Tokyo's government says radioactive iodine levels in tap water have now dropped to within safety standards for babies. The announcement comes after anxiety over food and water supplies surged when Tokyo officials reported on Wednesday that radioactive iodine in the city's tap water was above levels considered dangerous for babies.

Workers handed out bottled water to Tokyo families on Thursday after residents cleared store shelves. The move comes after warnings that radiation from Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear plant had seeped into the city's water supply.

Households with infants will get three, half-liter bottles of water for each baby - a total of 240,000 bottles. City officials are urging Tokyo residents to buy only what they need for fear that hoarding could affect the thousands of people without any water in areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami.