Advance on monitoring of radioactivity in food in China and Japan after Fukushima nuclear accident

Abstract

After the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Fukushima nuclear accident) in 2011, Japan quickly took emergency measures to reduce radiation hazards posed by the released radioactive materials. As a neighboring country of Japan across the East China Sea, China has also taken some corresponding prevention and control measures. China has continuously strengthened the monitoring of radioactivity in food in recent years. This paper discusses the revision of standards for radioactivity in food, the improvement of methods and equipment, and the updating of monitoring systems performed in China and Japan over the last ten years after the Fukushima Daiichi accident. In addition, this paper outlines the recent problems left over from the nuclear accident, puts forward some views on the progress of important topics, and gives some thoughts and prospects on the further improvement of the monitoring systems of radioactivity in food in China.

Keywords

• Food monitoring
• Radioactivity
• Fukushima nuclear accident