Regarding the July 2 Kyodo article "Cesium found in urine of Fukushima children": Tokyo University honorary professor of food safety Hideaki Karaki is quoted as saying that "the level of cesium (from the samples) is lower than that of potassium, and it definitely has no effect on the human body."
If this were true, why would it be important to monitor the levels? Radioactive cesium does have an effect on the human body, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states: "Like all radionuclides, exposure to radiation from cesium-137 results in increased risk of cancer." (See: www.epa.gov/rpdweb00/radionuclides/cesium.html#healtheffects)
Thank you for the story, but next time I hope you'll cite third-party sources when authority figures make dubious statements.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.