Minute amounts of radioactive substances have been found in the breast milk of five women in Tokyo and two other prefectures more than a month after a crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture began leaking such materials, a citizen's group survey showed Wednesday.
Of samples taken from 41 women in five prefectures, radioactive iodine was detected in the breast milk of a woman in Fukushima Prefecture, and cesium in four others in Tokyo, Fukushima and Ibaraki. Japan has not set safety levels for radioactive substances in breast milk, but the readings in all five cases were well below the yardstick for tap water consumption by infants under 1 year old.
Members of the group, which had conducted a similar survey in April out of concerns about the impact of the radioactive leaks on mothers and babies, urged local governments to provide testing as many worried mothers have approached them for consultation.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry believes babies will not be exposed to health risks at levels of up to 100 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram of drinking water or 200 becquerels of cesium. The readings logged in the five cases, sampled between April 22 and May 5, were 5.5 becquerels of iodine and 4.8 to 10.5 becquerels of cesium.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on the Pacific coast has released radioactive materials into the air and sea since it was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. It has sparked fears about widespread contamination of water, crops and other foodstuffs, and impact on human health in northeastern and eastern Japan.