Fukushima radiation prompts halt of tea leaf shipments
June 4 (Yomiuri Shimbun) – The government has ordered the suspension of tea leaf shipments from Ibaraki Prefecture and parts of Kanagawa, Chiba and Tochigi prefectures after radioactive cesium exceeding government limits was found in fresh and dried leaves. The radiation was first detected last month, but since contamination levels change depending on the stage of processing, the decision on limiting shipments was delayed due to internal government debate. It was officially announced Thursday that shipments of tea leaves that exceed the safety limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram should be suspended, no matter what stage of processing the leaves are at. In addition to the whole of Ibaraki Prefecture, the restrictions cover six municipalities both in Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures and two in Tochigi Prefecture. Radiation levels in tea leaves from one municipality in both Fukushima and Gunma prefectures also exceeded the limit, but the government decided not to restrict shipments there and will continue to monitor samples. Radioactive cesium in dried ara cha tea leaves are reportedly five times higher than in fresh leaves. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry had called for halting shipments at all stages of processing. However, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, with the support of tea growers, opposed the health ministry’s stance, saying the product was safe since radioactive materials are diluted when the leaves are made into tea to drink. The government, however, decided consumers would not accept having tea made from highly contaminated leaves on the shelves. Furthermore, the state judged that even if the tea was safe to drink, the raw leaves could possibly find their way into people’s mouths. … However, Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu has already announced his prefecture would not follow the government’s instruction. “We won’t conduct inspections on ara cha,” he said. …
