Radioactive Beef Bento Was Sold on Shinkansen Bullet Trains

Internal radiation spreads far and wide in Japan, as if external one is not enough. Or I should say, "Now they are telling us", when it is too late. Many people already ate the meat from the meat cows that have been only discovered recently to have been fed with radioactive rice hay.

Even the Shinkansen bullet trains were instrumental in spreading the contamination.

JR Tokai announced that the beef from Asakawa-machi in Fukushima Prefecture was used in bento (lunch box) sold on Shinkansen (bullet train). Nothing left of the meat, so no way to test it.

The rice hay from Asakawa-machi has been found to contain the maximum of 97,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium.

By the way, the highest level of radioactive cesium in the rice hay was found in Motomiya City in Fukushima Prefecture, and it was 690,000 becquerels/kg. Motomiya City is located about 57 kilometers west of Fukushima I Nuke Plant. No word yet on what happened to the meat cows that ate the rice hay there.

The government and government-sponsored scholars say there is no need to overly concerned even if you eat the beef that contains radioactive cesium far exceeding the hastily-set provisional safety limit. Just remember, they have no proof. Research on internal radiation is sketchy at best, and was outright prohibited particularly in Japan after the two nuclear bombs at the end of the World War II and after the Dai-Go Fukuryu Maru incident (Bikini Atoll Operation Castle Bravo).

(Well, that would be whole another post.)

From Asahi Shinbun (12:53AM JST 7/21/2011):

　ジェイアール東海パッセンジャーズ（本社・東京都）は２０日、東海道新幹線の車内などで販売した弁当に高濃度の放射性セシウムが検出された稲わらを食べ た牛の肉を使っていたと発表した。使用した肉は３４キロ（約３８７食分）で、いずれも福島県浅川町産。弁当は販売済みだという。

JR Tokai Passengers (headquartered in Tokyo) announced on July 20 that the meat from the cow fed with the rice hay found with high radioactive cesium was used in bento (lunch box) sold on the Shinkansen bullet trains. 34 kilograms of beef from Asakawa-machi, Fukushima Prefecture was used in about 387 bento boxes, which were all sold.

　問題の肉が使われた商品は「牛すき重」と「牛すき（直巻きおにぎり）」。同社の東京と名古屋の工場で製造され、６月１７日から今月１日にかけて東海道新幹線の車内、東京、品川、新横浜、名古屋各駅とリニア・鉄道館（名古屋市）の売店で販売された。

The bento menus for which the beef in question were used are "Beef Sukiyaki" and "Beef Sukiyaki Onigiri (rice ball)". They were prepared in the company's factories in Tokyo and Nagoya, and were sold from June 17 till July 1 on the Tokaido Shinkansen, at JR stations (Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama, Nagoya) and at a kiosk at the SCMAGLEV and Railway Park in Nagoya City.

　対象の牛の検査は実施されていないため、暫定規制値を超える放射性セシウムを含んでいるかはわからないという。

No test was conducted on the cow, and there is no way of knowing whether the beef contained radioactive cesium that exceeded the provisional safety limit.

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#Radioactive Beef from Fukushima: Nearly 100K Becquerels/Kg Cesium in the Hay in a Town Near Shirakawa City, 60KM from the Nuke Plant

Move over, Minami Soma City!

The hay that's been fed to meat cows in one cattle farm in Asakawa-machi in Fukushima Prefecture, adjacent to Shirakawa City and about 60 kilometers from Fukushima I Nuke Plant has tested 97,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium.

530 becquerels/kg of cesium have been also detected from the urine of a cow at the farm.

This particular farm has sold 42 meat cows in 4 prefectures since April. Most of them have gone to the Tokyo metropolitan area (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba) as meat cows, and Tokyo received the meat in addition from Sendai City after the cows that went there were processed.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, in charge of measuring radiation once the meat cows are processed into meat, will measure the radiation and will let us know if any exceeds the provisional limit.

Fukushima Prefecture has asked the prefecture's cattle farms to stop shipping cows, on a voluntary basis.

More from Mainichi Shinbun Japanese (7/14/2011):

福島県南相馬市内から出荷された牛から暫定規制値（１キロ当たり５００ベクレル）を超える放射性セシウムが検出された問題で、同県は１４日、同県浅川町の畜産農家でも、高濃度の放射性セシウムを含む稲わらを餌として肉牛に与えていたと発表した。この農家が、震災後の４月以降に東京、神奈川、千葉、宮城の４都県に４２頭の肉牛を出荷していたことも確認した。いずれも食肉処理され、肉は山形、岩手両県にも出荷された。福島県は各自治体に流通状況などの調査を依頼している。

Fukushima Prefecture announced on July 14 that a cattle farm in Asakawa-machi in Fukushima Prefecture has been feeding the meat cows with highly radioactive hay. It's been also confirmed that this farm has sold 42 cows in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Miyagi Prefectures. They have been all processed into meat, and the meat has been also sold in Yamagata and Iwate Prefecture. Fukushima Prefecture has asked these prefectures to track the meat.

　県や厚生労働省、農林水産省によると、浅川町の畜産農家が餌として与えていた稲わらから放射性セシウムが１キロ当たり最高で９万７０００ベクレル検出され、現在飼育中の牛の尿からも同５３０ベクレル検出された。南相馬市のケースで稲わらから検出されたのは１キロ当たり７万５０００ベクレルだった。

According to Fukushima Prefecture, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, max 97,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium has been detected in the hay that has been fed to the cows at a cattle farm in Asakawa-machi. 530 becquerels/kg of cesium has also been detected from the urine of a cow at the farm. In Minami-Soma City, the amount of radioactive cesium detected from the hay was 75,000 becquerels/kg.

　この農家から１２日に「４月に稲わらを搬入してもらったが心配だ」と連絡があり、県が調査した。稲わらは、同県白河市の業者が原発事故後の３月１５～２０日ごろに商品としてロール化し、４戸に販売されたが、他３戸は出荷前の牛には与えていないとしているという。

The cattle farm notified the Fukushima prefectural government on July 12 that the farm was worried about the hay it purchased in April. The hay had been rolled by a dealer in the adjacent Shirakawa City between March 15 and 20, and sold to 4 cattle farms. The other 3 farms say they have never fed the cows with the hay.

　県は、県内の全畜産農家約４０００戸に当面の牛の出荷と移動の自粛を要請した。

Fukushima Prefecture has asked the prefecture's 4,000 cattle farms not to sell or move the cows for the time being, on a voluntary basis.

　出荷された４２頭の内訳は▽横浜市に４月８～２０日に計１４頭▽千葉県に５月１１日に５頭▽東京都に４月２１日～６月１６日に１３頭▽仙台市に５月２３日～７月６日に１０頭。このうち、問題の稲わらを食べさせたのは３５頭という。４２頭の個体識別番号は判明しており、厚労省は肉を回収し、規制値超過が確認できた時点で番号を公表する方針。

Of 42 meat cows from this farm,

• 14 cows to Yokohama City, from April 8 to 20

• 5 cows to Chiba Prefecture on May 11

• 13 cows to Tokyo, from April 21 to June 16

• 10 cows to Sendai City from May 23 to July 6

35 cows out of 42 ate the radioactive hay, according to the farm. All 42 cows have unique identification numbers assigned. The Ministry of Health will collect the unsold meat, and will anounce the numbers IF the meat is found with radioactive cesium that exceeds the provisional limit (500 becquerels/kg).

　仙台市によると、１０頭のうち２頭は今月６日に同市宮城野区で解体され、肉計約８００キロが出荷された。内訳は▽４２０キロが東京都港区▽３５９．９キロが山形県酒田市▽８キロが岩手県花巻市▽１．４キロが仙台市宮城野区。

According to Sendai City, 2 cows were processed into meat on July 6 in Miyagino District in the city, and about 800 kilograms of meat have been sold. The meat has gone to:

• 420 kg to Minato-ku, Tokyo

• 359.9 kg to Sakata City in Yamagata Prefecture

• 8 kg to Hanamaki City in Iwate Prefecture

• 1.4 kg in Miyagino District in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.

　宮城野区に出荷された肉は市販前で倉庫に保管中。酒田市への出荷分も大半が保管中で、山形県内で消費された分はなく、１７・９キロが宮城県内の食肉卸業者に販売されたという。

The meat in Miyagino District hasn't been sold and is kept in the warehouse. Most of the shipment to Sakata City is also in the warehouse. There has been no consumption of the meat in Yamagata Prefecture [hasn't been sold to consumers yet], and 17.9 kg have been sold to a meat wholesaler in Miyagi Prefecture.

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