Contamination of foods and feedstuffs by the nuclear disaster

The releases from the damaged reactors are contaminating food and feedstuffs in the nearby areas in Japan. Radioactive iodine will be seen quickly in the milk. As most of the radioactive particles may end up in the ocean it is imperious to avoid sea foods of any kind. Water sources are likely to be contaminated. The Japan government declared that the tap water in Tokyo is contaminated with radioactive iodine and is unsafe for infants.

Continuous monitoring for radioactivity of the food products, milk and drinking water is being done to ensure that the radiation exposure of the public does not exceed the acceptable limits prescribed by the WHO. Since some of the radioactive isotopes released are having half lives in years, the food chain safety will be compromised in the next decades by the situation in Fukushima.

The WHO guideline levels in drinking water, for the most predominant radio-nuclides, Iodine-131 and Cesium-137, in the releases from the reactors are: 0.01 Bq/mL. These guideline levels of radionuclides in drinking water were calculated on the basis of an annual dose criterion of 0.1 mSv (10mR) from drinking 2 liters of water per day. The average natural background radiation to which we are all exposed is 2 mSv in a year.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also been monitoring the environment for radioactivity and radiation levels at the nearby areas from the Fukushima plant in Japan. As per IAEA update, the dose-rate results ranged from 0.8 to 9.1 micro-Sievert per hour. The beta-gamma activity contamination measurements ranged from 0.08 to 0.9 MBq per square metre.

The Agency continues to receive data confirming high levels of radioactivity (above permissible limits) in food, notably spinach, in samples taken from 37 locations in the vicinity of five cities south of the Fukishima site. Higher levels of both Iodine-131 and Caesium-137 have been measured by the Japanese authorities in milk, water, in spinach and some other fresh vegetables. In view of this, it is reported that distribution of food from the areas affected has been restricted. The Japanese authorities are monitoring the situation in the rest of the country.

Further radioactivity releases from the stricken reactors in to the environment should be controlled somehow to keep the public exposures as low as possible.