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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
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 Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 8:57 pm Post subject: mercury rising |
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| Things are finally coming together for the move to Japan. My mother mentioned one thing however, she said that I should be careful of mercury poisoning in Japan from eating too much seafood, including seaweed. This the first I've heard of this so I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this problem. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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Longing for Nippon
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
Posts: 49
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| Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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| You practically have to eat fish all day to get mercury poisoning. I really wouldnt worry about it. Food standards are impecable in Japan and the life expectancy is longer than your average human so i dont think its much of a problem. If you are worried about it stay away from tinned tuna. The fresh tuna is ok though and addictively good. |
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Sheep-Goats
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 527
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 1:40 am Post subject: |
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| I don't know, guys. Last time I was in Tokyo there were nothing but MERCURY ZOMBIES everywhere, mumbling and searching for more thermometers to harvest. |
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Nismo
Joined: 27 Jul 2004
Posts: 520
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:09 am Post subject: |
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| Is that what's wrong with those grandma's on squeeky ass bikes who ride through damn near anything and anyone?! |
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homersimpson
Joined: 14 Feb 2003
Posts: 569
Location: Kagoshima
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 10:11 am Post subject: |
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| Food standards are impecable in Japan and the life expectancy is longer than your average human so i dont think its much of a problem. |
Although basically true on both counts, there is a bit of mythology thrown in to the mix here. I would say Japan is on par with most industrialized nations on both counts. Japan's life expectancy rate is (or rather was, in 2002) 80.7 years. But, Italy (79), Sweden (79.6), Singapore (80.1), and Canada (79.4) all have impressive L.E. rates. Granted, Japan is higher, but we're talking about a matter of months, so not such a mind-boggling difference. Regarding food standards, although certainly higher than Mexico or Vietnam, again in line with other industrialized nations. Ever heard of Snow Brand? Had a milk poisoning scandal a few years back; cost the company dearly. After a public apology, Snow followed up a with a meat-packing scandal, packaging Australian beef w/Japanese beef but labeling it "Japanese." That's only one example. Check kyodo news or yomiuri and you'll quickly find many stories about food safety issues in Japan.
Just something to keep in mind. Often outsiders have a rather rosy image of Japan without taking into account it has the same problems as many other places. |
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Longing for Nippon
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
Posts: 49
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 10:42 am Post subject: |
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| Coming from the UK where we have one food disaster after another it is easy to view Japan with rose tinted glasses. All in Japan is certainly not great but they havent had Mad Cow, Foot & Mouth, E-Coli...etc in recent years. I was simply tyring to give a positive slant on Japanese food without trawling through statistics and newspapers to say something bad! |
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bearcat
Joined: 08 May 2004
Posts: 367
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 11:34 am Post subject: Re: mercury rising |
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| markle wrote: |
| Things are finally coming together for the move to Japan. My mother mentioned one thing however, she said that I should be careful of mercury poisoning in Japan from eating too much seafood, including seaweed. This the first I've heard of this so I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this problem. |
Tell your mother to read more and watch less sensationistic TV. |
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bearcat
Joined: 08 May 2004
Posts: 367
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 11:42 am Post subject: |
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| Longing for Nippon wrote: |
| Coming from the UK where we have one food disaster after another it is easy to view Japan with rose tinted glasses. All in Japan is certainly not great but they havent had Mad Cow, Foot & Mouth, E-Coli...etc in recent years. I was simply tyring to give a positive slant on Japanese food without trawling through statistics and newspapers to say something bad! |
Actually there was a case just very recently of someone in japan who got Creutzfeldt-Jacob's disease. |
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Brooks
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1369
Location: Sagamihara
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 12:30 pm Post subject: |
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there is mad cow disease in Japan.
There have been 12 cases at least.
That is why Japanese beef can`t be imported into the USA. |
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homersimpson
Joined: 14 Feb 2003
Posts: 569
Location: Kagoshima
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Coming from the UK where we have one food disaster after another it is easy to view Japan with rose tinted glasses. All in Japan is certainly not great but they havent had Mad Cow, Foot & Mouth, E-Coli...etc in recent years. I was simply tyring to give a positive slant on Japanese food without trawling through statistics and newspapers to say something bad! |
I'm not going to get into a p*ssing contest with you. No mad cow cases? This is simply fantasy. Japan has had at least two confirmed cases of mad cow disease. Your "positive slant" is also known as spin. I wasn't trawling, simply providing facts. That those facts don't match your reality is irrelevant. Sorry.
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edited for bad grammar |
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ntropy
Joined: 11 Oct 2003
Posts: 671
Location: ghurba
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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A few years ago there was a wave of E-Coli poisonings passed country-wide through school lunches. Seems it was in the radish shoots.
Mad cow has been a concern for several years.
Hmm, sounds like Japanese food safety is about the same as the rest of the world. |
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shmooj
Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1758
Location: Seoul, ROK
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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No you're missing the point here. It isn't fish that you have to worry about. Instead, it's whale meat and dolphin which are often sold on the shelves in supermarkets and, sometimes, dolphin is packaged as tuna. I've not encountered this first hand but I remember many cases cited during my 6 years in Japan. the Japan Today news site had a really good article a couple of years ago about an undercover expose of supermarkets selling whale meat with up to 400% more mercury than safety regulations allow.
So, stay away from whale and dolphin and you should be fine. |
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David W
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 457
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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| You might get the squirts once in a while but you're not gonna glow in the dark from any of the food here. Pretty safe. |
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lajzar
Joined: 09 Feb 2003
Posts: 647
Location: Saitama-ken, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 3:13 am Post subject: |
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| Having said all that, I am just recovering from a week long bout of food poisoning caused by some salmon. |
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