Traces of Japanese radiation detected in N.L.

A detector in St. John's has picked up signs of radiation believed to have come from damaged nuclear power facilities in Japan.

Health Canada is analyzing the data.

There have been reports that minuscule amounts of radioactive particles — believed to have come from Japan — have also been detected in Iceland, officials told Reuters Tuesday.

The amounts found in Iceland are believed to be too low to harm human health, according to the Icelandic Radiation Safety Authority (IRSA).

Traces of iodine-131 were discovered in an air filter used at a radiation monitoring center in Reykjavik the IRSA said Tuesday. Iodine-131 has also reportedly been detected in eastern Newfoundland.

A nuclear plant in Japan leaked radiation after it was damaged by a tsunami and earthquake on March 11.

The Health Canada detector is located on the roof at Memorial University's Fisheries and Marine Institute.