#Japan #Earthquake: Radioactive Cesium Found in Leafy Vegetables Grown In Tokyo

Mainichi Shinbun (in Japanese; 11:20PM JST 3/24/2011) reports:

Tokyo municipal government announced on March 24 that radioactive cesium was detected in the leafy vegetables (Komatsuna) grown in a test farm in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo. 890 Becquerel cesium was detected, whereas the legal limit is 500 Becquerel per kilogram.

It was the first time radioactive cesium was detected in the vegetables grown in Tokyo. It was probably due to rain on March 20 and 21. No effect on health, assures the Tokyo government officials.

Even after the Tokyo municipal government withdrew the advisory on water from Kanamachi Water Purification Plant, the residents of Tokyo scrambled to buy bottled water. As of March 24, in many parts of Tokyo, purchase was limited to two bottles per person, if there was any bottle to buy.

Alas, my warning to friends in Japan fell on deaf ears when I told them to go and buy water, right after the earthquake. That was still when Japan was in Extend and Pretend phase, with Prime Minister Kan visiting the nuke plant and telling everyone that things were under control. So they didn't buy. And now they are surprised that there is no water bottle available.

I'm sure there are a plenty of bottled water donated by people in and out of Japan, sitting at the official depots set up by local governments.

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