#Radioactive Beef Conundrum: High Level Cesium Detected from Beef Not Fed with Radioactive Rice Hay

Oops. There goes the lifting of the shipping ban for Fukushima.



So where did the cow get the dose of radioactive cesium? Air? Water? No one knows, because everyone in the government and the producers have been looking only at radioactive rice hay.



From NHK News Japanese (2:17PM JST 8/19/2011):

厚生労働省によりますと、福島県産の牛の肉から国の暫定基準値を超える放射性セシウムが検出されたことが分かりました。この牛肉は、食肉処理場に保管されていたということで、これまでの調査では、高濃度の放射性セシウムを含む稲わらは餌として与えられていなかったとみられるということです。政府は福島県の肉牛について、１９日、出荷停止を解除する予定でしたが、出荷停止を当面継続するとともに、さらに詳しい調査を行うよう福島県に指示しました。



According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, radioactive cesium in the amount exceeding the national provisional limit has been detected from the beef from a cow raised in Fukushima Prefecture. This meat has been stored at a meat processing facility, and according to the investigation so far the cow was never fed the radioactive rice hay. The national government was going to lift the shipping ban on meat cows in Fukushima Prefecture today (August 19) but instead has instructed the Fukushima prefectural government to continue to halt shipping for the time being and conduct further investigation.

On a separate piece of news (link in Japanese), the manure made from chicken poop mixed with dead leaves and sawdust in Tama district of Tokyo (west) has been found to contain 890 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium. I hope it is from dead leaves or sawdust, and not from chickens. Chickens are fed with the chicken feed from the US, and they are raised indoors.

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#Radioactive Beef: Cesium Is Not Evenly Distributed in a Cow

Ooops. Amateur hour at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare who thought testing one sample from the meat of one cow would be enough.

According to Mainichi Shinbun, the Japanese authorities are finding out that the different parts of the same cow have different concentration of radioactive cesium. Not only that, the same part of the meat from the same cow can yield two different test results. That means even the meat that was tested and deemed "safe" (tested below 500 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium) may not have been safe after all.

Before they actually started to measure, the prevailing opinion from the radiation experts was that radioactive cesium would get evenly distributed in the muscles throughout the body. Amateur hour at the radiation experts, too. (Now they are changing tunes.)

So, no one knew, and no one knows what they're doing. I seem to fondly recall some of the words of Japan's consumer advocates - "the experts say it's safe...", or "why should we waste taxpayers' money testing all cows?", or "if only media did the good job of providing accurate information..." Amateur hours there, too.

My message to consumers: caveat emptor.

From Mainichi Shinbun Japanese, Tokyo Morning Edition (7/31/2011):

福島第１原発事故の影響で放射性セシウムに汚染された肉牛が見つかった問題で、同じ１頭の牛でも部位などにより検出値の違いが出るケースが指摘されている。専門家も「セシウム濃度は部位により異なる」と説明している。各自治体が今後踏み切る全頭検査の信頼性を高めるため、国は検査の統一指針づくりを迫られそうだ。

Regarding the beef contaminated with radioactive cesium due to the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident, there are cases where the different levels of cesium are detected from the different parts of the same cow. Experts explain that "the level of cesium differs depending on the parts." The national government will have to come up with the guideline so that the reliability of the radiation tests to be done on all cows by the local governments.

宮城県は２８日、１頭の牛の肉で、部位によって国の暫定規制値（１キロ当たり５００ベクレル）を超えたり、下回る検査結果が出たことを明らかにした。

On July 28, Miyagi Prefecture disclosed that the radioactive cesium was detected that exceeded the national provisional safety limit (500 becquerels/kg) in one part of the cow, while another part was found with cesium less than the safety limit.

　この牛は仙台市内で６月２１日に解体され、肩肉（二十数キロ）が流通した横浜市が検査した結果、規制値未満の３８０ベクレルだった。ところが、もも肉（３７・７キロ）の流通先の北海道が肉を調べたところ、５３０ベクレルを示した。

This cow was processed in Sendai City [in Miyagi Prefecture] on June 21. When Yokohama City [in Kanagawa Prefecture] tested the shoulder meat, 380 becquerels/kg of cesium was detected. However, when Hokkaido tested the round of the same cow, 530 becquerels/kg of cesium was detected.

　宮城県から６月１日、東京都内に出荷された、別の牛の肉では同じ部位で検査値の食い違いがあった。都内の食肉卸業者が、この牛の肩肉（１２・９キロ）を自主検査し、１１５０ベクレルを検出。しかし川崎市が、この肩肉の残りを調べたところ、６１８ベクレルだった。

In the case of another cow shipped from Miyagi to Tokyo on June 1, the same meat yielded two different test results. When a meat dealer in Tokyo tested part of the shoulder meat voluntarily, 1,150 becquerels/kg of cesium was detected. However, when Kawasaki City tested the same shoulder meat from the same cow, it was only 618 becquerels/kg.

　県によると、この４件の検査ともゲルマニウム半導体検出器を使っていた。県は「精密に調べられるもので、機器に問題はない」と話す。ただ、課題は検査手法の統一基準がない点で、県は「検査した肉の部分がどのくらいの脂肪分を含んでいるかや、肉の詰め方で結果に差が出る」と説明する。

According to Miyagi Prefecture, they used the germanium semiconductor detectors in all 4 cases. The prefecture says "The detectors allow a thorough analysis, and there's no problem with the detectors." The problem is the lack of standard procedure for testing, and the prefecture explains "you get different results depending on the fat content, or how the meat is packed."

　自治体が今後、全頭検査に相次いで踏み切るのに先立ち、厚生労働省は２９日、検査の基本方針を発表した。ゲルマニウム半導体検出器より短時間で調べられる簡易測定機器の使用を認めるなどの内容だが、調べる部位には言及していない。

In preparation for the testing of all cows by the local governments, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced the basic plan for the testing on July 29. The plan allows the use of simpler testing devices that can test the meat in less time than the germanium semiconductor detectors, but there was no mention in the plan as to which part of the meat should be tested.

　厚労省は検出値のばらつきは把握しているが、「これまでの例ではセシウムは筋肉に均質に蓄積するとされている。全頭検査を重ねて適切な対処方法を見つけていくしかない」（監視安全課）と説明。各自治体には、同じ牛で１カ所でも規制値を超える部位が見つかれば、全量を出荷停止するよう求めている。

The Ministry of Health and Labor is aware of the differing numbers, but says "From the cases so far, cesium is supposed to accumulate evenly in the muscles. We will just have to find out the appropriate way to deal with the problem by carrying out more tests" (Ministry's Monitoring and Safety Section). The Ministry is asking the local government to stop the entire shipment of the meat from the cow even if only one part of the meat is found with cesium exceeding the provisional limit.

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#Radiation in Japan: 100 Millisieverts in Lifetime to Be Set as New Radiation Standard in Japan

How much more meaningless can it get?

The Japanese government is about to set 100 millisieverts as lifetime, cumulative acceptable radiation exposure standard, counting both internal and external radiation exposure, and this is on top of the average 1.5 millisievert/year natural radiation exposure.

Up till now, the acceptable radiation exposure has been 1 millisievert per year, in addition to the natural radiation exposure in Japan which is about 1.5 millisievert per year. There has been no standard for lifetime cumulative radiation exposure.

I read the following Asahi Shinbun article, translated it, and realized how utterly meaningless the whole exercise was. No one knows how much extra radiation that the Japanese (and the rest of the northern hemisphere) have gotten thanks to the broken reactors and spent fuel pools at Fukushima I Nuke Plant. In parts of Fukushima Prefecture, the cumulative air radiation level already exceeded 100 millisieverts.

And how many people, other than the nuke plant workers, have been tested with the whole body counters? Answer: not many. Reasons often cited are: background radiation too high in Fukushima for proper testing; there are not many whole body counters in Japan, 100 at most. Then, I read that a man from Iitate-mura in Fukushima demanded he be tested for radiation using the whole body counter. He finally got his wish several months after the start of the accident, and they refused to tell him the number. He still doesn't know how much radiation he's received.

So, my conclusion is that this new so-called standard or the article like Asahi that discusses the standard is to imprint the number in people's mind: "100 millisieverts, 100 millisieverts, it's safe up to that number." Yes, they'll also tell you it's the lifetime cumulative number, but that doesn't mean a thing when you don't know how much of it you have had to spend already since March.

Soon, as Dr. Yamashita already said in a slip of a tongue, it will be safe up to 100 millisieverts per year.

From Asahi Shinbun (1:25AM JST 7/22/2011):

放射性物質が人体に与える影響を検討していた食品安全委員会の作業部会で２１日、「発がん影響が明らかになるのは、生涯の累積線量で１００ミリシー ベルト以上」とする事務局案が示された。食品だけでなく、外部環境からの被曝（ひばく）を含む。平時から浴びている自然由来の放射線量は除いた。この案を 軸に来週にも最終結論を出し、厚生労働省に答申する。ただ厚労省からは「基準づくりは難航しそうだ」と、戸惑いの声があがっている。

The working group of the Food Safety Commission that has been considering the effect of radioactive materials on humans disclosed the plan of the secretariat that would say "The cancer-causing effect of radiation becomes only noticeable at and above 100 millisieverts of lifetime cumulative radiation." The number includes not just the internal radiation from food but also external radiation exposure from the environment. It does not count the natural radiation exposure. Based on this secretariat's plan the Commission will come up with its final plan and submit it to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare next week. However, there are those at the Ministry who worry that it won't be easy to create a new standard.

　東京電力福島第一原発事故を受け、厚労省は３月１７日に食品衛生法に基づき、放射性物質に汚染された食品の流通を規制する暫定基準を設定。この基準の科学的根拠を得るため、食品からの被曝による健康影響評価を同委に諮問していた。

In response to the Fukushima I Nuke Plant accident, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare set the provisional safety standards on March 17 to regulate the sale of food items contaminated with radioactive materials. Then, it asked the Commission to evaluate the effect of internal radiation exposure from food on human health, in order to scientifically justify the provisional safety standards.

　同委は当初、食品だけからの被曝レベルを検討。国際放射線防護委員会（ＩＣＲＰ）勧告の元になった論文を含め、様々な国際的な研究を精査した。だが食品 とその他の被曝を分けて論じた論文は少なく、「健康影響を内部と外部の被曝に分けては示せない」と判断。外部被曝も含め、生涯受ける放射線の総量を示す方 向を打ち出した。宇宙からの放射線など平時から浴びている自然放射線量（日本で平均、年間約１．５ミリシーベルト）は除く。

The Commission at first tried to come up with the radiation limit from food only, and carefully studied various international research papers including the paper which became the basis for the ICRP recommendation. However, there were few papers that discussed the radiation from food separately from all the other radiation, and the Commission decided it was not possible to show the effect of radiation on health by separating internal and external exposures. Instead, the Commission will set the lifetime cumulative amount of radiation allowable, which includes external radiation exposure. It will exclude the natural radiation exposure from cosmic rays, etc., which is about 1.5 millisievert per year average in Japan.

　生涯の累積線量を目安に考えるということは、例えば、緊急時に一時的に２０ミリシーベルトを浴びたら、残りの生涯で被曝を８０ミリシーベルト以下に抑えるのが望ましいとするものだ。

In considering the lifetime cumulative radiation, if one is exposed to 20 millisieverts of radiation in a short time in an emergency, then it will be desirable if the radiation exposure is under 80 millisieverts for the rest of one's life.

　また、子どもや胎児については成人より影響を受けやすいという研究があり、事務局案では「留意が必要」としている。

There are studies that show children and fetuses are more susceptible to radiation exposure, and the secretariat's plan calls for "an attention".

　ＩＣＲＰの考え方では「１００ミリシーベルトを浴びると、発がんリスクが０．５％上がる」とされる。

According to the ICRP, "The cancer risk goes up by 0.5% with 100 millisieverts exposure."

　外部被曝も含めた形で結論を出すことに委員の一人は「本来は原子力安全委員会など他の政府機関でやるべきだが、他がやっていないので仕方ない」と話す。

As to deciding on a new standard that includes external exposure, one commissioner said "It should be done by other government organization like the Nuclear Safety Commission, but no one is doing it. So we have to do it."

　緊急時を想定した現行の暫定基準は、食品からの年間被曝量をヨウ素やセシウムなど核種ごとに割り当て、全体で年１７ミリシーベルトを超えないように設定されている。

The current provisional safety standards for foods is for an emergency situation. A safety limit is decided per different nuclide (iodine, cesium, etc) so that and the combined total radiation exposure from food does not exceed 17 millisieverts per year.

　食品安全委の答申が出れば、厚労省は食品ごとの基準を改めて検討することになる。担当者は「年間被曝量で答申されると想定していた。生涯累積線量だと、若者から高齢者まで年代ごとに摂取量を考えなければならず、作業に時間がかかりそうだ」と話した。

Once the conclusion by the Food Safety Commission is submitted, then the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will have to reconsider the safety limit per food. The person in charge of the process said, "We thought they would give us the number as annual radiation exposure limit. If it is going to be the lifetime cumulative radiation exposure limit, it may take a long time as we will have to consider different food intake amount for different age groups, from young to old."

The government-funded researchers and scholars are already busy imprinting this number "100 millisieverts" in the minds of the populace. The reference to X-rays and CT-scans are back. No need to worry up till 100 millisieverts!

Now, does anyone know how much radiation that the residents in Fukushima, Tohoku or Kanto have gotten since March 11? No one does. Are all vegetables in the market tested? No. They only sample one item from one plot from one farm in one city, and if that passes the test the entire crop from the entire city is considered safe.

Radioactive beef? What radioactive beef? The government will buy the meat and burn it, satisfied? Schoolyards with radiation exceeding 1 microsieverts/hour? So? Don't come complaining unless it's above 3.6 microsieverts/hour. All our experts say there's no danger below 100 millisieverts! If you are exposed to 20 millisieverts this year, well you will have 80 millisieverts for the rest of your life (we don't know how long) to spend, so don't worry.

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Japanese National Government, Fukushima Prefectural Government, Industry Groups Plan for Lifting the Shipment Ban on Fukushima Beef

The shipment ban on meat cows in Fukushima was finally put in place on July 19, but on July 20 they already outlined the conditions for lifting the ban.

Fukushima Prefecture hopes to lift the shipment ban placed on the cows in the prefecture by the end of July, according to Fukushima Minyu Shinbun (7/21/2011), a local paper in Fukushima Prefecture.

From what Fukushima Minyu Shinbun describes, the conditions for lifting the ban have been already agreed upon between the parties involved (the national government, the Fukushima prefectural government, and the cattle industry groups).

So what is the plan? Fukushima Minyu is rather vague on that, so we'll go to Asahi Shinbun that has a bit more details. The plan, as it is right now, will serve to obfuscate, give sense of "security" where there's hardly any, and most of all, doesn't cost much because they won't be doing things much differently from what they are doing right now. All parties involved - the national government, the Fukushima prefectural government, the industry groups - are eager to resume shipment, so it will resume as soon as people forget about it. (And stuff those blogs with safety message about cesium!)

Asahi Shinbun (12:33AM JST 7/21/2011):

福島県産の牛の肉から基準を超える放射性セシウムの検出が相次いでいる問題で、原子力災害対策本部（本部長・菅直人首相）は１９日、県全域の肉用牛の出荷停止を県知事に指示した。出荷停止の解除方法の考え方も公表。福島県が提出した肉用牛の管理計画を対策本部が了承して、各畜産農家が計画に基づいた県の検査を経て出荷されることになった。

The Headquarters for the Nuclear Disaster Countermeasures (headed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan) ordered the governor of Fukushima Prefecture to halt shipment of meat cows in all areas of Fukushima. At the same time, the procedure by which the shipment ban would be lifted was also announced. First, Fukushima Prefecture would submit the management plan for the meat cows to the Headquarters, which would approve the submitted plan. Then the each cattle farm would undergo the testing as specified in the plan, and the cows would be shipped.

　厚生労働省は、災害対策本部と福島県が考えている管理計画の概要を明らかにした。計画的避難区域や緊急時避難準備区域など高濃度の放射性物質が検出された地域では、飼育されたすべての牛について、県が解体された時に肉を調べる全頭検査を実施する。

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare disclosed the outline of the management plan as contemplated by the Headquarters and Fukushima Prefecture. In the planned evacuation zone and the emergency evacuation-ready zone where the high levels of radioactive materials have been detected, the prefectural government will conduct testing on all cows after they are processed into meat.

　それ以外の地域では、すべての畜産農家を対象に、県が汚染された稲わらを与えていないかなどを調べる全戸検査をし、その後も２カ月に１回定期的にチェックする。さらに解除後、最初に出荷する際に１頭以上を選び、県が肉の放射性物質検査をする。基準を十分に下回っていれば、その農家が飼育している牛の出荷が当面認められる。東京など県外に出荷することも可能になる。ただ一定期間がすぎたら、再び１頭以上を選んで肉を検査する。

In other areas, all cattle farmers will be surveyed to make sure if the contaminated rice hay is not used, among other things. The survey will be repeated every 2 months. After the shipment ban is lifted, at least one cow will be selected from one cattle farm, and the prefectural government will test the meat for radioactive materials [cesium]. If the amount of radioactive materials is less than the provisional safety limit, all the meat cows at that particular cattle farm will be allowed to be shipped for a time. The farm will be allowed to ship outside Fukushima Prefecture. After a certain period of time, at least one cow from the farm will be tested again.

　福島県内のと畜場は郡山市の１カ所のみ。しかし、厚労省は、年間に最大約９千頭の処理能力があり、牛の解体や牛肉の検査は１カ所でも可能とみる。

Fukushima Prefecture has only one meat processing facility in Koriyama City. However, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare thinks it is possible for this facility to process and test the meat, as it has the capacity to process maximum 9,000 cows per year.

　福島県以外でも、汚染された稲わらを与えられた牛が見つかっている。ただ、厚労省は、出荷停止を検討するのは、牛を飼育している地域の稲わらが汚染されていることが前提とする。汚染された稲わらを遠方から購入して与えていても、その地域のわらが汚染されていなければ、対象とはならないとしている。

The meat cows have been found outside Fukushima Prefecture that were fed with contaminated rice hay. However, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare would only consider the shipment ban if the rice hay in the region where the cows are raised is contaminated. Even if cattle farms in a particular region use contaminated rice hay purchased from distant locations [like Miyagi Prefecture], as long as the rice hay in that region is not contaminated the cows would not be considered for the shipment ban.

Well, needless to say, the "health, labor and welfare" that the Ministry worries about is not of the rest of the Japanese who are not in the cattle business.

Koriyama City, where the rice hay was found to contain 500,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium, or Motomiya City, where the rice hay was found with 690,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium, are OUTSIDE ANY evacuation zone.

On reading the article, I have little doubt that the radioactive beef will be sold just as it has been sold, without much added control at all. There will be less recourse to the consumers, because the beef will be considered "safe" because it will be sold in the marketplace after "vigorous test" approved by the national government and conducted by the Fukushima government.

Next to come? Maybe fine consumers for refusing to eat Fukushima produce, be it beef or vegetables.

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