Govt to test vegetable radioactivity ...(JAPAN)

[AsahinaKimi]

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Govt to test vegetable radioactivity / Data on cesium absorption from soil aimed to help Fukushima farmers

The farm ministry and the Fukushima prefectural government plan to jointly conduct research on transfer factors that show soil-to-plant absorption of radioactive cesium, sources said.

Except for rice, such transfer factor data on farm produce are not readily available in this country. But the ongoing nuclear crisis has prompted authorities to inspect transfer factor values on vegetables and other agricultural items in Fukushima Prefecture and use the findings to help municipalities and local farmers plan future planting.

A crop's absorption of radioactivity from soil varies depending on factors such as the type of soil, temperature, rainfall and other weather conditions.

The envisaged research is expected to cover at least 10 kinds of farm produce, including rice, cucumbers and tomatoes.

Under the Food Sanitation Law, the limit of radioactive cesium for farm produce is set at 500 becquerels per kilogram. Estimating transfer factor values would help farmers judge whether their products have exceeded this limit at harvesting time. Based on data taken so far, the government has set the transfer factor value permitted for rice at 0.1. This means the amount of radioactive cesium contained in one kilogram of soil should be less than 5,000 becquerels.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110607005323.htm

[7wo7rees]

1. Japanese govt - A name you can trust for radioactive levels of shit