The Wall Street Journal reports that “Japan grappled with a fresh radiation scare Tuesday, as authorities found that beef contaminated with radioactive cesium had been shipped to shops and restaurants throughout the country.
“The beef, from six cattle raised on a farm near the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, registered radioactive-cesium levels up to seven times that permitted by Japanese food-safety standards. Some of the meat had already likely been eaten, government officials said.”
The story continues: “Experts said the level was too low to create health problems in people who ate just one or two servings. But the discovery dominated local news and TV shows, reminding Japanese consumers that they will be living with the threat of radiation for a long time to come - and highlighting holes in the way Japan is testing cattle for radioactive exposure.”
“The beef, from six cattle raised on a farm near the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, registered radioactive-cesium levels up to seven times that permitted by Japanese food-safety standards. Some of the meat had already likely been eaten, government officials said.”
The story continues: “Experts said the level was too low to create health problems in people who ate just one or two servings. But the discovery dominated local news and TV shows, reminding Japanese consumers that they will be living with the threat of radiation for a long time to come - and highlighting holes in the way Japan is testing cattle for radioactive exposure.”
- KC's View:
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This must be both ironic and troubling for the Japanese, who have been highly vigilant about food safety when it comes to mad cow disease, blocking imports that they thought had any chance of being contaminated.
