Radioactive materials detected in Japanese fish

Radioactive materials far exceeding safety levels have been detected in fish caught in waters off Japan`s Ibaraki Prefecture near the No. 1 reactor of the Fukushima nuclear power plant Tuesday.

This was the first discovery of fish that were affected by radiation.

Despite a reassurance from the Japanese government that the discharge of radioactive water into seawater has little impact on marine ecosystems, the Japanese people and media are urging Tokyo to devise countermeasures, with one saying, “Concerns have proven to be real threats.”

The Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun said Tuesday that 4080 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive iodine have been found in five kinds of fish caught in water off the coast of Kitaibaraki Thursday. Sand lances caught in waters off the coast of Ibaraki Tuesday have also been found to contain 526 becquerels of cesium, more than the temporarily restricted level of 500 becquerels.

Up to 600 becquerels of radioactive iodine and 94 becquerels of radioactive cesium were also detected from sand lances, ice fish, anglerfish and flatfish caught in waters off the coast of Tachinaka.

The Japanese government, which has not set temporary restriction levels of radioactive iodine for fish, immediately set the standard Tuesday of 2,000 becquerels, the level applied to vegetables, and banned the distribution of fish caught in the waters in question.

Leaked radioactive water will likely continue to contaminate fish, however. High-concentration radioactive materials reaching millions of becquerels have been leaking from the No.2 reactor of the Fukushima power plant for three consecutive days from Saturday due to cracks in the facility.

Worse, the nuclear plant began to discharge 11,500 tons of low-concentration radioactive water at 6.3 to 20 becquerels into the sea Monday.

Fisheries cooperative associations in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures protested the discharge, saying, “Though at low a concentration, it is still radiation-contaminated water.”

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said, “I apologize for the detection of high levels of radioactive materials from fish due to water contaminated by leaked radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.”

changkim@donga.com