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The previous Japanese government (under Noda, previously Kan), implimented a provisional government limit for Cesium after the earthquake that damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, and the following tsunami that destroyed the ability to cool the damaged reactors, which started releasing vast amounts of life-threatening radionuclides since March 11, 2011.
These emergency levels were:
Measurements are in Bq/kg(becquerels per kilogram):
Vegetables(500)
Grains(500)
Meat, eggs, fish(500)
Drinking water(200)
Milk, diary products(200)
Baby food items(no category)
However, the government set new limits as of April 2012. These are lower, have some exemptions, and seem to have no punishment set for abuse, and only require voluntary withdrawal of dangerous foods, meaning no compensation will be paid.
New limits are:
Vegetables(100)
Grains(100)
Meat, eggs, fish(100)
Drinking water(10)
Milk, diary products(50 milk only)
Baby food items(50)
"The government insists that its radiation limits ensure that the program will pose no health risks to surrounding residents. Those limits, however, have been significantly relaxed since the disaster at Fukushima. Radioactivity is measured by becquerel per kilogram, or bq/kg. Previously, Japanese regulations required nuclear waste with 100 or more bq/kg of Cesium to be monitored and disposed of in specialized containers. [...] The new government limit for material headed for landfills is 8000 bq/kg, 80 times the pre-Fukushima limit."
Source
...more info to come....
HOW MUCH PLUTONIUM?
Extremely dangerous Plutonium isotopes have been found outside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors and in the sea. Because of the ratio of Pu241/239, it can be proved that the origin is from TEPCO. These alpha- emitting isotopes are extremely dangerous when inhaled or ingested. They cause cancer and death. Plutonium 238, 239/240 and 242 have been measured in places people continue to live without evacuation.
It is estimated that 300kg of radioactive Plutonium was released from reactors 1-3 alone. One millionth of a gram is enough to cause cancer and death from these hard to detect radionuclides.
- Reactor 1: fuel rods are 1% Plutonium, which increases with fuel use. The rods were near the end of their usage, so this amount would be higher.
- Reactor 2: fuel rods are MOX, so contain 4% Plutonium which in increases with use.
Half-life of Plutonium found around Fukushima.
Pu238 = 87.7 years
Pu239 = 24,100 years
Pu240 = 6561 years
Pu242 = 375,300 years.
This is half-life, which doesn't mean it will disappear, just degraded by 50%.
WHAT ARE THESE NUMBERS?
- 10 terabequerels = 10,000,000,000,000 becquerels
