Nuclear Boy's stomach is still hurting, and that ache is now starting to affect Japan's food supply. Japan's health ministry announced today that an abnormal amount of radioactive materials iodine-131 and cesium-137 were detected in spinach grown about 70 miles northeast of Tokyo, and in a dairy farm 30 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The iodine was also found in some samples of the country's tap water, though it did not exceed accepted safety levels. Ministry official Ryusuke Hagiwara said, "This is the first time ever that an abnormal amount of radioactive material has been detected in food in Japan."
The iodine-131 levels found in the milk were about five times the limit of 300 becquerel per kilogram set by law, and the levels found in a sample of spinach were four times the limit of 2,000 becquerel per kilogram. Other governments are already taking precautions with food imported from Japan; Israel is reportedly in panic mode about the possibility of not having sushi, a story which we hope is just representative of a news source stretching to find an angle instead of a country with completely misplaced priorities.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said that it was willing to offer compensation to farmers whose crops were affected, but the country may need to rely on food imports even more in the coming years. The Times reports, "Iodine-131 can be dangerous to human health, especially if absorbed through milk and milk products, because it can accumulate in the thyroid and cause cancer. Cesium-137 can damage cells and lead to an increased risk of cancer." However, Brooklyn needs to calm down.
