11/22/2012

Mushrooms highly contaminated far from the destroyed nuclear power plant

The latest issue of Asahi Shinbun in English version reports that wild mushrooms harvested at various places in the eastern Japan were contaminated with radioactive Cessium. It reports as follows;

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Cesium levels have also risen in various areas compared with last year.

According to tests requested by the central government, the highest levels recorded this year were 120 becquerels in Aomori Prefecture, up from only 60 becquerels last year; 2,100 becquerels in Nagano Prefecture (1,320 becquerels last year); and 3,000 becquerels in Tochigi Prefecture (134 becquerels last year).

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A researcher commented in this article that mushrooms could absorb Cesium easily for they were fungi. And those raidoactive substances attached to tree trunks or leaves in mountains might have been washed away by rain and eventually have been absorbed by mushrooms.

On the other hand, Fukushima Med Univ. has announced that they would establish a research center for irradiation problems spending 7.5 million USD. 600 people are supposed to be engaged in the medical research work there. This university is located about 80km west of the nuclear power plant and has been doing with the research work for the people in the contamnated area in Fukushima. The university staff have been announcing the irradiation is not of serious problem. If the issue won't be of such gravity, why would they found such a big research center?

It must mean the irradiation issue has been wide spread and serious at many places. The above mentioned mushroom in contamination may tell us that vast land of our country has been evidently contaminated by this accident. The contamination may be left as a curse to our country for a long time. We must, I believe, never have this happen again.

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