494 leaf tobacco farmers in Fukushima will grow leaf tobacco this year and sell it to Japan Tobacco (JT), a monopoly in Japan (50% of shares owned by the Ministry of Finance) and the 3rd largest tobacco and cigarettes manufacturer in the world, next to British American Tobacco.
Did you know that there is no national safety standard for radioactive materials in leaf tobacco?
From KFB Fukushima Broadcasting Co. (2/5/2012):
原発事故を受け去年、葉タバコの作付けを断念した県たばこ耕作組合は、来年度に県中、県南、会津地方を中心に４９４戸の計４７４ヘクタールで栽培を再開する。
After the nuclear plant accident last year, the tobacco producers' union in Fukushima Prefecture gave up planting the tobacco. In the next growing season [2012], 494 farms in central, southern and Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture will resume planting on 474 hectares.
同組合と日本たばこ産業（ＪＴ）が４日までに２４年産の売買契約を結んだ。
The union and Japan Tobacco (JT) signed the agreement for the sale and purchase of the 2012 crop by Febuary 4.
葉タバコには国の放射性物質の規準値が適用されないため、ＪＴが暫定規準値（１キロ当たり放射性セシウム５００ベクレル、放射性ヨウ素２０００ベクレル）を設けている。
The national safety limits for radioactive materials do not apply to leaf tobacco. JT has its own provisional safety limits (500 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium, 2000 becquerels/kg of radioactive iodine).
組合によると、警戒区域と計画的避難区域の１６７戸（１３６ヘクタール）と、両区域以外で土壌の放射性物質の値から、栽培すればＪＴの規準値を超える恐れの高い一部地域の１５戸（１２ヘクタール）は引き続き作付けを見合わせる。
According to the union, 167 farmers (136 hectares) in the no-entry zone and the planned evacuation zone will continue to refrain from planting, as well as 15 farmers (12 hectares) in areas with high radioactivity in the soil which may cause the crop to exceed the JT's safety limits.
By the way, JT will start selling the cigarettes made from 2011 crop. Even though farmers in Fukushima did not grow leaf tobacco last year, farmers in other prefectures did, and the harvest was radioactive. JT doesn't care as long as it is below 500 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium. The highest was 217 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium detected from leaves harvested in Ibaraki Prefecture, according to JT's data measuring dried leaves. JT has assured customers that these leaves will be used in JT's cigarettes, because the cesium levels were within the JT's safety limit.
So, for added kick, look for JT-brand cigarettes come April. Make sure you don't exhale though, as people around you may not want to inhale what you exhale.
30-Day free trial by following the link.
Tokyo Time
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10 comments:
Ugh.
This will possibly have a similar outcome as the first filter cigarettes of the world (branded "Kent") had. Their filters were made from asbestos and sold from 1951 to 1956.
Of course, contemporary medical "authorities" didn't talk about, or flatly denied the risks, but praised the tar-consuming and cooling qualities of the asbestos filter.
Many "Kent" smokers got lung cancer soon, many sued the manufacturer. There is a plethora of uncanny reports and pictures to find in the web. Just search for "kent asbestos cigarette".
How convenient that cesium is way more soluble and less-concentrated in the plant leaves than things like strontium or plutonium!
Thus they can say "the tobacco is safe" after holding a gamma detector over a pack of tobacco for a few seconds.
So the 2012 JT cigarettes' tobacco will be satiated with alpha (plutonium, americium etc) and beta (strontium etc) hot particles that effect as cancer seeds like asbestos fibers.
Japanese smokers, enjoy!
Japan produced a very good tobacco (good for its tastes, not one's health of course) much of it grown or manufactured in the North-East. There was a big shortage in JT products, and many smokers switched to foreign brands. IMHO they know JT products might be much more lethal now.
Makes me even more angry at Japanese (99% men) blowing their second hand smoke at me. Wish is was banned from all indoors today. Really, not even smoking on the streets.
Pretty sad way to eliminate tobacco users from this earth. Or maybe a good way to make people stop smoking!
And when they get sick and die before the crops are complete? What will the tobacco producers do to handle the losses?
Someone is not thinking things through.
More reason to call cigarettes "cancer sticks."
Wakatta!! Problem solved! All the farmers who can't find a way to sell their radioactive rice/tea/mushrooms etc, just switch to growing tobacco! No safety standards, no problem! The shite will kill you anyway, so who cares if it kills you a bit quicker
When was money declared to be sacred? Life on this planet has been degraded to being less important then the dollar, yen, mark and pound. Money is worthless when food and water are poison. The rich and powerful may be happy but everyone will be dead or dying.
And to think that I was offended by passively smoking the old, safe smoke.
Live fast, die horribly.
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