One and a half years later, Fukushima Daiichii is still out of control, and radionuclides continue to be released, spread and concentrate.
Danger to human beings is from both internal and external external exposure.
This page gives a small glimpse of the ongoing danger facing the citizens of Japan, and the world...
Is it safe to be in Kyoto?
EXTERNAL
If you are in Kyoto, the levels of external radiation are nowhere as bad as in the Tohoku and Kanto regions. Levels of natural radiation are a little high due to Kyoto's geological make-up(Potasium), past atmospheric nuclear bomb test, Hiroshima/Nagasaki atomic bombs and a history of nuclear accidents in surrounding nuclear power plants. Basically the air is(as long as Tohoku disaster debris is not burnt in Kyoto), safe to breathe...although rain and snow can transport harmful radionuclides. I wouldnt personally swim in the Pacific Ocean, as currents could quite realistically transport not just Cesium, but Strontium, Plutonium and a varity of other dangerous elements. Bio-concentration from sewage and garbage incineration could possibily acount for alarming figures for Osaka Bay. Also the political decision by Osaka to incinerate and bury Iwate disaster debis that is irradiated to various levels and also contains toxic chemicals from November 2012 will make this worse. (Source)
Probably, the bigger threat is from eithder human error or a technical problem
INTERNAL
Definately the most dangerous element regarding living or visiting Kyoto is via food or drink.
Prefectures with known cesium in tap water supply:
- Iwate (岩手県)
- Yamagata (山形県)
- Fukushima (福島県)
- Ibaraki (茨城県)
- Tochigi (栃木県)
- Gunma (群馬県)
- Saitama (埼玉県)
- Chiba (千葉県)
- Tokyo (東京都)
- Kanagawa (神奈川県)
- Niigata (新潟県)
- Nagano (長野県)
*NB: "県" is Japanese for prefecture.
(source)
Some examples of Food/drink/tobacco contamination
- 550 to 690 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium detected in the commercial teas grown in 3 tea plantations in Tokyo(2011) (source)
-110,000 Bq/Kg of Cs-134/137 from Spotbelly Rockfish (source1)(source2)
- 90% of fish and shellfish off Fukushima irradiated TEPCO (source)
pots for seedlings.
- agricultural high school seedling soil in Tochigi Prefecture contained 74 times more radioactive cesium than the government's safety standard(2011) (source)
- Cesium-134/137 were detected from 71% (104 of 146 samples) of burley tobacco produced in 2013, according to JT (Japan Tobacco Inc.) (source)
- Link to some kinds of irradiated food (April 2014)
Fukushima Radioactive Contamination Symptoms Research (FRCSR)
(source)
Some examples of Food/drink/tobacco contamination
- 550 to 690 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium detected in the commercial teas grown in 3 tea plantations in Tokyo(2011) (source)
-110,000 Bq/Kg of Cs-134/137 from Spotbelly Rockfish (source1)(source2)
- 90% of fish and shellfish off Fukushima irradiated TEPCO (source)
pots for seedlings.
- agricultural high school seedling soil in Tochigi Prefecture contained 74 times more radioactive cesium than the government's safety standard(2011) (source)
- Cesium-134/137 were detected from 71% (104 of 146 samples) of burley tobacco produced in 2013, according to JT (Japan Tobacco Inc.) (source)
- Link to some kinds of irradiated food (April 2014)
Fukushima Radioactive Contamination Symptoms Research (FRCSR)
Included in the reports received from newly added areas such as Fukui on the Sea of Japan side in the middle of Honshu, Tottori, and Yamaguchi on the west end of Honshu, were decreased visual acuity, epistaxis(nose bleeds), bleeding gums, nose pain from strange odors, and chest pain. Also the areas considered as completely “clean zones” on the west end of Japan, such as Nagasaki and Fukuoka, had cases reported. An individual reporting the case from Nagasaki had eaten convenience store bento for almost all meals and keep having recurrences of cough, inflammation in throat, headaches, rhinorrhea and chills. A case report from Fukuoka concerns the occurrence of a neck lump after eating “tarako” or salted cod roe. “Tarako” is familiar to us as a product of Fukuoka, but the original ingredient, “cod roe” mainly comes from Ishinomaki, Miyagi, which is within the 100-km zone of the accident.
The two case reports from Nagasaki and Fukuoka, which are on the west end of Japan, suggest that there is a possibility that symptoms will occur no matter where you are in Japan, as long as no protective measures against contaminated food are implemented. The government’s legal standard for permissible levels of radioactive contamination in food is faulty, and it should be assumed that contaminated food is in circulation. The manufacuturers’ fraudulent claiming of origin and the disguised labeling in supermarkets are pervasive. Also, there have been reports of the use of rice bran from rice grown in the contaminated area being found in the livestock feed and the mushroom beds. Bones from contaminated cows, pigs and chicken are reportedly used in meat extracts, beef tallow, and gelatin. In the case of shellfish farming in the ocean, seed oysters from Higashimatsushima-City, Miyagi, are reportedly transported to and grown in Karatomari fishing harbor in Fukuoka-City.
As the very foundations of food safety are shaken in all areas, those who are sensitive to radioactive contamination are inclined to seek out food from western Japan despite high prices. They have to confirm not only the production areas but also the source of raw ingredients such as wheat and eggs. Many say that “It costs more to buy food for more frugal meals.” School lunches for children are of the greatest concern: some parents send homemade lunches with their children, whereas some municipalities are beginning to do radiation measurements of school lunches. Examples are Fukushima-City (Fukushima), Kawaguchi-City (Saitama), Tsukuba-City (Ibaraki), Kurihara-City (Miyagi), Kiryu-City (Gunma), Midori-City (Gunma), Narita-City (Chiba), Joso-City (Ibaraki), Yokohama-City (Kanagawa), and Yokosuka-City (Kanagawa). Testing for radiation of school lunches is beginning to be performed beyond the original area designated as contaminated to areas more distant from most hazardous areas. When it comes to restaurants, regardless of whether they are expensive and high class or not, it appears that they barely recognize the radioactive contamination of food as an issue. As expected, there are many cases where the symptoms improved after refusing school lunches and abstaining from eating out. It is extremely important to take protective measures against contaminated food no matter where you live in Japan.
- People invited to eat Cesium Beef from Iwate
