Large-scale agricultural soil and food sampling and radioactivity analysis during nuclear emergencies in Japan: Development of technical and organisational procedures for soil and food sampling after the accident

Hachinohe, Mayumi; Shinano, Takuro

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106265

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The nuclear emergency response headquarters in Japan has reviewed the food hygiene monitoring guidance plan for testing foodstuffs [ 18 ] , and updates have been made almost annually since 2011 so that the rationality and efficiency of the inspections have been steadily improved. Acting on changes in the monitoring results has allowed scientific knowledge to accumulate and improve, enabling, for example, the status of cases of cancellation of shipping restrictions to be reassessed [ 19 , 20 ] . Many countries or regions have now lifted their restrictions on importing Japanese foodstuffs but some still continue to impose regulations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comprehensive analysis of a decade of cumulative radiocesium testing data for foodstuffs throughout Japan after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

et al. 2022

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The unexpected accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan, which occurred on March 11th, 2011, after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami struck the north-eastern coast of Japan, released radionuclides into the environment. Today, because of the amounts of radionuclides released and their relatively long half-life, the levels of radiocesium contaminating foodstuffs remain a significant food safety concern. Foodstuffs in Japan have been sampled and monitored for 134,137Cs since the accident. More than 2.5 million samples of foodstuffs have been examined with the results reported monthly during each Japanese fiscal year (FY, from April 1st to March 31st) from 2012 to 2021. A total of 5,695 samples of foodstuffs within the “general foodstuffs” category collected during this whole period and 13 foodstuffs within the “drinking water including soft drinks containing tea as a raw material” category sampled in FY 2012 were found to exceed the Japanese maximum permitted level (JML) set at 100 and 10 Bq/kg, respectively. No samples from the “milk and infant foodstuffs” category exceeded the JML (50 Bq/kg). The annual proportions of foodstuffs exceeding the JML in the “general foodstuffs” category varied between 0.37% and 2.57%, and were highest in FY 2012. The 134,137Cs concentration for more than 99% of the foodstuffs monitored and reported has been low and not exceeding the JML in recent years, except for those foodstuffs that are difficult to cultivate, feed or manage, such as wild mushrooms, plants, animals and fish. The monitoring data for foodstuffs show the current status of food safety risks from 134,137Cs contamination, particularly for cultured and aquaculture foodstuffs on the market in Japan.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%