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Sun, 2011-03-13 17:02 — mdmcdonald
Food Supply

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Effect of Contaminated Soil on Food Chain Sparks Fears

Sun, 2011-09-11 13:00 — Kathy Gilbeaux

by Mizuho Aoki - The Japan Times - September 11, 2011

Cesium absorption through roots may have long-term effect on farming

Six months after the nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima Prefecture, the public's awareness of the threat posed by radiation is entering a new phase: the realization that the biggest danger now and in the future is from contaminated soil.

The iodine-131 ejected into the sky by the Fukushima No. 1 power station disaster was quickly detected in vegetables and tap water — even as far away as Tokyo, 220 km south of the plant.

But contamination levels are now so low they are virtually undetectable, thanks to the short half-life of iodine-131 — eight days — and stepped up filtering by water companies.

But cesium is proving to be a tougher foe. The element's various isotopes have half-lives ranging from two to 30 years, generating concern about the food chain in Fukushima Prefecture, a predominantly agricultural region, as the elements wash fallout into the ground.

The root of the problem is, well — roots.

5ivePlanets ISH Market and Concert !

Tue, 2011-08-30 18:45 — Kathy Gilbeaux

                         

submitted by Lloyd Helferty

Dear Biochar Ontario members and friends (in Japan),

  Please refer to the attached Flyer ("Tirashi.PDF").

This flyer contains information about an upcoming event in Japan that is being held in celebration of the launch of the 5ivePlanets ISH, a registered NFP Japanese initiative (Headquartered in Yokohama), whose goal is to leverage both education and technologies that work in balance with the natural cycles of the earth to increase our capacity to provide for our collective children on the one and only planet we actually have.

The mission of 5ivePlanets is to ensure sustainable food and resource supplies for the Children of the Future through effective use of appropriate technologies and education.

Rice Futures Trigger Circuit Break in Tokyo Debut

Mon, 2011-08-08 00:47 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Bloomberg - By Jae Hur and Yasumasa Song - August 7, 2011

 

An official from the Chiba Prefectural Government Offices shows a sack of rice samples bound for radiation tests at a field in Katori City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Rice futures in Tokyo surged on the first day of trading after a seven-decade halt, triggering the bourse to suspend trade, on concern radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant may spread to crops and curb supply.

No deals were concluded on the Tokyo Grain Exchange after prices hit 18,500 yen per 60 kilograms from the opening, compared with the bourse’s reference price of 13,500 yen. The surge triggered trade to be suspended.

The exchange listed rice contracts today for the first time since the start of World War II to boost flagging volumes and profit. The resumption comes as fallout from the Fukushima Dai- Ichi power plant may spread after it was found cattle had been fed cesium-tainted rice straw.

Beef Contaminated With Cesium Sold at Market

Wed, 2011-07-13 00:17 — Kathy Gilbeaux

asahi.com - July 13, 2011

Beef from cows from Fukushima Prefecture contaminated with radioactive cesium was sold to restaurants and shoppers in at least five prefectures, according to Tokyo metropolitan government officials.

The officials said July 11 that contaminated beef from six cows raised at a ranch in Minami-Soma was sold in Hokkaido, Chiba, Aichi, Tokushima and Kochi prefectures.

The rancher on July 10 admitted ignoring a prefectural order not to use potentially contaminated feed stored outdoors after explosions at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Fukushima prefectural officials said.

Wholesalers in Tokyo sold the beef to dealers in Tokyo as well as Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Osaka and Ehime prefectures before the meat reached those prefectures, the Tokyo officials said.

The revelations come after Tokyo officials discovered radioactive cesium at levels up to 3,200 becquerels per kilogram, or 6.4 times the national safety limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram, in meat from 11 cows from the same ranch earlier this month. However, beef from the cows did not make it to market.

The beef that did make it to market and consumers' tables was from six cows shipped before the cesium contamination was discovered.

Imported Watermelon Seeds from Japan Cause Watermelons to Explode in China.

Tue, 2011-05-17 23:24 — Kathy Gilbeaux

BBC - May 17, 2011

Farmers in eastern China have been left perplexed after their watermelons began to explode one by one.

An investigation by state media found farms in Jiangsu province were losing acres of fruit because of the problem.

The overuse of a chemical that helps fruit grow faster was blamed in one report by China Central Television.

But agriculture experts were unable to explain why chemical-free melons were exploding. They cited the weather and abnormal size of the melon as factors.

China Central Television said farmers were overspraying their crops with the growth promoter, hoping they could get their fruit to market ahead of the peak season and increase their profits.

Chemical-free

According to the Xinhua news agency, 20 farmers in a village in Jiangsu province planted imported seeds from Japan, with 10 households saying their watermelons began exploding last month.

Farmer Liu Mingsuo told Xinhua that more than two-thirds of his crop had blown up.

He said he had used chemicals to boost their growth on 6 May, and the following day more than 180 melons exploded. Mr Liu was reported to be the only farmer from the 10 households who used chemicals.

Food and Water - from Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Tue, 2011-05-17 22:52 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Radioactive materials in tap water, and the damage situation of the water supply and the measures taken for emergency supply and restoration.

The instructions associated with food by Director-General of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters.

Levels of radioactive contaminants in foods tested in respective prefectures.

  • Sum up of radionuclide test results carried out since 19 March 2011

http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/2011eq/index.html

Levels of Radioactive Contaminants in Foods Tested in Respective Prefectures.

Tue, 2011-05-17 22:37 — Kathy Gilbeaux

From Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Levels of radioactive contaminants in foods (data reported on 16 May 2011)

http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/2011eq/level_ma16.html

Note: This data sheet compiles individual test results shown in corresponding press release written in Japanese, available at
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/houdou/bukyoku/iyaku.html

Geiger counters ineffective for checking food, water

Sat, 2011-04-16 05:07 — JRees

Radiation factors hard to gauge; experts say rely on official data
Bloomberg, April 16th

Geiger counters are probably ineffective for consumers in detecting hazardous levels of radiation in food and water at home, scientists, professors and device makers said. Large samples should be tested in laboratory-like settings to obtain results, said Joseph Rotunda, who heads the radiation measurement division at toolmaker Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Determining whether food, water or milk is safe also requires expert knowledge and more sophisticated equipment than the typical devices sold online, said Atsushi Katayama, a member of the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry.

"Just pointing a measuring device at your food before dinner is pretty much meaningless," said Katayama, who has a doctorate in analytical chemistry from Hokkaido University. "Tap water and fish, for example, require special handling, isolation and concentration to get meaningful readings."

Radioactivity in Sea Up 7.5 Million Times - Marine Life Contamination Well Beyond Japan Feared

Wed, 2011-04-06 15:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

The Japan Times - by Kanako Takahara - April 5, 2011

Radioactive iodine-131 readings taken from seawater near the water intake of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's No. 2 reactor reached 7.5 million times the legal limit, Tokyo Electric Power Co. admitted Tuesday.

The sample that yielded the high reading was taken Saturday, before Tepco announced Monday it would start releasing radioactive water into the sea, and experts fear the contamination may spread well beyond Japan's shores to affect seafood overseas.

The unstoppable radioactive discharge into the Pacific has prompted experts to sound the alarm, as cesium, which has a much longer half-life than iodine, is expected to concentrate in the upper food chain.

According to Tepco, some 300,000 becquerels per sq. centimeter of radioactive iodine-131 was detected Saturday, while the amount of cesium-134 was 2 million times the maximum amount permitted and cesium-137 was 1.3 million times the amount allowable.

The amount of iodine-131 dropped to 79,000 becquerels per sq. centimeter Sunday but shot up again Monday to 200,000 becquerels, 5 million times the permissible amount.

Japan Nuclear Crisis: Radiation Spike Detected Outside Evacuation Zone

Thu, 2011-03-31 09:19 — Katie Rast

March 31, 2011

Japanese officials are testing the soil contaminated by radiation from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to try to determine whether spring farming can begin as alarmingly high radiation levels were detected outside the evacuation zone today.

"As a ratio, it was about two times higher" than levels at which the agency recommends evacuations," International Atomic Energy Agency Official Elena Buglova said at a news conference.

Separately, the amount of iodine found in seawater near the plant has reached a new high; 4,385 times the legal limit. Officials said earlier this week that dangerous plutonium was found in soil near the reactors.

Residents within 12 miles of the nuclear plant were evacuated after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami knocked out the reactor's cooling system March 11.

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