#Radioactive Mushroom: 1,033 Bq/Kg of Radioactive Cesium from Dried Shiitake in Shizuoka Prefecture

There's always "the first"..

From Jiji Tsushin (10/7/2011):

静岡県は７日、同県伊豆市内で生産・加工された乾燥シイタケについて販売業者が行った自主検査で、食品衛生法の暫定規制値（１キロ当たり５００ベクレル）を超える１０３３ベクレルの放射性セシウムが検出されたと発表した。これを受け県は８日、生産者が保管していた同じ加工品について、放射性物質検査を実施する。

Shizuoka Prefecture announced on October 7 that 1,033 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium exceeding the provisional safety limit of 500 becquerels/kg was found in the dried shiitake mushrooms produced and processed in Izu City in Shizuoka. It was found by a voluntary testing by a retailer. The prefectural government plans to conduct its own testing of the remaining products kept at the producer on October 8.

　県によると、乾燥シイタケは３～４月に伊豆市で収穫され、４月中旬までに同市内で加工された。生産者は県内外５カ所の業者に販売。一部は既に消費されたとみられるが、販売先の業者はいずれも自主的に撤去したという。

According to the prefectural government, the shiitake mushrooms in question were harvested in Izu City in March and April, and processed in the city by the middle of April. The producer sold to 5 retailers in and out of Shizuoka. Some are considered to have been already consumed, but the retailers have voluntarily removed the mushrooms from their stores.

If the mushrooms were harvested in that time period, radioactive cesium must be from the fallout on the surface of the mushrooms. The Ministry of Education is yet to conduct the aerial survey of Shizuoka Prefecture, and the Hayakawa radiation contour map only shows the east side of the Izu Peninsula with some radiation. Izu City is located in the center of the peninsula.

(The map showing the location of Izu City is from this blog. Thank you.)

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