Radioactive substance in Fukushima fish under gov’t limit in 2016

Levels of radioactive cesium in all fish and seafood sampled in the coastal waters of Fukushima Prefecture (Pictured) last year did not exceed the central government’s safety limit for the first time since the 2011 nuclear crisis, a local fishery laboratory said Wednesday. (Photo: TANAKA Juuyoh/ Flickr)

FUKUSHIMA, Japan –Levels of radioactive cesium in all fish and seafood sampled in the coastal waters of Fukushima Prefecture last year did not exceed the central government’s safety limit for the first time since the 2011 nuclear crisis, a local fishery laboratory said Wednesday.

The finding that radioactive cesium readings were below the regulatory maximum of 100 becquerels per kilogram was welcomed by the local government and fishermen, who are seeking to allay public concerns about contamination following the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant triggered by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

According to the prefectural fishery laboratory, 95 percent of the 8,502 samples collected in 2016 showed radioactive cesium at levels that were hardly detectable, while readings for another 422 samples were below the limit.