Gyeongnam Province Confirms 'Suitable' in Radioactivity Test of Dried Anchovies

First Radiation Inspection of Seafood with Resident Participation After Nuclear Plant Contaminated Water Discharge

Gyeongsangnam-do announced on the 29th that all samples received a "suitable" rating in the 3rd Citizen Participation Radioactivity Test on Seafood conducted after the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Gyeongnam Province has been conducting two previous public radioactivity tests on seafood with citizen participation before the discharge of contaminated water from the nuclear power plant and has been sharing the results.

Residents of Gyeongnam Province are observing the radiation inspection process for dried anchovies.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

According to the province, nine citizens participated in this test and directly collected dried anchovies before the auction at the anchovy purse seine fishery cooperative auction site.

The collected samples were taken to the Fisheries Science and Technology Institute's analysis lab, where they were finely chopped and crushed, then placed in a dedicated container and inserted into a gamma nuclide analyzer to check for radioactive contamination.

Earlier, the Fisheries Safety Technology Institute conducted radioactivity tests on 645 samples of 83 types of seafood collected from fishery cooperative auction sites and production aquaculture farms within the province from January this year to the present.

The test results confirmed that no radioactive iodine or cesium was detected in any of the samples, indicating they are suitable for consumption.

Residents of Gyeongnam Province who observed the 3rd Provincial Participation Radiation Inspection are taking a commemorative photo.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Song Sang-wook, head of the Fisheries Safety Technology Institute, said, “Not only the citizen participation tests but also the radioactivity tests conducted by the institute are disclosed on the provincial website,” adding, “We will transparently disclose the radioactivity analysis process with citizen observers to ensure the reliability of the seafood radioactivity test results.”

He continued, “In the future, we plan to increase the public tests to twice a month so that more citizens can observe,” and added, “We hope that seafood produced in the province’s waters can be consumed with confidence.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.