Fukushima fish too radioactive for human consumption
According to a report issued on Monday by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), operator of the catastrophically ruined Fukushima nuclear reactors, “fish caught in the harbor of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan far exceed safety levels for human consumption.” The content of cesium 137, a radioactive isotope that is a common byproduct of nuclear reactors, is 180 times that of the standard maximum stipulated in Japan’s food safety law, according to an assessment by China Global Television Network (CGTN). It should be noted that the limit for cesium 137 in US food, according to the Food and Drug Administration, is twelve times higher (1200 Bq/kg) than allowed by Japan in “general foods” (100 Bq/kg).
This report comes as TEPCO is threatening to release radioactive Fukushima wastewater into the waters around the ruined Fukushima reactors as early as July 2023, the date by which all facilities for the water release system are expected to be completed. This planned radioactive water release is against the advise of marine experts and the United Nations Human Rights Council members. Local fishing communities say their businesses will suffer even more; and Japan’s neighbors, South Korea and China oppose the dumping as well.
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