Harmful Radiation Found in Basic Food Staples in Japan

Food and water are scarce in areas of Japan affected the worst by the March 11 9 point on the Richter scale devastating earthquake. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Harmful levels of radiation have been discovered in milk and spinach in the Japanese prefectures of Fukushima and Ibaraki, the Japanese government spokesperson informed Saturday.

Both prefectures are near the quake-stricken Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, NPP.

Japanese authorities are mandated to notify the European Union about elevated radiation. The EU already recommended, several days ago, testing of all food imported from Japan.

Italy announced restrictions in the import of fish, caviar, seaweed, soy sauce and green tea from Japan with all goods undergoing radiation testing. Russia is also increasing Customs control on Japanese imports.

The Head of Bulgaria's newly established Food Safety Agency, Dr. Nikolay Voynov, assuages local fears by saying the only food Bulgaria has ever imported from Japan has been fish, but there has not been any such import in the last year and a half, all while the country has a modern lab for radiation testing of food.

Meanwhile, Japanese authorities recommend to people, who were living near the NPP, to take iodine pills to prevent thyroid cancers.

The Japanese cabinet will slate USD 127 B to literally rebuild several areas of the country from the rubble. They will be given as loans to businesses which will do the work.

Estimations show that the amount of the damage can reach USD 159 B.

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