nuclear-news

What became of japan’s radioactive cows?

Japan loses track of radioactive cows, ABC Asia Pacific News, A woman feeds her cattle at a farm in Kawamata, 45 kilometres west of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. [AFP] Mark Willacy, Tokyo, 27 Jan 2012  Japanese authorities have lost track of nearly 3,000 cows suspected of containing high levels of radioactive caesium.

The cows ate rice straw contaminated in the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Last year Japan’s health ministry ordered the testing of more than 4,500 beef cattle suspected of being contaminated with radiation.

But according to Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper, so far only a third has been tested, with the distribution routes of about 3,000 head of slaughtered cattle remaining a mystery.
Of the tested meat, about six per cent was found to contain radioactive caesium above the acceptable safe limit. Food safety experts say that consumers would have to eat a lot of the
meat to suffer any damage to their health. http://abcasiapacificnews.com/stories/201201/3417073.htm

January 29, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general