Now They Tell Us: Fukushima Rice Was Tested at 2 Locations Per Town, Says Yomiuri

Nothing new, I hope, for the readers of this blog. Now that radioactive cesium exceeding the national provisional limit has been detected from the rice in the area that passed the test with flying colors, the Fukushima prefectural government will test rice in select locations in 4 cities with relatively high radiation.

In reporting that news, Yomiuri Shinbun finally writes:

県は出荷前の９～１０月、４８市町村の計１１７４地点で検査を実施したが、原則、合併前の旧市町村ごとに２検体を採取する検査だった。

The Fukushima prefectural government conducted the survey at 1174 locations in 48 cities, towns and villages [in Fukushima] in September and October before the shipment of rice. However, the survey was done on 2 samples per old cities, towns, and villages before the merger.

That information had been posted on Fukushima Prefecture's official website all along, and Yomiuri is kind enough to tell the readers now. There are many Japanese readers who are now saying "Wait a minute, I thought they tested all the rice, and I thought it was safe".

Caveat emptor.

Yomiuri Shinbun (11/22/2011):

福島市大波地区で収穫された玄米から国の暫定規制値（１キロ・グラムあたり５００ベクレル）を超える放射性セシウムが検出された問題を受け、福島県は２２日、局地的に放射線量が高い「特定避難勧奨地点」がある伊達市と、比較的放射線量が高いところがある福島、相馬、いわき３市の計４市の一部地域で再度、玄米の放射性物質検査を実施すると発表した。

After radioactive cesium that exceeded the national provisional limit (500 becquerels/kg) was detected from the rice harvested in Onami District of Fukushima City, the Fukushima prefectural government announced on November 22 that select locations in 4 cities would be tested for radioactive materials in rice again. The cities are Date City, which has local hot spots designated as "evacuation recommendation spot", Fukushima City, Soma City and Iwaki City, which have locations with relatively high radiation.

　再検査を行うのは、４市の対象地域にある農家全１９４１戸が生産した玄米。原則、１農家につき１袋を検査し、５０袋超の農家は５０袋ごとに１袋を選んで調べる。簡易検査で２００ベクレルを超える放射性セシウムが検出された場合は、県農業総合センターで詳細に調べる。検査は今週中に始まり、結果が出るのは１２月中旬になるという。

The survey will be done again on the rice grown by 1,941 farms in the location selected within the 4 cities. One bag per farm will be tested, and if there are more than 50 bags of rice [typically 30 kilograms] at a farm, one bag will be selected from every 50 bags. If radioactive cesium exceeding 200 becquerels/kg is detected in the simplified testing, the prefectural agriculture center will test the rice in detail. The simplified survey will start within this week, and the result will become available in mid December, according to the prefectural government.

　県は出荷前の９～１０月、４８市町村の計１１７４地点で検査を実施したが、原則、合併前の旧市町村ごとに２検体を採取する検査だった。

The Fukushima prefectural government conducted the survey at 1174 locations in 48 cities, towns and villages [in Fukushima] in September and October before the shipment of rice. However, the survey was done on 2 samples per old cities, towns, and villages before the merger.

How does the simplified testing work? 200 grams of rice is put in a plastic bag, and a government official waves a scintillation survey meter over the rice for a few seconds.

The prefecture's survey that tested 1174 samples in Fukushima was much praised in the media, and Fukushima rice was shipped with great fanfare. Big department stores specially feature Fukushima rice as the year-end gifts.

Now, Fukushima Prefecture and the Japanese MSM admit that locations within only 4 cities in Fukushima has nearly 2000 farms.

According to the Fukushima prefectural government's announcement on November 16, 2011, Onami District of Fukushima City, where 630 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was found in one farm, has:

• 154 farms;

• 42 hectares of rice fields;

• 192 tonnes of rice grown;

• 6,400 bags of rice (30 kg/bag)

In the original survey, they tested two 200-gram bags out of 6,400 bags of rice from the district. Some safety and security.

The same announcement says that in Fukushima City alone, there are:

• 5,545 farms;

• 2,312 hectares of rice fields.

Assuming the yield is the same as in Onami District, that should have yielded:

• 10,570 tonnes of rice grown;

• 352,000 bags of rice (30 kg/bag)

Even within the same farm, depending on the location of the rice paddies, radioactive cesium concentration may differ significantly. For that matter, even within the same paddy. In municipalities other than these four cities, there may be even more contaminated locations that people don't know of, because no survey has been done.

There is no way to test, and there is no use in testing. Damage was done when the national government strongly urged the farmers in Fukushima to farm as usual this year (other than in the evacuation zones), and the farmers obliged, for one reason or another.

Now, in the municipalities in the former evacuation-ready zone (which was abolished on September 30, 2011), some rice farmers have already turned up the contaminated soil in their rice fields, mixing the contaminated top soil with the less contaminated lower soil. They say they just couldn't wait for the government's "decontamination". So these farmers fully intend to grow rice next year, knowing, as they should by now, the soil is contaminated.

(Oh wait... Soma City has locations with relatively high radiation? That's where the Japanese government sent the young king and the queen of Bhutan...)

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