In response to concerns surrounding the recent release of wastewater from Japan’s ailing Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is meticulously examining its position and potential course of action. This occurrence, executed on August 24, was reported by Lertchai Lertvut, the esteemed Deputy Secretary-General of the FDA.
The capable FDA executive has assured that meticulous dialogues have been initiated among the FDA, the Department of Fisheries, the Office of Atoms for Peace, and the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology. These exchanges are centered on the potential threat of seafood pollution due to the wastewater. Lertchai delineated that authorities from the FDA and the Fisheries Department would closely scrutinize each batch of food, seeking out signs of radioactive content that surpasses the set safety benchmarks of Thailand.
Lertchai affirms, “Any imports that fail to meet these rigorous safety checks will be promptly returned to the sender, and we will also institute a halt on additional shipments.”
He further added, “The FDA, working hand-in-glove with the fisheries department, has made consistent efforts to collect seafood samples from areas in close proximity to the nuclear plant, especially since the tragic tsunami in 2011. All our tests have consistently shown that neither food nor any other goods contain radioactive materials above the level considered safe by Thai regulations.”
Interestingly, the Public Health Ministry of Japan had reportedly established that none out of 4,375 seafood samples, sourced from Fukushima during the previous year, contained radioactive elements surpassing the safety standards. This information was put forth by the popular news source, Bangkok Post.
Complementing this, the prestigious International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the United Nations expressed its approval for the discharge of processed water from the Japanese nuclear plant, citing that the radiation levels posed no threat to human wellbeing.
Following these events, the deputy secretary-general confirmed that the FDA, in collaboration with associated organizations, is all set to augment its seafood sample collection for detection of radioactive materials. The motive behind these steps is to fortify consumer trust in the safety of seafood.
Lertchai also disclosed that the incoming consignment of seafood from Japan, since the authorized wastewater disposal, would reach the Suvarnabhumi airport by mid-September. He assured that comprehensive inspection procedures would be carried out by officials from the FDA and the Fisheries Department.
Back in July, an international monitoring agency expressed approval over the controversial Japanese proposition to discharge treated wastewater from the Fukushima plant into the ocean. This viewed the process as being compliant with internationally accepted standards.
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