the Australians and their families known to be in the Sendai area as a precaution, a DFAT spokeswoman said.

She said more than 800 Australians were registered as being in Tokyo and northern Honshu and intended to stay.

"Another eight Australians in the exclusion zone have been invited to the embassy in Tokyo for a briefing on risks and to obtain iodine for use if required," the spokeswoman said.

It was not clear last night how many Australians were still in northern Honshu.

Potassium iodide can help protect those exposed to radiation from damage to their thyroid gland.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency has recommended, as a precautionary measure, that Australians within 80 km of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant move out of the area.

The authority has advised that iodine tablets are only needed by those exposed to substantial doses of radioactive iodine.

The current situation did not require those in Japan to take the protective tablets, the authority said.

But this situation could change and Australians remaining in Japan should follow the recommendations of the Japanese government.

The authority said Australians remaining in Japan might be exposed to low levels of radiation associated with contaminants released from the damaged nuclear reactors.

Low-level radiation exposure produced no physical symptoms, the authority said.