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Radioactive iodine in Japan tap water
Traces of radioactive iodine have been detected in tap water in Tokyo after the emergency at a quake-hit Japanese nuclear power plant.
The government says abnormal levels of radioactive iodine have also been found in the water supply in the central prefectures of Gunma, Tochigi, Saitama, Chiba and Niigata.
Full Story - Bigpond News
Earlier, there were reports abnormal levels of radioactivity in milk and spinach in areas near a stricken Fukushima nuclear plant had been detected.
But the government says the foods pose no immediate threat to humans.
The contaminated milk was found in Fukushima prefecture where the quake-damaged atomic power station is located.
The tainted spinach was discovered in neighbouring Ibaraki prefecture.
Full Story - Bigpond News
The decision to prohibit food produce sales is another potentially devastating blow to a part of northeast Japan hit by the earthquake, tsunami and other potential fall-out from the Fukushima plant. Fukushima, northeast of Tokyo, has Japan's fourth-largest amount of farmland and ranks among its top producer of fruits, vegetables and rice. Ibaraki, south of Fukushima, supplies Tokyo with a significant amount of fruits and vegetables and is Japan's third-largest pork producer.
But the government says the foods pose no immediate threat to humans.
The contaminated milk was found in Fukushima prefecture where the quake-damaged atomic power station is located.
The tainted spinach was discovered in neighbouring Ibaraki prefecture.
The health ministry has ordered authorities to investigate where the products have come from, how they were distributed and depending on their findings, suspend sales.
Consumers have been urged to remain calm with officials saying consumption of contaminated milk for a year would only be equivalent of one CT scan.
Source
Government warns tests of spinach and milk from areas as far as 75 miles away exceed safety limits
Meanwhile, the government warned that tests of spinach and milk from areas as far as 75 miles away exceeded safety limits. Tap water farther away turned up tiny amounts of radioactive iodine in Tokyo and other areas.
Food beyond Japan's borders was also reportedly tainted. Radiation was detected on fava beans imported from Japan to Taiwan, Taiwanese officials said in what appears to be the first case of contamination in Japanese imports.
Taiwan's Cabinet-level Atomic Energy Council Radiation Monitoring Center said in a statement that a small amount of iodine and cesium had been found on a batch of Japanese fava beans imported to the island on Friday. The center said 11 becquerels of iodine and 1 becquerel of cesium were detected.
Full Story - MSNBC
'No immediate health risk'
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, meanwhile, insisted the contaminated foods "pose no immediate health risk."
The tainted milk was found 20 miles from the plant, a local official said. The spinach was collected from six farms between 60 miles and 75 miles to the south of the reactors.
Those areas are rich farm country known for melons, rice and peaches, so the contamination could affect food supplies for large parts of Japan.
MSNBC