Radioactive farms in Japan

By Park Sae-jin Posted : November 23, 2011, 14:56 Updated : November 23, 2011, 14:56
New research has found that radioactive material in parts of northeastern Japan exceeds levels considered safe for farming.

The findings provide the first comprehensive estimates of contamination across Japan following the nuclear accident in 2011. Food production is likely to be affected, the researchers suggest. According to the BBC, the results are reported in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.

Scientists say the main cause of the radiations was that in the wake of the accident at Japan‘s Fukushima nuclear power plant, radioactive isotopes were blown over Japan and its coastal waters. Fears that agricultural land would be contaminated spurned research into whether Japanese vegetables and meat were safe to eat.

An early study suggested that harvests contained levels of radiation well under the safety limit for human consumption. Some have also cited concerns of polluted waters around Japan, meaning that fisheries and tourist industries attached to Japan’s seas may also be affected quite badly.

For many Japanese officials, the main concern now is to determine where it may be safe to plant new crops, and avoid a spike in food prices. Many residents are especially concerned with the price of food due to Japan‘s situation of having a large domestic population on one of the world’s largest islands, and with increased food consumption in China, growers in Korea and the US have become hard pressed to provide enough to Asia‘s booming populations.

USRA and the BBC

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