Food fears spread

FUKUSHIMA, Japan (AP):

Two units at Japan's stricken nuclear plant safely cooled down yesterday, though pressure unexpectedly rose in a third unit's reactor and traces of radiation were found in more foods, further shaking an already uneasy public.

The pressure increase meant plant operators may need to deliberately release radioactive steam, prolonging a nuclear crisis that has consumed government attention even as it responded to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that savaged northeast Japan on March 11.

In a rare rescue after so many days, a teenage boy's cries for help led police to rescue him and an 80-year-old woman at a wrecked house.

growing uncertainty

Beyond the disaster area, uncertainty grew over the safety of food and water.

The government halted shipments of spinach from one area and raw milk from another near the nuclear plant after tests found iodine exceeded safety limits.

In all cases, the government said the radiation levels were too small to pose an immediate risk to health. Still, Taiwan seized a batch of fava beans from Japan found with faint - and legal - amounts of iodine and cesium.

"I'm worried, really worried," said Mayumi Mizutani, a 58-year-old Tokyo resident shopping for bottled water at a supermarket to give her visiting 2-year-old grandchild. "We're afraid because it's possible our grandchild could get cancer." Forecasts for rain, she said, were an added worry.

Growing concerns about radiation add to the overwhelming chain of disasters Japan has struggled with since the 9.0-magnitude quake. The quake spawned a tsunami that ravaged the north-eastern coast, killing scores of people, leaving many others missing, and displacing another 452,000, who are living in shelters.

Fuel, food and water remain scarce. The government in recent days acknowledged being caught ill-prepared by an enormous disaster that the prime minister has called the worst crisis since World War II.

The official death toll rose to 8,450, with more than 12,900 reported missing. Bodies are piling up in some of devastated communities and badly decomposing even amid chilly rain and snow.