Korea finds traces of cesium in Japanese food imports
South Korea has detected trace levels of radioactive cesium and iodine in imported Japanese food products, the local food safety regulator said Wednesday, amid growing fears over radiation contamination.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said it found very small amounts of radiation in 14 goods out of 244 products checked after March 19. The affected products include melons, rice wine, biscuits, bread, candy, sauce, vitamins and food additives.
"Trace levels of 0.08-0.6 becquerel per kilogram of radiation were detected in the 14 products, which are one-millionths of minimum levels," the KFDA said. "Detected radiation amounts are all far below minimum safety levels and should be considered as posing no health risks."
The agency said it plans to provide a list of the foods with radioactive materials detected on its Web site (www.kfda.go.kr) as part of Seoul's effort to keep the public informed on all developments.
The discovery comes after radiation leaked from Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power station that was hit hard by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11.
Meanwhile, the National Fisheries Products Quality Inspection Service (NFIS) said it will start checking which countries fish products sold here come from.
Inspections will involve more than 700 frontline officials, who will check around 6,000 distributors and large markets in the country to make certain merchants do not sell fish from Japan and Russia as being caught in Korean waters.
"The move follows public worries that fish from the two countries may have been exposed to radiation, which may have compelled merchants to conceal the country of origin," said an official, who declined to be identified.
South Korea imports sizable quantities of pollack, saury and sea bream from Japan and Russia.
Last week, the Seoul government said it may move to ban imports of fish and meat from Japan if they were found to be contaminated.
The country also heightened inspection on all fish and meat starting this week and called on trading companies to exercise caution when importing fish. (Yonhap)
日 수입식품서 극미량 세슘 검출
식품의약품안전청은 일본 후쿠시마 인근 4개현에서 생산된 식품 2건에서 기준치 이하 극미량의 세슘이 검출됐다고 30일 밝혔다.
세슘이 검출된 일본산 수입식품은 콩류 가공식품과 비타민으로 검출량은 0.5∼0.6㏃/㎏ 수준이다. 이는 기준치 370㏃/㎏보다 100분의 1 이하에 해당한다.
현재 식품공전 상에서 불검출 기준을 마련해 놓지 않았지만, 이 정도라면 사실상 불검출로 봐도 무방한 수준이라는 것이 식약청의 설명이다.
미국의 경우 기준치의 100분의 1가량 이하는 불검출로 보고 있다.
식약청 관계자는 "원자력안전기술원의 기존 연구 결과 식품에서 방사선이 3.7㏃/㎏ 이하로 검출되면 자연방사선 수준으로 봐야 한다는 견해가 있었기 때문에 사실상 불검출과 같은 수준으로 봐야 하지 않나 판단하고 있다"고 말했다.