Health concerns have been rising in Japan after the government found unacceptable radiation levels in milk and vegetables from several regions and in drinking water in Tokyo. The radiation comes from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. But how worrisome are the radiation levels? And when will the food and water supply be safe again?
According to reports today, two tap water samples tested in Tokyo contained 190 and 210 becquerels/kilogram (Bq/kg) of iodine-131. That level is roughly twice the limit of 100 Bq/kg for infants that’s considered safe by Japan’s health officials.
In response, Japanese authorities advised parents not to give babies tap water or use it in formula. Children are of special concern because any ingested iodine-131 will be absorbed by their developing thyroid gland and can lead to thyroid cancer. (The safe level is three times higher for adults.)
Still, the risk to babies is low, says epidemiologist Richard Wakeford of the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. According to his calculations, an infant drinking tap water for a year that contained twice the safe level for iodine-131 would receive a dose of about 0.8 millisieverts. By comparison, the dose from natural background sources is 2.5 millisieverts a year, he says.
Read on, here: What’s the Current Radiation Threat to Japan’s Food and Water? – ScienceInsider.
