Radiation checks on wild plants, animals urged

A Japanese expert is urging detailed checks on wild plants and animals for radioactive contamination after the recent discovery of high levels of radioactivity in a kind of mushroom and a wild boar. Following the Fukushima nuclear accident, the central government set safety limits on radioactive substances in food. As of Saturday it has screened nearly 20,000 food products. The number includes items analyzed by prefectural authorities. In March and April, vegetables and raw milk were found to contain unsafe levels of radiation. But recently, radiation levels, if detected, have not exceeded the safety standards. Meanwhile, on September 3rd, a species of mushroom found in a forest in Fukushima Prefecture was discovered to contain 28,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram, an amount far above the safety limit. A wild boar was also found to have radiation amounts about 6 times the safety limit. Gakushuin University Professor Yasuyuki Muramatsu says radioactive cesium on soil and fallen leaves in forests is easily absorbed by mushrooms and edible plants. He says wild animals like boars accumulate high levels of radiation by eating contaminated mushrooms and plants. The professor adds that detailed studies should be carried out on wild plants and animals to examine the impact of the nuclear accident on them as wild fauna and flora across Europe have been affected by radiation from the Chernobyl accident.