In brief: Radiation worry brings ban on Fukushima fish
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea is banning all fish imports from Japan’s Fukushima region because of what it calls growing public worry over radiation contamination that has reportedly prompted a sharp decline in fish consumption.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said in a statement Friday that it made the move because of insufficient information from Tokyo about what will happen in the future with contaminated water leaking from a crippled nuclear plant into the Pacific.
Seoul imposed a partial ban on Japanese fish following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to a meltdown at the Fukushima plant. All fishery products from Fukushima and seven other nearby prefectures are now banned.
Scientists have found high levels of radioactive cesium in fish near the plant. Fisheries off Fukushima are closed.
Motrin Infants Drops recalled over risk
WASHINGTON – Johnson & Johnson is recalling 200,000 bottles of Motrin Infants Drops formula due to the risk that they contain tiny particles of plastic.
J&J’s McNeil unit says it is unclear if the recalled bottles actually contain the particles, which were found in a different product during the manufacturing process. The company decided to issue the recall because both products contain the same shipment of ibuprofen from a third-party supplier. Ibuprofen is a common pain reliever and fever reducer, also used in Advil.
The company is asking retailers to take the affected products off store shelves. Consumers should stop using the bottles and throw them away.
Officials say oil drilling not tied to dead whales
ACCRA, Ghana – Environmental officials in the West African nation of Ghana have denied a link between offshore oil production and four dead whales that have washed ashore in recent days.
The country’s Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that Ghana’s oil companies have met all requirements regarding drilling offshore.
Ghana activists expressed alarm after the dead whales were spotted on beaches near the capital and in the country’s Western Region.
The environmental agency maintains that whales also have washed ashore in Asia, the Americas and New Zealand, adding “the phenomenon is global.”