Japan Radiation Issues Concerning U.S. Sushi Restaurants

We’ve all heard the stories about radiation levels in the ocean near several Japanese cities hitting dangerously high levels in the aftermath of the March 11th earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

The resultant worries about what this radiation can mean to marine life, specifically fish and seaweed (nori) have worked their way across the Pacific to a number of US sushi restaurants. Hundreds of American sushi restaurants have cancelled orders for fish from Japan and are looking for other sources. Their fears are genuine, but according to most marine biologists, the iodine that fish pick up from the water decays into non-threatening molecules within a few weeks. Cesium, however, is another issue and many species of fish in the waters off Japan are absorbing this at critical amounts. The fish can have cesium levels greater than 100 times the water around them. So for now, DO NOT eat fish from Japan. Make sure to ask.

And even greater problem problem may lie with the nori seaweed which provides wrapping for the sushi. The seaweed apparently has the capacity to absorb and store all forms of iodine and does not discriminate between the radioactive and non-radioactive varieties (The Daily Beast). The nori also takes in plutonium and cesium which can be very harmful to humans.

And since the nori imported to the US comes almost exclusively from Japan and China, this could be a much more serious long term issue.

This will probably to an increase in the sale of sashimi with fish from other sources. Sashimi does not require nori nor does the simpler form of nigiri sushi. Look for a lot more of these in the higher-end restaurants.