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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Panic Japan's New Normal

Posted by Goldy on Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 5:07 PM

Radioactive cesium contaminated meat from six Fukushima cows, some of it seven times permitted levels, made its way to Japanese markets last month, and was likely eaten, according to government officials.

Goshi Hosono, state minister in charge of consumer affairs and food-safety, said he hoped to head off any overreactions.

"If we were to eat the meat everyday, then it would probably be dangerous," Hosono said at a news conference Tuesday. "But if it is consumed only in small portions, I don't think it would have any long-lasting effects on the human body."

Oh. No big deal then. I'm guessing Japanese consumers are totally not alarmed by this news. I mean, it's not like Japan is a country that banned the import of US beef for most of three years, after a single case of mad cow disease was discovered in Washington state. So they should have no problem with 3400 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in their meat.

Comments (16) RSS

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What is the point of your analysis?
To think of the Japanese as hypocrites? to think of them as arrogant ethnocentrists? to simply HATE them?
That's the impression I get. And I thank you. HATRED for other people should be fostered by the media. The Stranger leads the way!

Posted by dnt trust me on July 13, 2011 at 5:31 PM

@1,

Don't be an asshole. The purpose of this "New Normal" post is the same as all them: To point out how the disaster at Fukushima is influencing daily life in Japan, perhaps permanently.

The Japanese are freaked about post-Fukushima food safety, and rightly so.

Posted by Goldy on July 13, 2011 at 5:35 PM

Goldy's just telling it like it is. Of course, if it should also happen to come across as them being hypocrites and arrogant ethnocentrists, well, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on July 13, 2011 at 5:53 PM

Mad cow is much more dangerous than radioactive cesium.

Eat a bit of radioactive cesium, pee a bit of radioactive cesium. The biological half-life is shorter than the radiological half-life. There have been people poisoned by radioactive cesium, but the incidents involve improper disposal of large medical quantities which were later retrieved by scavengers.

Eat mad cow, just a tiny bit, and go brain-crazy.

Posted by eclexia on July 13, 2011 at 6:03 PM

FAG!

Posted by PugilistPuck on July 13, 2011 at 6:18 PM

That radioactivity completely fucks with the prions, so I'm sure the meat is safe. No mad cow!

Posted by STJA on July 13, 2011 at 7:26 PM

Considering all the rest of Japan is radioactive at this point, do you really think anyone there gives a shit about a little contaminated food?

Posted by suddenlyorcas on July 13, 2011 at 7:51 PM

#7 wins SLOG for today!! Congrats! And Johnny what does suddenlyorcas win?!?

Posted by Last of the Time Lords on July 13, 2011 at 8:13 PM

My God those poor cows. Six of them! Murdered. Eaten. Eaten! By some kind of sick Hannibal Lecter. It's chilling. How can any human being coldly slaughter cow after cow after cow... six times, and then eat their bodies? What kind of childhood must such a person have had? What goes on in his mind?

I wonder how they died. I wonder how Japan's cows are reacting to the headlines. The fear in the community must be palpable.

Posted by The Wretched Harmony on July 13, 2011 at 8:44 PM

@7: No, it's not.

Posted by ridia on July 13, 2011 at 9:20 PM

@4: Actually, our bodies do have mechanisms for degrading PrP-Sc (protease-resistant misfolded prions responsible for BSE/CJD), but they're just not terribly effective. If only a few misfolded prions are taken up, the proteases will usually degrade them faster than they can convert PrP-C, but if you get a fairly heavy dose of PrP-Sc, it's curtains.

Posted by venomlash on July 13, 2011 at 9:39 PM

@11 Damn you proteases! Why can't you work at astonishingly freakish paces in the rare eventuality of prion infection! Lazy enzymes, not even worth the promoters that encourage their production.

Posted by prompt on July 14, 2011 at 12:46 AM

PS Slog, keep us informed when someone bites it from radiation poisoning due to this life-altering contamination. We'll be waiting.

Posted by prompt on July 14, 2011 at 12:48 AM

Fuck your sarcasm, you shit-smeared asshole.

Posted by Charles Maguro on July 14, 2011 at 2:55 AM

Yeah, because cancer and thyroid problems are known to make people immediately "bite it."

Posted by dirac on July 14, 2011 at 7:02 AM

My drunken point I believe was there have been more immediate and dangerous disasters in our world. Like, say, the tsunami itself.

@14 Control yourself, will you? This is a family site.

Posted by prompt on July 14, 2011 at 11:23 AM