Rutgers University scientist and radiation safety officer Patrick McDermott says he would not hesitate to drink a glass or two of Tokyo water, or even water closer to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.
McDermott said radiation is dependent on both dosage and amount over time.
And even a dose over recommended limits can be tolerated by the body, if it isn't followed by repeated doses.
As McDermott explained, it is the accumulation of excess radiation over time that poses the biggest risk to humans.
That is why workers in the Daiichi station can expose themselves for a few moments to high levels of radiation, but then have to withdraw from such exposure.
"You can have a very intense radiation field," McDermott said, "but if you're only there for a short period of time your total radiation dose, and therefore your risk, is very, very small."
As long as they don't accumulate too much, McDermott believes they should be OK.
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He recommends a website, www.hps.org for a good primer on why he would drink the water, or at least a couple of glasses of it.
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