“Tell us about radiation and health!”⑶Is radiation from food safe?
Let’s learn about radiation from food and radiation-related food inspections.
Editor’ s note: Herein, “radiation” refers to ionizing radiation.

Do we also receive radiation from food?
●Radioactive materials in food emit radiation.
Food contains natural radioactive materials. A typical example is theAmounts of radioactive potassium in food

Dried kelp 2,000

Dried shiitake
mushrooms 700

Potato chips 400

Spinach 200

Fish 100

Beef 100

element potassium (K), a fraction of which is radioactive (K-40).
Potassium, an essential element for all living organisms, is containedin most foods, and because a fraction of it is radioactive, we regularlyconsume - and excrete - radioactive potassium.

Milk 50

Rice 30(Bq/kg)

Based on BOOKLET to Provide Basic Information Regarding
Health Effects of Radiation published by the Ministry of theEnvironment(FY2019)

Do the radioactive materials taken into the body remain in the body?
●Radioactive materials exit the body in urine and feces.
Radioactive materials taken into the body exit the body, mainly inurine and feces.
The radioactive material in food that has drawn the most attention
since the nuclear power plant accident is cesium (Cs-134 and Cs137). In the case of adults, a dose of cesium taken into the body ishalved in about 100 days*.
* The period required to halve varies depending on age; the younger the person is,
the shorter the period required to halve.

I am concerned about the safety of food since the nuclear power plant accident ...
●I nspections continue even today to ensure that only safe
food is distributed.
For radioactive materials in food, standard limits arespecified and maintained. Due to thorough inspections,foods exceeding the standard limits are not distributed forsale.
Today, there are very few foods that exceed the standardlimits, but some foods are still subject to restrictions on
shipment and intake.

Change in monitoring results of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products from Fukushima Prefecture
Fukushima Prefecture carries out monitoring surveys of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products.
In the nine years from FY2011 to FY2019, the percentage of cases that exceeded the standard limit of radioactive cesiumin foods with respect to the total number of survey cases has steadily decreased.
100,000(Cases)

10.00%

80,0008.00%

60,0006.00%

40,0004.00%

20,0002.00%

0■ Number of survey cases

2011

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

0

19,971 61,531 28,770 26,041 23,855 21,180 19,545 16,708 15,760
681■ Number of cases exceeding the standard limit
Percentage of total

2012
1,106419

113

18

61064

3.41％ 1.80％ 1.46％ 0.43％ 0.08％ 0.03％ 0.05％ 0.04％ 0.03％* Some cases exceeding the standard limit in FY2011 and FY2012 are those exceeding a provisional regulation value.

Based on the change in the number of monitoring survey cases and resultsof agricultural, forestry, and fishery products from Fukushima Prefecture

Radiation dose amounts from food (annual)
Surveys (market basket method*) of likely doses from radioactive cesium in foods estimated annual
exposures of 0.0007 to 0.0009 mSv in Fukushima Prefecture. This amounts to approximately 0.1% of thestandard limit of 1 mSv, and is extremely small.
Radiation dose amounts from radioactive cesium

Aizu

0.0007

Nakadori

0.0008

Hamadori

0.0009Outside theprefecture(12 areas)

0.0005〜0.0010
0Standard limit of dose amount(1mSv/year)

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10

Based on the survey results of radioactive
materials in foods by the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare (surveys in September
to October 2019)(mSv/year)
0Radiation dose amounts in foods arecontinuously surveyed and theresults are publicly announced.
If you’re interested, take a look!
Safety of Water and Food, at“Fukushima Revitalization Station”

0.50

1.00

* Market basket method
Survey method by which the amount ofdaily intake is estimated by purchasing
foods sold at supermarkets, etc., toanalyze and measure the radioactive
materials contained in them.

Publisher: Fukushima Medical Association
Editorial supervision: Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima
Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University◎The contents of this leaflet canalso be seen on our website.