Japan's recent radiation leakage from the Fukushima nuclear plant has forced people to take independent measures in ensuring their safety to avoid radiation hazards.

Being unsure of which information to rely on, many people have started using Geiger counters to measure the presence and amount of ionizing radiation in the environment.

Also called as Geiger-Müller counter, the instrument helps to detect ionization produced in a low-pressure gas in a Geiger-Müller tube. Each particle detected produces a pulse of current, but the Geiger counter cannot distinguish the energy of the source particles.

Most of the Geiger counters have been used by workers inside the nuclear plant to perform the routine checks. However, many stores within the region have started selling the products to the public with sales apparently skyrocketing due to increased demand.

Nobody even looked at or even knew the name (of the Geiger counter), but ever since the earthquake struck people have become very interested, Reuters quoted Makoto Ogasawara, sales manager at electronics store Akibaoo stating.

Companies manufacturing the devices have also started making them user-friendly so that anybody can use them without dwelling on complicated procedures.

Manufacturing Earthquake Japan Manufacturing