After the nuclear meltdown at Fukushima , scientists begin amassive sweat to supervise radioactive contaminationof food spring up nearby . And one good matter did come out of it — we learned how radiation moves through the ecosystem .
First , let ’s be clear that the analysis confirms extensive monitoring observe food whose radioactivity levels exceeded base hit limits from reach consumers . Between 2011 and 2014 , 900,000 samples were collected and tested . By 2014 , only 0.6 per centum of the intellectual nourishment surpass the safety limit .
Those 900,000 samples formed the base of an analysis publish in Environmental Science & Technology . Broadly , this is what the analysis found , according toNature News :
The information from Fukushima show that the radioactivity grade fell quickly in most vegetables : just five months after the cataclysm , only a handful of sample exceeded the limit . They also showed two peaks for mushroom , one for impertinent mushroom and the other for dried mushrooms . Tea leaves picture a late spike — they were harvested later than other leafy plants , but retained some radiation because Old leaves transfer the radioactive elements to young leaves , say Steinhauser .
Meat products also exceeded limits only later , because animals mainly incorporate radioactive elements by run through contaminated plants . The authors found that boars , which feed on mushrooms , were particular accumulator .
The result match those from ecological studies in Chernobyl and older weapons psychometric test sites , but they supply more fine - grained details for Japan . Hopefully , such a atomic calamity will never , ever happen again . But if god forbid it does , scientists will know much more about how it affects the food supply .
In oecumenical , Japan has been praise for handling the food for thought safety concerns post - Fukushima fairly well . The actual cleansing work at the nuclear top executive plant , though , has quite awhole different raft . [ Nature , Environmental Science & Technology ]
Top image : grow from Fukushima being sold at a Japanese grocery store memory . AP Photo / Yuri Kageyama
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