A review of the radioactive cesium behavior in Japanese agricultural, livestock, fishery products and their foods in the decade following the Fukushima nuclear accident

Abstract

A decade has passed since the nuclear power plant accident, caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, occurred on March 11, 2011. The major radionuclides that were released as a result of the nuclear accident and that contaminated the domestic agricultural, livestock, and fishery products were radioactive iodine (131I) and radioactive cesium (134Cs and 137Cs). The contamination by 131I with a short half-life of 8 days subsided within months of the nuclear accident. On the contrary, radioactive cesium, especially 137Cs, which has a long half-life of 30 years, persists as a long-term contaminant. The level of radioactive substances in domestically produced food, including agricultural, livestock, and fishery products, are monitored using the inspection based on guidelines established by the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters and controlled rigorously. In addition, understanding the behavior of radioactive cesium during the processing/cooking of domestic food products will aid in risk management for food safety and risk communication to consumers. Several such studies have been conducted since the nuclear accident. Here, we review the radioactive cesium levels in domestic agricultural, livestock, and fishery products and outline the observations on its behavior in processed/cooked products after the nuclear accident in 2011.