Tokyo’s municipal government sparked a run on bottled water after warning that the city’s water supply had become contaminated with radiation, widening concerns about the impact on Japan’s food supplies from the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
东京市政府警告称，该市自来水已受到辐射污染。此言引发东京市民抢购瓶装水，并使人们更加担心福岛核电站危机对日本食品供应的影响。
Municipal officials said levels of iodine-131 measured at Tokyo’s water purifican plant had risen to 210 becquerels per kilogramme on Wednesday, more than twice Japan’s 100 bq/kg recommended limit for infants. The adult recommended limit is 300bq/kg.
市政府官员表示，周三东京都的净水厂检测到碘131，浓度为每公斤210贝克勒尔，是日本为婴儿设定的安全饮用上限每公斤100贝克勒尔的两倍以上。成年人的安全饮用上限是每公斤300贝克勒尔。
Health officials played down the potential health risks from the contamination. Japan’s guidelines for iodine-131 in water are far tighter than the internationally agreed “operational intervention levels” for the substance, which put permissible levels at up to 3,000bq/kg, according to the World Health Organisation. CLIVE CHECKING WHAT IT IS FOR INFANTS
卫生官员表示，这种污染的潜在健康风险并不大。日本对自来水中碘131含量的指导原则，比国际间就这种物质商定的“操作干预水平”严格得多。根据世界卫生组织(WHO)的数据，可容许的浓度最高达到每公斤3000贝克勒尔。
“Iodine-131 is not a significant source of radiation because of its low specific activity,” the WHO said in a report on Japan’s nuclear crisis earlier this week.
“碘131由于比活度较低，因此并不是一个重大的辐射源，”世卫组织本周早些时候在一份有关日本核危机的报告中表示。
Still, some consumers were unsettled by the water warning. The National Azabu supermarket in Hiroo said bottled water sold out within an hour of the news. “It’s gone, just gone, it all sold out so quickly?.?.?.?people seem to be very scared,” a supermarket official said.
不过，一些消费者还是对有关自来水的警告感到不安。位于东京広尾(Hiroo)的National Azabu超市表示，这条新闻发布后，瓶装水在1小时内就售罄。“卖完了，就这么卖完了，这么快就全部卖光……人们看上去很害怕，”一名超市负责人表示。
Some citizens were more relaxed. Yuji Sanada, a waiter at a restaurant in central Tokyo, said he hoped the warning would not lead to shortages of bottled water that could affect consumers in Japan’s tsunami-ravaged north-east, where many households are still without water supplies.
还有一些市民则比较放松。东京市中心一家餐厅的服务员Yuji Sanada表示，他希望这一警告不会导致瓶装水短缺、进而影响遭受海啸摧残的日本东北地区的消费者，因为那里的许多家庭仍然断水。
“In Tokyo, we still have tap water that’s drinkable for adults, so we should use it,” Mr Sanada said.
“在东京，我们仍然有成年人可以饮用的自来水，因此我们应当利用它，”Sanada表示。
Yukio Edano, chief cabinet secretary, said the water might pose a health threat only if consumed over a long period, but acknowledged that contamination could spread.
内阁官房长官枝野幸男(Yukio Edano)表示，只有在长期饮用的情况下，这样的自来水才可能对健康构成威胁，但他承认污染可能会扩散。
“Unfortunately, there is no question that radioactive substances are leaking into the atmosphere from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Since it rained, it is possible that there will be an impact in many areas,” Mr Edano said.
“不幸的是，放射性物质无疑正从福岛核电站泄漏到大气中。由于下了雨，很多地区有可能将受到影响，”枝野幸男表示。
Although the warning on tap water applied only to babies under one, Japanese people are generally cautious about food safety and many may shun tap water – putting pressure on limited supplies of bottled water. The country has frequently banned foreign food products over health concerns.
虽然针对自来水的警告仅适用于不到1岁的婴儿，但日本人在食品安全方面普遍态度谨慎，许多人现在可能不敢使用自来水，这给有限的瓶装水供应带来压力。日本经常以健康担忧为由，禁止外国食品进口。
The announcement followed an order from the Japanese government halting shipments of raw milk from Fukushima and of spinach from the prefecture and neighbouring Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma.
上述警告发布之前，日本政府叫停了福岛县的生牛奶发货，以及该县和邻近的茨城(Ibaraki)、枥木(Tochigi)和群马(Gunma)县的菠菜发货。
Higher than normal levels of radioactive substances were found in those products after radiation leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which was crippled by a huge earthquake and tsunami on March 11.
在3月11日大地震和海啸中受损的福岛第一核电站发生辐射泄漏后，上述产品中检测到高于正常水平的放射性物质。
The US became the first nation to block produce from Japan’s radiation zone, saying on Wednesday it will halt milk, vegetable and fruit imports from areas near the tsunami-damaged nuclear plant because of contamination fears and Hong Kong followed suit. The US agreed with the Japanese government and experts that unusually high traces of radioactive substances found in the seawater off the shore of Fukushima were not an immediate health risk. “The great quantity of water in the Pacific Ocean rapidly?.?.?.? dilutes radioactive material, so fish and seafood are likely to be unaffected,” the US Food and Drug Administration said.
美国成为禁止从日本辐射区域进口农产品的首个国家。美国周三表示，出于对污染的担心，将暂停从福岛核电站附近地区进口牛奶、蔬菜和水果。香港也做出类似决定。美国方面同意日本政府和专家的评估，即福岛核电站附近海水中发现的浓度异常之高的放射性物质不致马上构成健康风险。美国食品药品监督管理局(FDA)表示：“太平洋的大量海水很快就会……稀释掉放射性物质，因此鱼和海鲜很可能不会受到影响。”