Contaminated Beef Spreads Through Japan

Due to explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant in Japan, cows have eaten radioactive hay, causing contamination in the meat which has now been distributed throughout restaurants and markets in Japan. Farmers state that they did not receive a “clear directive” from the government prohibiting the shipment of cattle in the areas surrounding the nuclear plant. When a precautionary ban on shipment was lifted, the farmers took it as a sign to continue selling their cattle. The government has attempted containing the radiation by telling farmers to keep hay indoors to avoid further contamination from rain and the farmers are prohibited from shipping any of their goods. Unfortunately, the government lacks the equipment to properly check all of the goods, so only a small percentage is checked before it is given the all-clear. The Japanese government says that the radioactive cesium found in the meat doesn’t cause any damage—the long term effects of cesium are yet to be discovered. In order to solve this problem the government needs better equipment for not only checking livestock and goods for radiation, but also better containment equipment for when explosions at a nuclear plant occur. The government should develop a more direct way of communicating with farmers, as many of them claim not to have heard the government’s warnings. Barriers to these solutions include limited funds and not enough priority given to the situation. My opinion is that the barriers will overcome the solutions and not much more will be done about the problem. The lack of enthusiasm the Japanese government has shown towards correcting the problem indicates that this accident will go almost unnoticed and the chances it could happen again will increase.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/world/asia/19beef.html?_r=1&ref=earth