OSAKA, Japan – In the wake of the crisis at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear complex, toxic levels of radiation is now showing up in Japanese food, and the Japanese government has banned the sale of milk, spinach and leafy greens in the area around the complex, ABC News reported. Trace doses of radiation has appeared as far south as Tokyo, where tap water is showing elevated levels of radiative cesium. Caroline Smith DeWaal, a food safety expert with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said there’s not much of a chance of the contamination affecting the U.S. food chain. “Even after Chernobyl, it was rare that they found food imported to the U.S. that was highly radioactive or violative of government standards,” she said. U.S. agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack said inspectors are continuing to monitor food products coming from Japan and are safe for Americans to eat. The U.S. exports little food from Japan, and there have been no signs of radioactivity, he said.
Monday, March 21, 11 a.m.
