Radioactive Milk, Spinach Found 70+ Miles From Japan’s Nuclear Plants
- Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:25pm by
Emily Esfahani Smith
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FUKUSHIMA, Japan (AP/ THE BLAZE) — In the first sign that contamination from Japan’s stricken nuclear complex had seeped into the food chain, officials said Saturday that radiation levels in spinach and milk from farms near the tsunami-crippled facility exceeded government safety limits.
Minuscule amounts of radioactive iodine also were found in tap water Friday in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan – although experts said none of those tests showed any health risks. The Health Ministry also said that radioactive iodine slightly above government safety limits was found in drinking water at one point Thursday in a sampling from Fukushima prefecture, the site of the nuclear plant, but later tests showed the level had fallen again.
Six workers trying to bring the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant back under control were exposed to more than 100 millisieverts of radiation – Japan’s normal limit for those involved in emergency operations, according to Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the complex. The government raised that limit to 250 millisieverts on Tuesday as the crisis escalated.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, meanwhile, insisted the contaminated foods “pose no immediate health risk.”
The Wall Street Journal notes that the contaminated food in Japan is unlikely to reach the U.S.:
The Department of Homeland Security checks inbound goods at U.S. ports for radioactive material.
Japan has limited food exports to the U.S. and the export of one group of products – high-quality beef – was halted in April, 2010 after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Japan. Currently the U.S. doesn’t allow Japan to import beef, pork poultry or processed egg products. Other products, including those containing small amounts of meat, poultry and egg products, are exported to the U.S. under Food and Drug Administration jurisdiction, an Agriculture Department spokesman said.
The tainted milk was found 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the plant, a local official said. The spinach was collected from six farms between 60 miles (100 kilometers) and 75 miles (120 kilometers) to the south of the reactors.
According to the New York Times, some contaminated food was found on farms as far as 90 miles from the plants.
More tests were being done on other foods, Edano said, and if they show further contamination, then food shipments from the area would be halted.
Officials said it was too early to know if the nuclear crisis caused the contamination, but Edano said air sampling done near the dairy showed higher-than-normal radiation levels.
Iodine levels in the spinach exceeded safety limits by three to seven times, a food safety official said. Tests on the milk done Wednesday detected small amounts of iodine-131 and cesium-137, the latter being a longer-lasting element that can cause more types of cancer. But only iodine was detected Thursday and Friday, a Health Ministry official said.
After the announcements, Japanese officials immediately tried to calm an already-jittery public, saying the amounts detected were so small that people would have to consume unimaginable amounts to endanger their health.
“Can you imagine eating one kilogram of spinach every day for one year?” said State Secretary of Health Minister Yoko Komiyama. One kilogram is a little over two pounds.
Edano said someone drinking the tainted milk for one year would consume as much radiation as in a CT scan; for the spinach, it would be one-fifth of a CT scan. A CT scan is a compressed series of X-rays used for medical tests.
Japan has been grappling with a cascade of disasters unleashed by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11. The quake spawned a tsunami that ravaged Japan’s northeastern coast, killing more than 7,600 people and knocking out cooling systems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, causing the complex to leak radiation.
More than 11,000 people are still missing, and more than 452,000 are living in shelters.
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Gavinwcaf
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 12:37pmThe sky is falling News Cry Babies, what is the Definition on minuscule.Town Criers. tell us the true story. is the radiation dangerously high levels or a slight bit higher than usual.how much higher does it have to go before it effects the health of people. where is the truth is these stupid news stories.
Report Post »pbthomas
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 3:37amIs there any proof that the tiny radiation detections have anything to do with the problem reactors? Or are these measurements that have never been taken, but now in hysteria are being checked.
What were the levels last year? month? Are the measurements just normal?
Report Post »ying
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 1:32pm@avenger
Report Post »You said, “that is true…because japan has no immigrants and it is a truly nationalistic society ..one for all…all for one..time to wake up America !” You are wrong because they have jewish immigrants from the 1800′s; they are not allowed to own businesses, become involved in the media, nor are they allowed many other things, however.
Thetruthhasnoagenda
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 10:21amI smell a new movie: Popeye – Still Glowing Strong!
Report Post »CatholicTexanGrandma
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 9:45amIf it is still safe, why even publish the results? Just declare it safe and more on.
Report Post »sbleve
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 8:01amPerhaps the truth is at the threshold. Home schooling may be the only alternative to forced religion of the King god.
Report Post »sbleve
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 7:55amThe truth is in the eyes of the beholder.
Radiation prepartional education ended when our fed government decide that for political reasons a nuclear exchange with the USSR was not survivable by man. False. The partial truth in this assumption was that if a person was living in or near any urban compacted population (likely targeting of ICBMs), none of these people would survive. This would include All of the worlds politicians. We as a people maybe, possibly, likely exposed to nuclear evaporation today many times greater than in 1980 by a Russian manufactured tactical nuclear weapon.
BED BED BED. How will we as an individual find truth in some journalistic presentation of a very very complex scientific exclamation called Radiation exposure?
Banana, banana, banana. Big leaf plant. Tobacco, tobacco big leaf plant. Cows eat hundreds of cubic ft of small leaf – grass to make milk.
Journalism is not what apparently is presented in University/ school atmospheric religions.
This is not a “nuclear accident”. It is damage from an earthquake and tsunami. The reported sweeping away of four entire trains, including a bullet train which apparently disappeared without a trace, was not labeled “the third worst train accident ever”.
Our own surgeon general (lower case identification intentional) shouted in the theater “fire” by using out of context words to heighten panic – potassium iodine Civil Defense normal radiation medication, when there was no fire that required such. He perhaps is not also calling the shots in his position – did someone tell him to say what he did say? If his statement was his alone then competency is the question. If he was told to say what was said, and he said it, then integrity is the question.
Three Mile Island produced an overall radiation exposure less than one BED-worth. Though the TMI comparison might be a steadying bit of info, considering we canned all US nuclear power development over the fear-equivalent of every adult person eating a partial banana. Next Big Future makes a BED comparison to the Japanese exposure. After the TMI nuclear accident, the NRC detected radioactive iodine in local milk at levels of 20 picocuries/liter, a dose much less than one would receive from ingesting a single banana. Thus a 12 fl oz glass of the slightly radioactive milk would have about 1/75th BED (banana equivalent dose).
At the Sendai location, MP4 the radiation spiked up to 30 bananas a day (2 days ago) and then fell back down to 1 to 2 bananas per day.
Government is responsible to the people, not the other way around. Is there need to be concerned with radiation outside of nature? Well is there?
In 1966, Tokyo, citizens that had a contagious respiratory illness – common cold, would wear a particulate mask not for their personal safety but that of their fellow non slightly-sick with a cold citizen neighbor.
Report Post »pbthomas
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 3:42amGreat comment. My question – Are the tiny levels being measured typical of normal conditions, but haven’t been checked before the hysteria started.
Report Post »ChuckN
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 11:33pmI just read an article in the Japanese press thats aid the radiation found in the food and water is almost 300 times below the safe limit.
Report Post »GnomeChomsky
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:11pmRadioactive milk and spinach? Isnt that a good thing? At least thats what radiation and medical expert Dr. Ann Coulter tells us.
Report Post »BlackMan
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 7:38amactually Ann, was citing research done by our Own Department of Energy and our Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee….
Radiation is bad. we get it. Just like on any Transcontinental flight. Large doses can cause cancer if you are susceptible to it, radiation sickness is more likely for those close to it, and most people wont suffer anything. Not death, not sickness, and not sterility
Report Post »mrlogan3
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:55pmIrrelevant
Report Post »mbean
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:10pm“Minuscule amounts of radioactive iodine” PANIC…………
Report Post »mrlogan3
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:57pmWater had minuscule levels, the milk and spinach were above government limits.
Report Post »chickenfried
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 5:38pmWell, how ya like them apples?
Report Post »avenger
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 5:33pmdude..he is ! in south america about to cause turmoil down there…
Report Post »Dale
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 5:21pmThe nuclear problem occurred following the tsunami, milk is produced by cows eating ‘contaminated’ grass. As to your point about the breeze blowing out to sea, I’m certain that it blows inland as well (although I can’t say for certain).
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:58pmOK, guys – enough with the radiation propaganda. It’s getting stupid.
Report Post »Wilma
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 5:31pmAre you suggesting the story is false? If so please present facts to support your statement.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:46pmI’m gone. Bye-bye, The Blaze.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:44pmThat’s a Rap ~
Report Post »EEE-NNN-OOO-UUU-GGG-HHH, AAALLLRRREEEAAADDDYYY!
Dear Lord! What does it TAKE for The Blaze to block this person? He or she is not even making good sense.
teachermitch32
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 8:18pmShow…I hope you reported him/ her. That‘s what I’m doing…and yes, it is annoying. Use the report button.
Report Post »copper
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:44pmWAIT A MINUTE…..
Wouldn’t the spinach and grass contaminated by the disaster been washed away in the Tsunami?
Where did this milk come from? The people in the disaster area are starving except for the water and small amounts of food being distributed by groups like Operation Blessing a CBN didaster relief – the first NGO in the disaster area. How many cows were wandering or swimming past the nuclear plant since it is on the coast and the wind has been blowing out to sea?
The hysterical reports are getting more luicrous every day.
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:43pmI don’t know if I would be too quick to believe the amounts being stated by the Japanese government right now. They have been less than forthcoming on this whole incident so far. also, I don’t believe for one second the US government or Homeland Security about this getting over here, they are known liars.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:40pmCalifornia produces Escherichia Coli enriched Spinach, Japan produces Radioactive Spinach, which would you prefer?
Report Post »mrlogan3
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:59pmThe spinach that comes from CA is probably irradiated eventually in an attempt to kill such bacteria. A lot of the produce we eat has been irradiated.
Report Post »pammypoo
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:22pmYou are correct on that one!
Report Post »HappyStretchedThin
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:34pmSome brilliant marketer should find a way to sell this spinach for EXTRA money. It’s not dangerous, of course, at those levels of radiation, but maybe there ARE come benefits to it?
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:29pmRadioactive spinach….Now I see why popeye was so strong.
Report Post »PineyWoods
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 5:33pmJust think if he had had Creamed Spinach!!! No more Bluto period!!!
Report Post »sbleve
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:52amThink big leaf plant life – radioactivity. A natures gift. Man may augment that gift on a small scale with incomplete choices, like in standby electrical generation infrastructure at a nuclear power plant.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:28pmEnough of the psychobabble, there’s consistant help pouring in, where’s the reports of genuine goodness?
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 4:34pmWe get it, Japan is suffering, we feel their pain and are responding to that. What is the effiency of the U.S. governments logistics response? Since giving to this cause, that cause, how many cans of spinach does this county need?
Report Post »avenger
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 5:36pmthat is true…because japan has no immigrants and it is a truly nationalistic society ..one for all…all for one..time to wake up America !
Report Post »GONESURFING
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:31pmThere my be help coming in, but there is also radiation coming out of the nuke plant which is very bad for life in general in the area. The majority of the Japanese people oppose the nuclear power plants, and I can’t say that I blame them, but the government with big business interests push these things through. Hope they get this thing under control and minimize to damage to their country.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 9:04pmJapan has radioactive spinach while California has escherichia coli enriched spinach, which would you prefer?
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