Just days after leaving Japan amid a growing threat of radiation exposure, the Canadian Medical Assistance Team has set out once more to offer help to the country's earthquake and tsunami survivors.
The team returned from its first trip Wednesday, citing "excessively high radiation" coming from the overheating reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Following Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission guidelines, the non-government group will be much better equipped this time around, donning Tyvek coveralls, nitrile gloves, protective eyewear and masks.
Members will also tote dosimeters and radiation detectors for the duration of the relief effort.
"We now have the equipment to deal with the radiation and nuclear component of the disaster," team leader Dave Johnson told CTV News. "We're just happy finally to deploy and be able to assist the people of Japan."
The six-person team, comprised of doctors, nurses, paramedics and logistical experts, left Vancouver International Airport Sunday afternoon. Upon landing, they'll head to Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures and head for the most underserviced areas in the regions.
On Tuesday, they'll be met by another 10 to 12 team members who will help set up a field hospital and water purification system they estimate will be able to provide clean water for 30,000 people per day.
Johnson says the team is prepared to help in whatever capacity officials require.
"We're capable of doing everything from medical services to forensic identification, morgue management , search and rescue," Johnson said. "It's quite a multifaceted task."
Japanese officials boasted Sunday that two of the six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant had cooled, an encouraging announcement undercut by word that radiation leaks had contaminated food and water in the northeast coastal region.
Milk and spinach tainted by radiation were found as far as 120 kilometres from the facility, while trace amounts of radioactive iodine was found 200 kilometres away in Tokyo tap water – but officials say at its current level, the radiation does not pose immediate health risks.