national

Radioactive cedar pollen detected in Fukushima

15 Comments

High radiation levels of more than 250,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium have been detected in male flowers of Japanese cedar trees in the restricted zone around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries collected male Japanese cedar flowers from 87 locations throughout Fukushima Prefecture between late November and early December to measure radioactive cesium levels.

A ministry spokesperson said 253,000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram were detected in the flowers collected from Namie, 11.3 kilometers from the stricken plant, TBS reported. The ministry also said that levels exceeded 10,000 becquerels per kilogram at 29 different locations.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Environment said that during the pollen season, the peak level of pollen grains in the air has been measured at 2,297 per cubic meter.

The ministry claimed that if nearby residents were to inhale this concentration of pollen for four months, they would be exposed to 0.553 microsieverts of radiation. However, the ministry added that this does not constitute a great health risk, as it amounts to roughly 10 times the background radiation level in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, TBS reported.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

15 Comments
Login to comment

Inhaled or ingested radiation provides a much longer DOSE than does external exposure. Once these particles are inhaled/ingested, they stay in the body, accumulating more as you consume/inhale more, and the damage IS cumulative. The cells that are TOUCHING and the ones that are NEAR the particle WILL MUTATE, that is scientific fact. Over time, cancers and gene mutations will become more prevalent. This disaster is ongoing. It has not been contained. It has not been stopped. It is STILL happening. Breathing this pollen certainly IS dangerous, especially to babies, children and pregnant women, but it is harmful to ALL who inhale/ingest it. To the poster who said they had more to worry about with pesticides and GMO from Monsanto, better think again. Those are harmful, but they are a birthday party at Disney World compared to radiation. Get the facts-look into it for yourself. Stop believing The Nuclear Machine and all its lies! Protect yourselves and your children through KNOWLEDGE before it is too late. And to the poster who said when it rains it pours? Yes, it does, and in this case? It is raining RADIATION...deadly RADIATION. Invisible RADIATION, that can AND WILL kill millions.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm tired of reading news about radiation from Fukushima. Sincerely I have more fear of food contaminated by pesticides and genetically modified foods by monsanto.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Comparing radioactive pollen that enters the body and stays there with radiation emanating from building materials in Shinjuku is utterly ridiculous. It's similar to saying that being up to your neck in pool water is the same as having your lungs filled with it. Those who will inhale the most are already being exposed to abnormally high amounts of radioactive substances all day everyday. The government doesn't know how grave the consequences might be, and furthermore, it doesn't care.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@elvensilvan..... hahaahaha that's a good idea.

"High radiation levels of more than 250,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium have been detected in male flowers of Japanese cedar trees" "The ministry claimed that if nearby residents were to inhale this concentration of pollen for four months, they would be exposed to 0.553 microsieverts of radiation. However, the ministry added that this does not constitute a great health risk, as it amounts to roughly 10 times the background radiation level in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward, TBS reported."

Geezzzz we are talking Fukushima and not Shinjuku ward that is far.... hahahaha Be real Environment Minister.. Radiation is radiaition no matter how you spell it and constitute health risk.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

How far does pollen travel?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If the cedar pollen gets absorbed by macrophages it may stay for a long time.Caesium 137 emits high energy gamma rays during decay via a Barium intermediary.Therefore local doses may be mich higher than stated.More research needs to be done, especially as the Japanese cedar pollen season is soon to begin. Some of the controversy about how penetrative pollen is relates to particle size....when a pollen grain hits water (moist lung membrane) it disintegrates into sub-micoronic particles...these may have very different properties to the parent pollen grain.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

and the never ending nightmare continues...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I am forecasting the sale of a new product: a mask that can protect against pollen, dust and radiation going to the stores' shelves real soon! Best of all, it's not really that expensive (just a few hundred yen more than the currently most expensive mask)!!

Sarcasm aside, I sincerely do hope that the pollen won't be the cause of illnesses of the current and coming generations.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Won't we ever feel safe in Japan again?????

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is when a giant forest fire would come in handy.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I would be wearing those surgical masks and goggles. That's alot of bq that would be floating around from the pollen release into the air.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

radioactive sugi kafun this March? yikes! the paranoid and hypochondriacs will be panicking. Heck that even worries me! Cut down the trees? Do you know how long and how much effort that would involve? They have much bigger fish to fry up there (rebuilding and immediate clean up) than to worry about the pollen, even though it is a worry. When it rains, it pours.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

However, the ministry added that this does not constitute a great health risk

Great. Now let's gently petition these ministry officials to spend even their Hanami festivities under the cedar trees.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Ok, so cut down these ceder trees!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites