Public alarm over dioxin levels in vegetables has stirred Japan’s Ministry of
International Trade and Industry (MITI) into action. Two government bodies, the
Ministry of ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ and Welfare and the Environment Agency, are already locked in
a long-running feud about what the allowable daily intake should be: the
Environment Agency says it is 5 picograms per kilogram of body weight, while the
health ministry allows double that. MITI decided to clear up the confusion when
supermarkets refused to stock vegetables grown near incinerators until a safe
standard was agreed. MITI says it will establish a standard by September.
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