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 Health 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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