WHO Concerned over Radiation Levels in Japan's Food

A pink sign in Japanese reads that milk products are not being delivered due to the earthquake and nuclear reactor crisis as Japanese consumers pass by a milk products grocery shelf in Misaki town, 60 kilometers east of Tokyo, Japan on 20 March 2011

The radiation levels found in certain Japanese foods in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis is a more serious issue than previously thought, the World Health Organization said Monday.

People in Japan "have to be cautious" about what they eat and drink, according to Peter Cordingley, the Manila-based spokesman for the WHO's regional office for the Western Pacific, as cited by CNN.

"Quite clearly, it is not what we thought in the early stages. It is more serious," he said. "We have seen Japanese people in grocery stores paying close attention to where their produce is coming from, and we think this is a wise practice."

Cordingley admitted that, even though concerns were raised initially were for food production within 30 km of the plant, cows (and the milk they produce) outside that radius and spinach from as far as 120 kilometers was being affected.

The WHO spokesperson was positive that no radiation-affected food has been exported from Japan exports mainly fruit, vegetables, dairy products and seafood, its biggest markets being Hong Kong, China and the United States.

Meanwhile, people living near the crippled nuclear plant have been advised by the Japanese Health Ministry not to drink tap water, as high levels of radioactive iodine have been found in it.

On Monday, the World Bank announced that the disastrous March 11 9 point magnitude on the Richter scale earthquake and the resulting 10-meter tsunami might cost Japan's economy up to USD 235 B.

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