Radiation detected in water/seafood?

Hi all,

This may be a silly question, and I see no one else seems to have asked about it - but to put my family's mind at ease - have the concerns around radiation found in the water dropped at all? I read that the water is okay now, however i'm curious to know how it will affect the seafood/fish markets?
I just want to be sure that everything will be safe to eat/drink while we visit.

Thanks

Currently there are no health concerns. Radiation found in tap water never exceeded international safety levels except for some locations very close to the nuclear plant.

Some food with heightened numbers has been withdrawn from the market. But even the levels of these foods would only become dangerous if you continued to consume them regularly for months.

Frankly speaking, I think the regular chemicals found on vegetables in the supermarkets in Japan and your home country are probably of a much higher concern to your health than the radiation from the Fukushima plants will ever be.

As for the seawater contamination, the latest I have heard is that there would be no concern to your health even if you would be eating a fish that was swimming inside the 40km radius of the plants. If you would base your diet on such fish for an entire year, that might be a different story.

Thank you Uji!
You're answers are always so helpful.
I highly doubt anything will go wrong from eating the odd seafood dish over a 2 week period :)

Curious,

Long story short, all water and seafood that is available is safe at the moment.

As for tap water, for most areas in Japan it was always safe for everyone.

For example in Tokyo, infants prior to 1 year old were advised to consume bottled water on the 23rd, although it was still okay to to consume tap water (but infants were/are always advised to avoid direct tap water anyway). On the 24th the measurements were safe again and the restriction was lifted.

In IIdate Village, Fukushima Pref. where radiation was reported to be most harsh, tap water was restricted during March 21st to April 1st, but is now safe although infants are still advised to consume bottled water to be on the safe side.

I heard a specialist saying on TV that the tap water contamination happened due to rain washing off the first air contamination. There were explosions and fires in the plants back then but there aren't any more, so that makes sense.

In Greater Tokyo, most adults are and have been drinking tap water with no hesitation.

As for seawater, on April 2nd the people at the plants finally found where the contaminated water was coming from and now they are trying to block it.

As for seafood, for example, a March 29th news report tells us that Kanagawa Prefecture tested the seafood being caught and no radiation higher than the standards were reported. These seafood came from Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay which are big fishing areas for Greater Tokyo.

At the moment, some vegetables and milk from the plant area are restricted from being shipped out of their farms, and that means they're not at all available for ordinary consumers. But the news today tells us that they are soon to lift that restriction as well.

It's unfortunate that even the safe foods are being avoided due to rumors. People are trying hard to promote its safety. For example, on April 1st, they held a vegetable market in the middle of Tokyo using radiation meter as a demonstration. The shopkeeper measured a 6 months old girl's coat which turned out to be 0.6 microSv and then measured rice from Fukushima Pref. which turned out to be 0.5 microSv.

Sorry that the sources are in Japanese.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20110331-OYT1T00975.htm
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/region/news/110329/kng11032921500006-n1.htm
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/society/news/2011/04/02/kiji/K20110402000546...

Hi
I heard that there's no blackouts period anymore, is that true? As I plan to go to Kamakura, Yokohama, Hakone, and Kawaguchiko next week.

In addtion, do you have timetable of Hakone Tozan Bus, Cable car, Ropeway, and Cruise at Hakone? Pls advice.

Thanks lot!

------i'm curious to know how it will affect the seafood/fish markets?-------

It was reported
Friday, April 15, 2011

Fish near Fukushima have cesium
Radioactive cesium 25 times above the legal limit for consumption was detected Wednesday in young sand lance caught off Fukushima Prefecture, the health ministry said.

One of the sampled fish tested for cesium had 12,500 becquerels per kg.

It was caught about 500 meters off Iwaki and 35 km from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, it said. The limit for cesium is 500 becquerels under the Food Sanitation Law.

reported by Japan Times

Obviously seafood catch that exceeds the legal limit of radiation will not be sold at market, but you can assume that everything that is sold is safe for consumption. So there will definitely be a change in what is sold at the fish markets around the country (and around the world for that matter), however tourists are probably unlikely to notice any difference.