Perilous
Times
High levels of Radioactive iodine found in breast milk of
Japanese mothers
The breast milk of four Japanese mothers has been found to contain
varying levels of radioactive iodine.
Medical staff in protective gear check radiation levels on a local
resident in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture
By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo 7:00AM BST 21 Apr 2011
The Telegraph UK
The government faced calls for a full investigation into the
impact of the nuclear disaster on mothers and babies following the
discovery.
The radiation contamination came to light after tests were
conducted on breast milk samples taken from nine women living
northeast or east of Tokyo.
Four of these women were found to be contaminated, with the
highest reading of 36.3 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kg
detected in the milk of the mother of an eight-month-old baby in
Kashiwa, Chiba prefecture.
There are no current legal safety levels for radioactive
substances in breast milk as set by the Nuclear Safety Commission
of Japan.
The findings of the study, conducted by a citizen's group in
Japan, has sparked concerns surrounding the impact of the nuclear
crisis on mothers and babies.
''We cannot yet determine safety, but infants drink breast milk,''
Kikuko Murakami, who heads the group, told Kyodo News. ''We want
the government to conduct an extensive investigation swiftly.''
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is believed to have been
emitting radioactive substances since it was severely damaged in
the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Workers at the stricken power plant were continuing to work around
the clock in increasingly challenging conditions in order to bring
crucial cooling functions under control.