Friday, December 2, 2011

Yet More #Radioactive Rice from Fukushima, From Watari District of Fukushima City

Watari District of Fukushima City (60 kilometers from Fukushima I Nuke Plant) is one of the most contaminated districts in Fukushima City, even though the city flatly refuses to even temporarily evacuate some of the residents because the city (or volunteers, rather) will "decontaminate".

Following Onami District, Watari District has now been found with rice with radioactive cesium that exceeds the national provisional safety limit of 500 becquerels/kg.

Watari District of Fukushima City is where Professor Tomoya Yamauchi of Kobe University found that "decontamination" didn't decontaminate at all, and in locations it increased the radiation.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (12/3/2011), who tries to tell the readers it may still be OK once the rice is milled:

福島市大波地区や福島県伊達市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見つかった問題で、同県は2日、福島市渡利地区の稲作農家3戸が収穫した玄米からも、規制値を超えるセシウムが検出されたと発表した。

Onami District of Fukushima City and Date City in Fukushima Prefecture have been found with rice with radioactive cesium exceeding the national provisional limit (500 becquerels/kg). Now, the prefectural government announced on December 2 that the rice harvested at 3 farms in Watari District of Fukushima City was also found with radioactive cesium exceeding the provisional limit.

 政府は週明けにも、渡利地区などのコメを出荷停止対象とする方針を固めた。

The national government plans to order the rice in Watari District not to be shipped.

 県によると、渡利地区の47戸の稲作農家のうち、今回、25戸を調査。その結果、3戸が生産した3袋(90キロ・グラム)の玄米から、1キロ・グラムあたりそれぞれ510ベクレル、550ベクレル、590ベクレルのセシウムが検出された。農家3戸が生産した65袋分(約2トン)はいずれも自宅で保管されており、市場に流通していない。玄米は精米すると放射線量が半分から3分の1程度に下がるという。

According to the Fukushima prefectural government, 25 farms out of 47 farms in Watari District were tested. From 3 bags (30 kilograms each, total 90 kilogram) from 3 farms tested 510 becquerels/kg, 550 becquerels/kg, and 590 becquerels/kg respectively. The three farms harvested 65 bags total (about 2 tonnes), which are stored at the farms and not sold in the market. Once milled, radioactive materials in rice are supposed to drop to half or one-third.

10 comments:

no6ody said...

After the rice is milled it will be '''safe'''? Does that mean the rice-milling machinery is getting contaminated? Maybe it means that during the milling process, they can mix in rice from elsewhere to lower the rad!oactivity. One can only wonder why this disaster is being made worse by folks who want to pretend everything is getting better and better.

Anonymous said...

It means that radioactive cesium accumulated in the husk, which, when removed (milled), lowers the overall becquerel count.

I would suspect the radioactive contamination level of the rice mill to be virtually zero (the cesium in the husk is not going to transfer to the steel of the rice mill).

Anonymous said...

Mmmm 255 becquerel/kg rice is good for the heart....and the thyroid.

Anonymous said...

thyroid?

Anonymous said...

yes, thyroid--which controls metabolism in the body. Thyroid Cancer is a very likely outcome in several years..in children and teens. And DNA damage of course is possible. But, if they don't or can not have any children, not a problem, the damage will not be passed on.

Anonymous said...

“Anything that we can destroy but are unable to make is, in a sense sacred, and all our 'explanations' of it do not really explain anything.”
― E.F. Schumacher

This is what we do to the planet with nuclear power/weapons.

Anonymous said...

Isn't thyroid damage caused by radioactive iodine?

Anonymous said...

Yes, radioactive iodine harms the thyroid. Cesium is a different kettle of fish. No kid is going to get thyroid cancer from eating this rice.

Atomfritz said...

Regarding the above comments:

It is very important not to confuse the effects of one radioactive element (cesium, for example) with those of other ones (iodine in this example case).

Please read the Contaminant Fact Sheet of the Argonne National Laboratory for some basic information on the most important radionuclides.
(link: www.evs.anl.gov/pub/doc/ANL_ContaminantFactSheets_All_070418.pdf )

Each of these radioactive elements is described there, where it goes in the body, what its main effects are, and so on.

By the way, when you have read this, you'll also understand why it is so important not only to look and focus at iodine and cesium, but at some other radiopollutants also.

Anonymous said...

"One can only wonder why this disaster is being made worse by folks who want to pretend everything is getting better and better. "

It is the credo of the Globalist. For the globalist it became evident that the only way to get ahead in life is to sink the ship they're sailing on. Our bureaucracy vs. their bureaucracy is inherently a stalemate.
Any pain that pops up is merely the bleating of the sheep.
Business as usual, so STFU.

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