Radioactive Meat Circulating in Japanese Markets

Japanese have probably ingested cesium contaminated meat from six Fukushima cows that were delivered late last month to markets, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Monday evening. This was preceded by another recent discovery of radiation in the meat of 11 cows that was about to be delivered to Tokyo from the same farm.

“If we were to eat the meat everyday, then it would probably be dangerous,” Goshi Hosono, state minister in charge of consumer affairs and food-safety, said at a news conference Tuesday. “But if it is consumed only in small portions, I don’t think it would have any long-lasting effects on the human body.”

So far, radiation has been confirmed from three out of the six cows. In one case, radiation reached 3400 Becquerels, which is about seven times the limit set by the government. The farmer may have given the cows hay that had been exposed to soil containing high levels of radiation. The farm is situated at about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, informed Yutaka Kashimura, Fukushima Prefecture’s officer in charge of the livestock division.

More than 500 farms will be inspected before the end of the week and nearly 2,800 by the end of the month. No health problems linked to the radioactive meat have been reported, informed the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

(MS)

Source: CNN