about that beef

Headline in the Wall Street Journal, Wednesday, July 13, p. A13:

"Tainted Beef Enters Japanese Food Supply"

The lede: "Japan grappled with a fresh radiation scare Tuesday, as authorities found that beef contaminated with radioactive cesium had been shipped to shops and restaurants throughout the country."

Uh, oh.

The story continues: "The beef, from six cattle raised on a farm near the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, registered radioactive-cesium levels up to seven times that permitted by Japanese food-safety standards. Some of the meat had already likely been eaten..."

Jeezus.

"Experts said the level was too low to create health problems in people who ate just one or two servings."

Oh, well, ok.

By the way: "Radioactive cesium emits gamma rays, which can damage cellular DNA and raise the risk of cancer."

Man.

"The levels found in the beef, though, would become a health concern only if a person ate large quantities every day for a year, said Shizuko Kakonuma, a researcher at Japan's National Institute of Radiological Sciences who sits on an independent committee investigating the Fukushima Daiichi accident."

And...exhale.

Still: "The government ought to increase its testing of cattle for radiation contamination..."

Hell, yeah!