Experts say health threats from the power reactors hit by the 8.9 magnitude quake in Japan appear relatively low. Also, winds will likely bring any contaminations to the Pacific Ocean without harming other countries.

Japan struggled to prevent a meltdown at the three affected reactors located at the Fukushima plant. It was the worst accident in nuclear power plants, triggered by the 10-foot high tsunami, since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

Also, high levels of radiation were recorded at the Onagawa nuclear power plant.

However, U.N. Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation Secretary’s Malcolm Crick said the explosion at the nuclear power reactors is not a grave issue in public health at the present.

Crick said the accident won’t lead something similar to Chernobyl.

During the Chernobyl disaster, it exploded when the reactor was working at full power. Still, about 140,000 people living around the area in Fukushima have been asked to evacuate as a precautionary measure.

Crick said the partial meltdown of United States’ Three Mile Island plant in 1979 was rated more serious on an international extent than the accident in Japan.

The public health risk from the atomic plants in Japan remained “fairly low”, according to the World Health Organization. But, the quake and catastrophic tsunami might have killed about 10,000 people.

Japan Meteorological Agency informed that the winds in the region would move from the south to the west on Sunday night. Thus, it will blow from Fukushima toward the great Pacific Ocean.

The strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan on Friday blew down the back-up cooling systems at Fukushima. This caused a build-up of pressure and heat, which then led to an explosion on the plant on Saturday.