Radiation Found in Crops in Japan

[Missouriwatcher]

The AP is reporting that spinach and milk as far away as 120km south of the nuclear plant had traces of iodine 131 and cesium 137. Question remains if these levels were present before the explosion. Farms also produce fruit and rice. Levels are still low and consumption would need to be great to have significant consequences. Testing is ongoing.
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20110318/AS.Japan.Earthquake/

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/19_21.html

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Radiation Found in Crops in Japan

machine translation -

The amount of radiation detected Food

March 19 20:07 minutes

According to the Ministry of Health, was detected radiation dose greater than the provisional standard of the Food Sanitation Law, and raw milk were taken for three days until 18 in Fukushima Prefecture, on May 18 at six locations in Ibaraki Prefecture The spinach was collected.e, about 47 km away from the primary is that more than 300 becquerels of the interim standard iodine test three times so far.

​

Among them, check first on January 16, Becquerel 1190 of about four times the standard, the 17th Becquerel 1510 about five times, 18 is the becquerel 932 about three times, is that it was detected, respectively.

For spinach, the was taken on May 18 both baseline interim Becquerel 2000 iodine is becquerel 500 Cs, was taken in Takahagi of 84 KB is the distance from the center of the primary 50,200,001 Becquerel approximately eight times the iodine, cesium-524 was Becquerel.
​

The city was taken by the Hitachi 98 km distance to the center was about seven times Becquerel 45,000,001 iodine. Hitatioota city was taken the distance of the center of 108 km is approximately 8830 times more iodine 4.5 Becquerel, Daigo was taken at 94 km distance from the center of the iodine Becquerel 6100 about three times, and was taken in Tokai-mura 113 KB distance to the center, the becquerel 9840 of about five times the iodine, were collected in Hitachinaka City's 122 KB distance to the center what is that about four times the 8420 Becquerel was iodine.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110319/k10014785102000.html

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Radiation Found in Crops in Japan

The becquerel (symbol Bq) is the SI-derived unit of radioactivity. One Bq is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. The Bq unit is therefore equivalent to s⁻¹. The becquerel is named for Henri Becquerel, who shared a Nobel Prize with Pierre and Marie Curie for their work in discovering radioactivity.
In a fixed mass of radioactive material, the number of becquerels changes with time. Therefore, a sample radioactive decay rate is always stated with a timestamp for short-lived isotopes, sometimes after adjustment to some specific date of interest (in the past or in the future). For example, one might quote a ten-day adjusted figure, that is, the amount of radioactivity that will still be present ten days in the future. This can de-emphasize short-lived isotopes.
SI uses the becquerel rather than the second for the unit of activity measure to avoid dangerous mistakes: a measurement in becquerels is proportional to activity, and thus a more dangerous source of radiation gives a higher reading. A measurement in seconds is inversely proportional.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Radiation Found in Crops in Japan

Japan Finds Contaminated Food Up to 90 Miles From Nuclear Sites

TOKYO ? The government said Saturday that it had found higher than normal levels of radioactive materials in spinach and milk at farms up to 90 miles away from the ravaged nuclear power plants, the first confirmation by officials that the unfolding nuclear crisis has affected the nation?s food supply....

(snipped)

Food safety inspectors said the amount of iodine-131 found in the tested milk was five times higher than levels deemed safe. They said the iodine found in the spinach was more than seven times higher. The spinach also contained slightly higher amounts of cesium-137.

Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/world/asia/20japan.html

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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Radiation Found in Crops in Japan

Taiwan finds radiation on imported Japanese beans

TAIPEI, Taiwan ? Radiation was detected on fava beans imported from Japan to Taiwan, an official there said Sunday in what appears to be the first case of contamination in Japanese imports.

The amount of radiation was well below Taiwan's legal limit and not harmful to human health, the official from Taiwan's Cabinet-level Atomic Energy Council told The Associated Press. The precise amount and type of radiation were not disclosed.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to deal with the press.

The radiation was detected on the surface of beans in one batch that arrived in Taiwan on Saturday, but the official did not know where in Japan the beans originated......

Read more at: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7482211.html

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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Radiation Found in Crops in Japan

WHO: No short-term risk from contaminated food

Tokyo (CNN) -- Short-term exposure to food contaminated by radiation from Japan's damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant poses no immediate health risk, a spokesman for the World Health Organization said Monday.

The United Nations organization initially said the food safety situation was "more serious" than originally thought. But spokesman Peter Cordingley said Monday that the assessment was based not on the levels of contamination but on the fact that radioactivity was found in food beyond the 12.4-mile (30-kilometer) evacuation zone.

"It's new and something we're watching," Cordingley said.

On Monday, authorities in the village of Iitake urged residents to avoid drinking tap water that tests showed contained more than three times the maximum standard of radioactive iodine. The day before, a government ban on the sale of raw milk from Fukushima Prefecture and spinach from neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture became public.

Japanese officials reported levels of radioactive iodine in milk from four locations in Fukushima that ranged from about 20% over the acceptable limit to more than 17 times that limit. Testing at one location also found levels of cesium about 5% over the acceptable limit, the health ministry reported Sunday.

In Ibaraki, a major center of vegetable production, tests at 10 locations found iodine levels in spinach that ranged from 5% over acceptable limits to more than 27 times that ceiling. At seven sites, levels of cesium grew from just above 4% to nearly four times the limit.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano stressed that he believed the levels of radiation in food -- while above the legal standards -- do not pose any immediate health risk, saying they were mostly dangerous only if consumed repeatedly over one's lifetime.

Read more at: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/21/japan.nuclear.food/?hpt=T2

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[LaMenchos]

English Information about edible vegetables March 23

English Information about edible vegetables March 23

English Information about edible vegetables - Informaci?n sobre vegetales comestibles

Taken from simultaneous Japanese- English translation http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv
Informaci?n sobre vegetales comestibles en espa?ol ? Tomado de NHK en vivo el 23 de 2011 en ingl?s ?
English Information about vegetables - Taken from NHK Ustream 3-23-11

Las autoridades han estado anunciando la importancia de no consumir ciertos vegetales provenientes de la prefectura de Fukushima
Authorities continue advising the importance of not consuming tap water or leafy vegetables from Fukushima Prefecture.

Espinaca - spinach
Komatsuna - komatsuna
Repollo - cabbage
Coliflor - cauliflower
Brocoli - broccoli

Y otros alimentos aut?ctonos (que no pude entender en japon?s) de hoja verdes ?
And other Japanese/Asian leafy greens I could not understand.

Entre los productos que informaron inocuos para consumir est?n las ra?ces, ?posiblemente porque no est?n expuestas al aire. ? Productos cultivados en invernaderos se consideran adecuados para el consumo.

Among the products said to be OK to consume are those below, ?possibly because they are not exposed to the air.? Products grown in green houses are considered adequate.

Papa ? potato
Nabo ? turnip
Rabano - radish (daikon)

Agua corriente, o de la llave o del grifo
Presenta niveles de yodo radiactivo mas altos de los permitido en infantes de hasta 12 meses. Aunque no hay peligro inmendaito, no re recomienda el consumo de esta por periodo prolongado. Ni siquiera hervida. El yodo se acumula en la glandula tiroides, explico el experto entrevistado. Provisi?n de agua embotellada a las ?reas afectadas est? progresando.

Esta informaci?n no constituye consejo medico. Toda la informaci?n debe ser verificada antes de aplicarse.

Tap Water
Not recommended for consumption in children up to 12 months. Levels of radioactive iodine were detected to be higher than permitted. The water does not pose immediate danger but prolonged consumption is not recommended as Iodine builds up in the thyroid gland, explained the expert. Not even boiled. Provision of bottled water to affected areas is under way.

This does not constitute medical advise. All information must be verified for appropriateness.