#Radioactive Tea For Longevity Celebration

In one of the tragi-comical moments in Japan after the March 11 nuke accident, Tokorozawa City in Saitama Prefecture was just about to send the gifts of hand-picked green tea to the city's elderly residents celebrating 88 years of age (a celebratory number in Japan). The hitch was that it contained almost 3 times as much radioactive cesium as the provisional safety limit.

Oops.

The city wouldn't have known it, and probably would have given the gifts if it were not for the voluntary testing by the tea plantation.

That bureaucrats don't think is an understatement. It is a disease.

From Asahi Shinbun (9/9/2011):

埼玉県所沢市は９日、敬老の日のお祝いとして、市内の８８歳（米寿）の高齢者約８００人に贈る予定だった特産の狭山茶から国の基準（１キロあたり５００ベクレル）を超える放射性セシウムが検出されたとして、贈呈を取りやめると発表した。

Tokorozawa City in Saitama Prefecture announced on September 9 that radioactive cesium exceeding the national provisional safety limit (500 becquerels/kg) was detected from the "sayama-cha" green tea, a specialty of the region. The tea was to be given as gifts on September 15 ("Respect the Elder Day") to 800 elderly residents who would celebrate their 88th birthdays.

　市によると、この狭山茶は市内の茶業者「増田園」が所沢産の若芽を早摘みした製茶。同園が自主的に民間の検査機関に調査を依頼したところ、１４３６ベクレルが検出されたという。

According to the city, this sayama-cha was picked and processed by "Masuda-en", a tea merchant in the city. The young tea leaves were picked early in the season [meaning it was the premium "first pick"]. Masuda-en had the tea tested by a private testing laboratory, and the tea was found with 1,436 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium.

　このため増田園は納品を辞退し、取り扱っている製茶の販売を自粛した。市はお祝い品をカツオ節などに差し替えるとともに、増田園の製品について埼玉県に検査を依頼する。

Upon receiving the result, Masuda-en voluntarily declined to sell the tea to the city, and stopped the sale of its blended teas. The city will substitute the gift with other items like dried bonito, and will ask Saitama Prefecture to test the teas by Masuda-en.

I just hope dried bonito was made from shipjacks caught last year or year before (higher quality if dried and aged longer).

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