Previously - Low levels of Fukushima cesium found in West Coast tuna

Scientists hope to test new samples of Pacific bluefin tuna after low levels of radioactive cesium from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident turned up in fish caught off California in 2011, researchers reported Monday.

The bluefin spawn off Japan, and many migrate across the Pacific Ocean. Tissue samples taken from 15 bluefin caught in August, five months after the meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi, all contained reactor byproducts cesium-134 and cesium-137 at levels that produced radiation about 3% higher than natural background sources – but well below levels considered dangerous for human consumption, the researchers say.

Cesium-137 has a radioactive half-life of about 30 years, and traces of the isotope still persist from above-ground nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s and '60s. But cesium-134, which has a half-life of only two years, "is inarguably from Fukushima Daiichi," Stanford University marine ecologist Dan Madigan told CNN.

Read the full story: Low levels of Fukushima cesium found in West Coast tuna

Compared to the snaking queues and crowds at Tokyo’s biggest food festival, the four stalls from Fukushima prefecture are an oasis of quiet.

It might just be a pre-lunchtime lull, but among the hundreds of stall owners and the thousands of hungry visitors to the nine-day "Furusato Matsuri" or "Hometown Festival" at the Tokyo Dome, it’s a reminder that for many from Fukushima prefecture, getting rid of the legacy from last year’s nuclear disaster is ongoing.

Business is okay, says Ici Masakani, who is selling steamed sea urchin to visitors, but normally works at a restaurant on the coast of Fukushima prefecture. The main question he is asked by customers is not if his steamed "uni" are safe to eat and radiation-free, but why they are so big.
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Tokyo (CNN) - A Japanese health official downplayed the dangers Tuesday after cesium contaminated meat from six Fukushima cows was delivered to Japanese markets and probably ingested.

Goshi Hosono, state minister in charge of consumer affairs and food-safety, said he hoped to head off any overreactions.

"If we were to eat the meat everyday, then it would probably be dangerous," Hosono 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."

The meat, delivered late last month, has made its way to consumers and most likely has been ingested, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Monday evening. This was preceded by another recent discovery of radiation in the meat of 11 cows delivered to Tokyo from the same farm.

Read the full story: "Radioactive meat circulating on Japanese market"

Celebrity chef Eric Ripert is using a dosimeter to test the level of radiation in the seafood at his restaurant. Radiation ecologist Dr. Timothy Mosseau says that may be a bit of overkill. Supply chain expert Gene Tanski of Foresight Demand says there's no real way that even affected food could get into the food supply in the U.S. and World Health Organization spokesman Peter Cordingley says he believes that it's a good idea to keep paying close attention.

It's not just the experts expressing opinions about the potential for radiation ingestion following the damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Our commenters have weighed in as well.

The same government that said the BP oil spill is contained and that there are no long lasting health concerns. Eat Japanese sushi at your own peril folks. Use common sense and believe the exact opposite of what the government tells you - Jonx

The reactor in Japan didn't melt down as it did in Chernobyl, and if it didn't up until now, it won't. Any real danger for the rest of the world is OVER. What we are reading in the media are the products of the anti-nuclear power crowd trying to scare the daylight out of people. Don't buy it. - Gabor47

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Chef Eric Ripert is assuaging diners' radiation angst by mechanically testing the seafood he serves. An ecologist who's closely studied radiation's impact at Chernobyl thinks that going to those lengths in the U.S. just might be overkill.

Read more about the measures the Japanese government is taking to ensure that its seafood remains safe.

In light of health concerns, celebrity chef Eric Ripert is employing radiation detection equipment to allay the fears of nervous diners, but he's not giving up on Japanese seafood.

Read more about the measures the Japanese government is taking to ensure that its seafood remains safe.

Previously – The man behind Eric Ripert's seafood empire – fish butcher Justo Thomas

Read Fishermen: Utility's actions in Japan nuclear crisis 'unforgivable'

Previously – Japan's gonna need some bigger regulations

Japanese fishermen have taken the offensive in their fight against the owner of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi power plant, angrily calling the utility's actions insulting, incompetent and "unforgivable" over the course of the weeks-long nuclear crisis.

The National Fishery Corporative Joint Association, a trade group for Japan's fishing industry, issued a scathing statement on Wednesday just hours after meeting with officials from the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which runs the crippled plant.

In it, the group demanded that the utility and Japanese government "compensate all parties (that have) indirectly or directly suffered" as a result of the situation.

"Tokyo Electric has not been capable of understanding the damage at the plant and (contaminated) water. That led to this serious situation," the group said in the statement.

Read Fishermen: Utility's actions in Japan nuclear crisis 'unforgivable'

Previously – In light of radioactive eel catch, Japan instills seafood regulations

The eels didn’t manage to slip through.

After a haul turned up last Friday off the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture, with levels of radioactivity double the current standards set for vegetables, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano announced that the nation’s authorities would begin regulating the radiation levels in seafood.

Water samples taken Tuesday from concrete pits outside the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station showed radiation 5 million times the legal limits – down from a Saturday reading of 7.5 million, according to an official with the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which runs the plant. Groundwater outside reactor No. 6 was similarly affected. The levels dropped steeply just several dozen meters out, but still remained several hundred thousand times above legal limits.

Radioactive iodine-131 is at the center of health experts’ concerns. The element iodine, in its non-radioactive isotopic form, is an essential part of thyroid regulation in the human body. Chronic exposure to its radioactive form, such as iodine-129 or iodine-131, can, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, cause thyroid problems such as nodules or cancer. Iodine-131 loses half its radiation every eight days and is further diluted by active ocean waters. Still – it’s making its way into seafood at levels exceeding those the Japanese government have deemed safe for consumption.
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