Bans on aquatic product imports from 10 Japanese prefectures come into effect

(ECNS) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has gazetted a food safety order that bans aquatic products from 10 Japanese prefectures on Wednesday before Japan started releasing wastewater from the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant.

It prohibits imports of aquatic products from the Japanese regions of Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama.

According to Irene Young Bick-kwan, director of Food and Environment Hygiene of the HKSAR government, the measure covers live, frozen, refrigerated and dried aquatic products, sea salt and seaweed.

“Those who violate any provision of the order will be fined or sentenced to imprisonment of 12 months,” she said.

Eating food contaminated with radioactive substances will result in multiple health risks, including cancer, the HKSAR government said. The wastewater has been exposed to active nuclear materials and contains high concentrations of various radioactive substances, the half-life of which is long.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will keep publishing radiation levels of catches in Hong Kong from Thursday, while the Observatory will monitor radioactive elements in local waters every month.