Are shellfish from the East Coast of Malaysia poisoned with dangerous saxitoxin?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Shellfish From East Coast Malaysia Have Saxitoxin!
A video keeps going viral on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter.
According to the lady in the video, Public Health Malaysia just warned people not to consume clams in the East Coast of Malaysia.
Apparently, the clams are polluted by a dangerous algae that produces a toxin called saxitoxin. People who eat these claims, can suffer anything from stomachache, nausea and vomiting, to “rapid death within 12 hours”.
Truth : Saxitoxin Shellfish Ban In Malaysia Occurred In 2021!
This is yet another example of MISLEADING videos circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Video Was Originally Posted In October 2021
First, I should point out that this video is not new. The viral video was originally posted on TikTok by Charlotte Chew, on 13 October 2021.
Fact #2 : Video Was Clearly Dated
Charlotte was probably aware that her video may (later) be misused, so she posted the date of her video at the beginning.
So it is peculiar that so many people continue to share the 2021 video, as if it’s relevant in 2023…
Fact #3 : Ban On Shellfish Only Affected Sungai Geting In Kelantan
The danger of shellfish contaminated with saxitoxin did not involve the whole East Coast of Malaysia. Rather, it was limited to a small part of Kelantan. Specifically – Sungai Geting.
On 11 October 2021, the Kelantan Fisheries Department (JPNK) imposed an immediate ban on eating molluscs (shellfish) from Sungai Geting, due to a suspected red tide (harmful algal bloom).
JPNK director Nazri Ishak, at that time, said that the sale and harvest of molluscs like oysters and claims were forbidden.
An analysis by the Fisheries Biosecurity Lab shows that molluscs from the area are contaminated with saxitoxin from harmful alga, Alexandrium minutum.
If consumed, the contaminated molluscs can cause poisoning and pose a threat to human health.
We will do weekly testing until they are safe to eat. As a preventative measure, the harvesting of molluscs is prohibited until the investigation is over and safety is guaranteed.
Nazri also said that red tides commonly occur in Sungai Geting due to hot weather, and other factors.
The advice that Charlotte Chew gave in the video is correct, but this warning is no longer valid in 2023.
The ban on eating shellfish at that time was due to a dangerous algal bloom that was spotted in October 2021. As and when these algal bloom occurs, the authorities will issue alerts.
People have to stop sharing old videos, because they are often out-of-date, and are no longer valid.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the toxic Fukushima waste water just kill fish and birds in Kuching, Malaysia?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Toxic Fukushima Water Killed Fish + Birds In Kuching!
People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, which claims to show hundreds of fish in Kuching killed by the toxic Fukushima waste water. It’s paired with warnings like this:
How to explain this happen here in Kuching 🫤🤔
Not too long ago, the pigeons at our waterfront drop dead from poisoning ☹️🫤
Truth : Fukushima Water Did Not Kill Fish + Birds In Kuching!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Viral Video Was Recorded In Kuching
The viral video was streamed live by Sarawak Edition at 12:14 PM on Sunday, 17 September 2023.
Sarawak Edition said that it recorded the video at Jalan Rock in Kuching, near the Shell petrol station, and an Indian temple.
I managed to geolocate the exact location the video was recorded (Google Map link) to the monsoon drain next to the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple at Jalan Rock, Min Chun Garden, in Kuching, Sarawak.
On the left is the Google Map Street View taken on March 2019, and on the right is a screenshot from the video showing the same electrical pole and high-rise building.
If you look carefully at the video, you can see that it is a monsoon drain, and not a river.
According to the person on the video, the dead fish appears to be tilapia. That’s not surprising – tilapia are hardy freshwater fish that can often be found in these monsoon drains.
I should point out that monsoon drains collect waste water from the surrounding area to be treated or released into the sea. The waste water goes into the sea, not the other way around!
Fact #3 : Fish Are Sometimes Found Dead In Monsoon Drains
Even though tilapia are hardy fish, they can sometimes be found dead in monsoon drains. That can occur if toxic substances are poured into the monsoon drain, or drains that flow in.
In February 2022, for example, tilapia fish were found dead in Kulai, Johor. Similarly, over 1,000 dead fish was found floating in a monsoon drain in Taman Seraya, Ampang in October 2014.
Obviously, all those cases have nothing to do with the release of the Fukushima waste water in Japan on August 24, 2023.
Fact #4 : Fukushima Waste Water Cannot Fly…
Fukushima is over 5,000 kilometres away from Kuching, Sarawak, as the crow flies. It is quite impossible for the waste water released by the nuclear power station there to flow all the way here.
Even if the Fukushima waste water is a homing torpedo designed to attack Kuching, it would have to flow past Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, and Vietnam, to reach Sarawak. There would have been reports of dead fish from those countries, but of course, nothing of that sort happened.
But most importantly, the dead fish is located deep inland – some 20 kilometres away from the nearest seaside.
Even if the Japanese somehow designed the Fukushima waste water to attack Kuching, the waste water cannot fly over land to kill tilapia fish 20 kilometres inland!
Fact #5 : Pigeons Were Found Dead On 2 August 2023
It is true that 41 pigeons were found mysteriously dead at the Kuching Esplanade. However, that incident occurred on the morning of 2 August 2023.
The Fukushima-Daiichin NPS only started releasing its treated waste water more than 3 weeks later – on Thursday, 24 August 2023. So the dead birds were definitely not killed by the release of the treated radioactive water from Fukushima…
Unless the Japanese invented a time machine to go back in time to kill those birds with the treated waste water? Now that might make for a good movie plot!
Fact #6 : Kuching Pigeons Were Likely Poisoned
The Sarawak Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) director Dr. Adrian Susin Ambud said that the department collected samples, and a preliminary investigation ruled out avian influenza (bird flu) as their cause of death. He believes that the pigeons were most likely poisoned.
The section of the Kuching Waterfront where the dead pigeons were found is known as a place where the public often feeds a large flock of pigeons. In fact, in this photo, you can see some bird food scattered on the roadside.
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the toxic Fukushima waste water just kill thousands of fish in Indonesia?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Toxic Fukushima Water Killed Fish In Indonesia!
People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, which claims to show thousands of fish in Indonesia killed by the toxic Fukushima waste water. It’s paired with warnings like this:
ALERT: TOXIC SEA WATER HAS ARRIVED AT INDONESIA.
Fishermen are catching more dead fishes than live ones.
Jangan makan ikan dulu. Limbah racun dari jepang sdh masuk ke indonisia.
Don’t eat fish yet. Toxic waste from Japan has entered Indonesia.
Truth : Fukushima Water Did Not Kill Fish In Indonesia!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Happened In Tuban, East Java
The viral video appears to be recorded on Tuesday, 12 September 2023, at the beach in front of Hotel Purnama, along the Tuban-Semarang road in Tuban, East Java, Indonesia.
Fact #2 : Fish Were Caught, Not Found Dead
The fish seen in the video were not found dead on the beach, or in the sea. Rather, they were caught by fishermen in the area.
In fact, you can see one of the fishing boats at about 0:26 in the video. The fisherman was merely dropping off his catch at the beach, to be collected by the white Bintang Novelita pickup truck seen at 0:13 in the video.
Fact #3 : Only One Type of Fish Was Caught
If you look carefully at the video, you will notice that it only shows one species of fish. Known locally as Jamal Rotior Manyung, it is a marine catfish from the Ariidae family.
This is actually the spawning season for this catfish, which not only causes them to gather, they also rise to the surface, making it easy for fishermen to catch them.
The fishermen caught about 2 tons of this catfish that day. A week earlier, they caught one ton of the same fish.
If there was any contamination killing fishes in the area, there would be an assortment of different fish species, not just one particular fish species.
On Wednesday, 13 September 2023, Jenu Police Chief Rialto confirmed that the large number of fish were not stranded on the beach, but caught by local fishermen.
Fact #5 : Tuban Fisheries Service Refuted Viral Claim
On Wednesday, 13 September 2023, the head of the Tuban Regency Livestock, Fisheries and Food Security Service, Eko Arif Yulianto confirmed that the Manyung catfish were spawning at that time. He appealed to the public to stop believing in unverified information.
On Thursday, 14 September 2023, the head of the Tuban DKP2P Fisheries Division, Lingo Indarto, publicly refuted the claim that the fish were killed from the Fukushima waste water.
The fishermen in the video, was identified as called Sutrisno from Karangsari. He said that the fish were all caught at sea, and were healthy and fresh.
Mr. Linggo called for netizens to stop believing in unverified rumours, as they can cause great losses to the fishermen. He is also coordinating with the East Java Province Maritime and Fisheries Service to fight this fake news.
Fact #7 : No Dead Fishes Were Reported En-Route
For the Fukushima waste water to reach Tuban, it would need to travel some 7,000 kilometres past southern Japan, the Philippines, the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi, Bali and Surabaya.
Yet no dead fish were reported elsewhere. How is that possible if the Fukushima waste water is so toxic? Did the evil Japanese design the waste water to only kill fish in Tuban?
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the radioactive Fukushima waste water just kill thousands of fish in Penang?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Fukushima Water Killed Thousands Of Fish In Penang!
People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, which claims to show that thousands of fish floating on the water, after being killed by the radioactive Fukushima waste water!
Nuclear sudah sampai pantai Penang… Mati penang
Nuclear [contamination/radiation] has arrived at Penang beaches. Penang is dead.
If it is true, horrible japanese
The Japanese is helping America to depopulate the world
Truth : Fukushima Water Did Not Kill Thousands Of Fish In Penang!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Happened On 26 August 2023
The viral video appears to be recorded on Saturday, 26 August 2023, when thousands of fish were found dead along the shores of Teluk Bahang in Penang.
Fact #2 : Fukushima Only Started Releasing Waste Water On 24 August
The Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station only started releasing its treated waste water on Thursday, 24 August 2023.
As the crow flies, Penang is over 5,400 kilometres away from Fukushima. Even if the radioactive waste water is a missile, it would need to fly non-stop at over 110 km/h to reach Penang in time to kill the fish two days later. And this is only possible if the Fukushima waste water can actually FLY OVER Pattani in Thailand and Kedah to reach Penang!
If the evil Japanese people fired the Fukushima waste water like a homing torpedo at Penang, it would need to travel some 7,000 km to reach Teluk Bahang. That radioactive torpedo will need to “swim” non-stop at 145 km/h or 78 knots to kill fish in Penang two days later.
Fact #3 : No Dead Fishes Were Reported En-Route
For the Fukushima waste water to reach Penang, it would need to travel past southern Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, southern China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Sabah and Sarawak, before going around Singapore, and past Johor, Melaka, Selangor and Perak.
Yet no dead fish were reported elsewhere. How is that possible if the Fukushima waste water is so toxic? Did the evil Japanese design the waste water to only kill fish in Penang?
On the day the fishes were found dead in Penang, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS) deputy director Dr. Annette Jaya Ram spotted pink tide in Teluk Bahang.
CEMACS later confirmed that the thousands of fish found dead were likely killed by the red tide bloom. CEMACS director Professor Datuk Dr. Aileen Tan said on Wednesday, 30 August 2023, that several fish that they retrieved were found to be in a state of asphyxiation with their mouths wide open.
We found them deprived of oxygen, resulting in unconsciousness or death due to suffocation.
She also said that while the algae is not known to have any direct toxicity or toxic effects, it was possible that the fish died due to high levels of discharge by the plankton.
It is more intense this time compared to April because it happened during neap tide (compared to spring tide in April). The blooms were not drifted or carried away by the tides or waves this time.
Fact #4 : DOE Confirmed Fish Were Killed By Algal Bloom
The Department of Environment (DOE) issued a statement on Wednesday, 30 August 2023, confirming that the thousands of fish found dead were killed when the algal bloom deprived them of oxygen.
Several samples were taken and initial analysis found that the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water was at 1.59mg/L to 2.09mg/L for depths between 1m (and) 4m.
Investigations found that it does not fulfil Class 2 of Marine Water Quality Standard to support aquatic life.
DOE Director General Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar said that observations from two monitoring stations at Teluk Bahang suggested that the algal bloom was not caused by pollution.
On Wednesday, 30 August 2023, the Penang Fisheries Department identified the algal bloom as caused by Noctiluca scintillans, a species of marine dinoflagellates that is also known as sea sparkle.
Preliminary results of the analysis carried out by the Batu Maung Fisheries Research Institute found that the algae is non-toxic. It is from the Noctiluca scintillans species and is not dangerous to humans.
The department also pointed out that the very high density of algal in the water can cause fish to die, due to a decrease in dissolved oxygen.
Fact #6 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Claim : Singapore Found NEW Radioactive Food From Japan!
This message is being actively promoted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens on WhatsApp and social media:
Singapore said it found radioactive contamination in four samples of vegetables imported from Japan and has extended the ban to food from two more Japanese prefectures.
Singapore’s Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority said radioactive contamination was found in Mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley), Nanohana (rapeseed plant), Mizuna (Japanese mustard) and perilla leaf samples.”
More Countries Ban Import of Japanese Food – With more countries detecting radioactive contamination in food imported from Japan, efforts to prevent it spreading through the global food chain have gained a new urgency (Wall Street Journal, 8/24/2023)
Truth : Singapore Did Not Find NEW Radioactive Food From Japan!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created or promoted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : WSJ Podcast Is Genuine But Outdated
First, let me just confirm that the Wall Street Journal podcast and transcript is genuine, and was posted on 24 August 2023, at 6:42 PM (local time).
However, that was just an audio clip and transcript of an old WSJ article (now removed) that was originally posted on 25 March 2011 – more than 12 years ago!
Fact #2 : Podcast Was Released Same Day As Wastewater Release
It is unknown why the Wall Street Journal chose to publish this podcast and transcript from their old 2011 story, but it was released on the same day the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station started releasing its treated wastewater.
If there was any detection of radioactive food from Japan, it would have happened at least a day or two earlier, and would not have anything to do with the release of the treated wastewater from the Fukushima NPS.
On 3 September 2023, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) issued a public announcement (PDF download) to refute the Wall Street Journal podcast which claimed that it found new samples of radioactive vegetables fin Japan.
SFA stated that it had not found any new contaminated vegetables from Japan. Neither did the SGA ban any food products from any Japanese prefectures recently.
The SFA also stated that it monitors all food imports, and will take action if any food imports were found to be unsafe or unsuitable for consumption.
Clarification on circulating article/podcast regarding import of Japanese food products
In response to media queries regarding a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article/podcast titled “More Countries Ban Import of Japanese Food”, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has clarified that it has not found samples of contaminated vegetables from Japan or banned food products from any Japanese prefectures recently. The WSJ podcast has referred to a media release by the former Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in 2011. This has since been overtaken by events.
We wish to reiterate that SFA adopts a science-based approach towards assessing food safety risks. Food imported into Singapore is subjected to SFA’s surveillance and monitoring regime, which includes radiation surveillance and enforcement actions will be taken should any food imports be found to be unsafe or unsuitable for consumption.
Fact #4 : Singapore AVA Announcement Was From 2011
The announcement by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore was not posted in August 2023, but over 12 years ago – on 24 March 2011 (PDF download).
DETECTION OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS IN FOUR SAMPLES OF VEGETABLES FROM JAPAN – AVA SUSPENDS IMPORT OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FROM ADDITIONAL TWO PREFECTURES
Radioactive contaminants have been detected in four samples of vegetables from Japan. The contaminated samples were imported from the affected prefectures of Tochigi and Ibaraki, as well as Chiba and Ehime which are outside the affected areas. The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) will extend its suspension on the import of all fruits and vegetables to include Chiba and Ehime with immediate effect.
Issued by Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority On 24 Mar 2011
Fact #5 : Singapore Did Not Ban Japanese Food Imports
Despite the release of the Fukushima waste water, Singapore has not initiated any new import ban of food from Japan.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) stated that there will be “no immediate ban on seafood from Japan” following the release of the treated Fukushima wastewater.
Fact #6 : Singapore Has Not Detected Radioactive Food From Japan
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) stated that its surveillance of the safety of food from Japan has been satisfactory. It has not detected any radioactive contaminant in food imports from Japan since 2013.
In fact, Singapore lifted pre-export tests and Certificate of Origin requirements on approved food imports from the Fukushima prefecture on May 28, 2021.
Even so, the SFA continues to closely monitor food imports from Japan to ensure that they comply with Singapore’s food safety requirements.
Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Singapore Food Agency just refuted a podcast by the Wall Street Journal that it found new radioactive food samples, and extended its ban on food imports from Japan!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Singapore Found New Radioactive Food From Japan!
This message (with a link to the WSJ podcast) went viral on WhatsApp and social media:
Singapore said it found radioactive contamination in four samples of vegetables imported from Japan and has extended the ban to food from two more Japanese prefectures.
Singapore’s Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority said radioactive contamination was found in Mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley), Nanohana (rapeseed plant), Mizuna (Japanese mustard) and perilla leaf samples.”
More Countries Ban Import of Japanese Food – With more countries detecting radioactive contamination in food imported from Japan, efforts to prevent it spreading through the global food chain have gained a new urgency (Wall Street Journal, 8/24/2023)
Singapore Refutes WSJ Radioactive Japan Food Podcast!
The Wall Street Journal podcast and transcript is genuine, and was posted on 24 August 2023, at 6:42 PM (local time). However, that was just an audio clip and transcript of an old WSJ article (now removed) that was originally posted on 25 March 2011 – more than 12 years ago!
It is unknown why the Wall Street Journal chose to publish this podcast and transcript from their old 2011 story, but it was released on the same day the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station started releasing its treated wastewater.
If there was any detection of radioactive food from Japan, it would have happened at least a day or two earlier, and would not have anything to do with the release of the treated wastewater from the Fukushima NPS.
On 3 September 2023, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) issued a public announcement (PDF download) to refute the Wall Street Journal podcast which claimed that it found new samples of radioactive vegetables fin Japan.
SFA stated that it had not found any new contaminated vegetables from Japan. Neither did the SGA ban any food products from any Japanese prefectures recently.
The SFA also stated that it monitors all food imports, and will take action if any food imports were found to be unsafe or unsuitable for consumption.
Clarification on circulating article/podcast regarding import of Japanese food products
In response to media queries regarding a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article/podcast titled “More Countries Ban Import of Japanese Food”, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has clarified that it has not found samples of contaminated vegetables from Japan or banned food products from any Japanese prefectures recently. The WSJ podcast has referred to a media release by the former Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in 2011. This has since been overtaken by events.
We wish to reiterate that SFA adopts a science-based approach towards assessing food safety risks. Food imported into Singapore is subjected to SFA’s surveillance and monitoring regime, which includes radiation surveillance and enforcement actions will be taken should any food imports be found to be unsafe or unsuitable for consumption.
The announcement by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore was not posted in August 2023, but over 12 years ago – on 24 March 2011 (PDF download).
DETECTION OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS IN FOUR SAMPLES OF VEGETABLES FROM JAPAN – AVA SUSPENDS IMPORT OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FROM ADDITIONAL TWO PREFECTURES
Radioactive contaminants have been detected in four samples of vegetables from Japan. The contaminated samples were imported from the affected prefectures of Tochigi and Ibaraki, as well as Chiba and Ehime which are outside the affected areas. The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) will extend its suspension on the import of all fruits and vegetables to include Chiba and Ehime with immediate effect.
Issued by Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority On 24 Mar 2011
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) had earlier stated that there will be “no immediate ban on seafood from Japan” following the release of the treated Fukushima wastewater.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) stated that its surveillance of the safety of food from Japan has been satisfactory. It has not detected any radioactive contaminant in food imports from Japan since 2013.
In fact, Singapore lifted pre-export tests and Certificate of Origin requirements on approved food imports from the Fukushima prefecture on May 28, 2021.
To be clear, Singapore has not initiated any new import ban of food from Japan.
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is there a secret agreement between the EU and Japan to re-export contaminated seafood to other countries?! Here is what you need to know!
Claim : EU + Japan Have Secret Agreement To Re-Export Seafood!
People are sharing this message on WhatsApp and social media, claiming that there is a secret agreement between the EU and Japan to re-export contaminated seafood to other countries!
There is also a secret agreement between EU and the Japs for the EU to re-export the Jap contaminated sea products to other countries eg China, Asia, the Middle East, etc.
Above exposes that just before the Japanese discharges toxic nuclear wastes into the sea, the EU has decided to abolish the checking on imported (contaminated) Japanese seafood products! It’s clear that in the EU there is corruption and it’s also possible that they will secretly re-export the Japanese products to other countries! Thus China has also decided to suspend seafood imports from a number (12) of EU countries!
Thus, in order to ‘con’ the world, the EU simply re-labelled the Jap contaminated products as EU products and re-export them to other countries outside Europe!
It’s obvious that the Japs are paying EU regularly a considerable amount of bribes ( billions of Euros) for this service!
The greed of the whiteman & the evil Japs know no bounds. Do you want to gamble with the lives of your loved ones by consuming these radioactive products from Japan ❓Switch to local fresh fishes.
No Evidence EU + Japan Have Secret Agreement To Re-Export Seafood!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : EU Lifted Final Fukushima Food Import Restrictions
This claim appears to be based on a 13 July 2023 decision by the European Union (EU) to lift its remaining restrictions on food imports from Japan after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The EU placed a strict maximum radioactivity level of 100 Bq/kg on food from Japan since June 2011, requiring pre-export testing of food products for radioactivity.
The EU only made this decision after finding that there was not even a single case of non-compliance over 12 years of monitoring food imports from Japan.
No non-compliances at the entry into the Union with those maximum radionuclide levels have been observed at import in the Union since June 2011, providing evidence that the control system put in place and the controls performed by the Japanese authorities are effective.
Let me repeat this – Japan has, not even once, exported any contaminated food items to the EU in the past 12 years.
Fact #2 : EU Progressively Reduced Fukushima Food Import Restrictions
It is also important to point out that the EU has reviewed its food import restrictions on Japan every two years, and has progressively lifted those restrictions .
In its last review on September 2021, the restrictions were only limited to wild mushrooms, some fish species, and wild edible plants from the prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi,, Gunma, Yamanashi, Yamagata, Iwata, Shizuoka, Ibaraki, Nagano, and Niigata.
In other words, the EU had been progressively lifting food import restrictions on Japan, and only lifted its remaining restrictions on 13 July 2023. It was not like they suddenly lifted all food restrictions on that day.
Fact #3 : China Did Not Suspend EU Seafood Imports
On 24 August 2023, China announced an immediate blanket ban on all seafood imports from Japan. However, the import ban does not affect non-seafood food imports from Japan like vegetables, fruits, or canned food.
There is no evidence that China suspended seafood imports from 12 EU countries over fears of radioactive seafood being re-exported from Japan.
Fact #4 : There Is No Evidence Of Any Secret EU + Japan Re-Export Plan
There is also no evidence at all that the European Union (EU) has any secret plan to re-export contaminated seafood from Japan to other countries.
Of course, you may be thinking – how would I know since this is a secret agreement? Well, where is the evidence there is such a secret agreement?
Did the viral message include any evidence of such an agreement between the EU and Japan? No. So why should YOU believe some random claim circulating on WhatsApp / social media, with zero evidence to back it up?
It is easy to claim that the EU is willing to help the Japanese re-export their contaminated seafood to other countries, but it’s really not logical.
For one thing – it is prohibitively expensive to export all those seafood to any European Union country, for re-export to China, Asia and the Middle East. It would also be quite impossible for EU countries to mask the Japan-native seafood species, and claim that they were caught in Europe!
Finally, such activities would be easily exposed by any importing country simply conducting radioactivity screening of imported food products.
Fact #5 : Japan Seafood Exports Are Only Worth €2.4 Billion
The claim that Japan is paying the EU billions of euros every year to re-export radioactive Japanese seafood is also not logical.
For one thing – the global export value of Japanese seafood in 2022 is only 387 billion yen, or about $2.6 billion / €2.4 billion.
Even if Japan exclusively exports ALL of its seafood to the EU to re-export to unsuspecting countries, it does not make financial sense to pay the EU a “bribe” of billions of euros to export only €2.4 billion worth of seafood!
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is the radioactive water being discharged from the Fukushima nuclear plant really different from waste water from other nuclear plants?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Fukushima Radioactive Water Is Different From Normal Nuclear Waste Water!
People are sharing a Greenpeace article, as evidence that the radioactive water from Fukushima is not the same as normal nuclear waste water, but far more toxic and dangerous. Here is an excerpt from that Greenpeace article:
How is Fukushima wastewater distinguished from other nuclear plants?
The contaminated water of Fukushima is distinguished from other nuclear power plants not only by its greater variety of radioactive materials but also the overall much higher radioactivity. If it is discharged to the Pacific Ocean, it will potentially pose a significant threat to the well-being of human health and marine life.
Normally, water that is used in cooling a nuclear plant in routine operation and then discharged to the environment has no direct contact with the nuclear reactor fuel cores. In contrast, the contaminated water generated by the Fukushima disaster has come into direct contact with contamination from the melted down cores of three reactors and as such is severely contaminated with many radionuclides.
In other words, it is not appropriate to compare nuclear wastewater of normally operating nuclear plants in general and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear wastewater.
According to the latest report by the Japanese government, there are 621 radioactive isotopes were found in the existing nuclear water tanks in Fukushima, among which concentration of a radiouchile called tritium reached about 860 TBq2 – an alarming level that far exceeds the acceptable norm. Based on its survey studies, Greenpeace now highlights the findings of the following detrimental materials.
Strontium-90
An enormous amount of strontium-90 remains in the Fukushima nuclear plant, a radioactive material which in general is found in trace amounts in water discharged to the environment from normal operating nuclear plants.
Carbon-14
The Fukushima wastewater contains carbon-14 with half life of 5,730 years.
Other radioactive materials — Cesium-137, Iodine-129, Cobalt-60
What is also present in the Fukushima wastewater include other radioactive materials: cesium-137, iodine-129, and cobalt-60, etc.
The Japanese government claimed the wastewater treated through the ALPS processing technology would be free of any radionuclides except tritium, which is the only radionuclide to be discharged into the Ocean. However, it is far from true.
Until March 2020, the contaminated wastewater generated since the Fukushima incident has reached over 1 million metric tonnes, among it 778,000 tonnes3 (about 72% of the total water in storage tanks) is yet to undergo secondary ALPS processing.
There is no clear schedule nor work progress review as to when secondary processing could proceed. Up till now (April 2021), 2,000 tonnes of contaminated water has been undergoing secondary ALPS processing, only 0.25% of the total amount in the coming few years.
The Greenpeace article makes for a compelling read, but here are the reasons why it is no longer accurate.
Fact #1 : Greenpeace Posted This In April 2021
First, it is best to note that this Greenpeace article was written in April 2021 in reaction to the Japanese government’s publication of its plan to eventually discharge the Fukushima radioactive waste water into the ocean.
The problem is that article was written almost 2.5 years before Japan actually initiated its plan to release the treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Since then, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Japanese government have provided additional data to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for its evaluation of the proposed plan to discharge treated radioactive waste water into the ocean.
Fact #2 : IAEA Released A Comprehensive Report
Right after announcing its waste water release plan in April 2021, the Japanese government requested that the IAEA conduct a detailed review of that plan, to ensure that it meets the relevant international safety standards.
The IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi accepted and established a task force to review the Japanese government’s plan to release the treated radioactive waste water. The task force was made up of top specialists from within the IAEA, and advised by internationally-recognised external experts from across the globe.
After two years of work, the IAEA publicly released its comprehensive report (PDF download) on 4 July 2023. The IAEA concluded that the plan to release treated water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea was “consistent with IAEA Safety Standards“.
Fact #3 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered
It is true that the Fukushima waste water is different from normal nuclear waste water in that it has come into direct contact with radioactive material. Hence, it has many more radionuclides than normal nuclear waste water.
However, the heavily-contaminated waste water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is not going to be released directly into the ocean.
Instead, it will be filtered and treated using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water.
The Greenpeace article correctly points that there is a lot of radioactive water being stored at Fukushima Daiichi. In fact, there is currently about 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive water is stored in over 1,000 gigantic tanks!
Obviously, this is not a sustainable solution for TEPCO in the long-term, as they have to keep building new tanks, and old tanks will eventually leak. Or the water may be accidentally released.
In August 2013, TEPCO revealed that 300 metric tonnes of highly-radioactive water leaked from a storage tank.
In October 2013, TEPCO revealed that another tank was leaking, and some of the highly-radioactive water may have reached the ocean.
In February 2014, TEPCO revealed that a valve left open by mistake allowed about 100 tonnes of highly-radioactive water to overflow from a storage tank.
In October 2016, about 32 litres of highly-radioactive water leaked from a seam in a water tank.
Regardless of what we may think about the release of radioactive water into the ocean, it doesn’t appear to be practical to keep all that water in tanks that will eventually leak. Or even worse – get discharged all in one go, if there is another earthquake!
It is arguably much safer to treat and discharge the water, instead of risking these inevitable leaks of highly-radioactive water.
Fact #5 : Expected Exposure 1000X Lower Than Limit
For the purpose of the IAEA review, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan selected a dose constraint of 0.05 mSv (millisieverts) per year for someone exposed to the ALPS-treated water.
That is 20X lower than the “average accumulated background radiation dose of an individual for 1 year, exclusive of radon, in the United States“. In other words – very conservative.
The IAEA task force and TEPCO also assessed the exposure risk from within a 10 km x 10 km area surrounding the discharge point. Again, very conservative – because no one really would be foolish enough to fish from that area!
In the end, the amount of extra radioactivity that one might get from swimming in ALPS-treated water and ingesting seafood exposed to ALPS-treated water is less than 0.01 microsieverts. That’s about 5,000X lower than the NRA limit!
The IAEA report, however, is even more conservative in its evaluation:
[I]n all cases the doses are very low and more than 1000 times lower than the dose constraint of 0.05 mSv per year.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Hong Kong just ban all food imports from Japan, after the Fukushima nuclear plant started releasing radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Hong Kong Just Banned All Food From Japan!
People are sharing a video clip on TikTok and WhatsApp, claiming that Hong Kong just banned all food imports from Japan, after the Fukushima nuclear plant started releasing radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean!
The video just shows images of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, fishing boats, seafood, and Japanese food products, with this warning:
STOP BUYING ALL JAPANESE FOODS, Japan Starts Dumping its Nuclear Waste into Ocean on Thursday 24/8/23
HK has prohibited all Japanese Foods, including Vegetables, Fruits, Seaweed and Canned Food.
According to the Voice of the Greater Bay Area, the Japanese government announced that it will discharge Fukushima nuclear contaminated water enters sea
The Hong Kong SAR Government and the Macao SAR Government have decided from August 24, 2023, ban imports from Fukushima Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, Shinju Prefecture, Nagano and Saitama Prefecture. A total of 10 prefectures including Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo
Truth : Hong Kong Did Not Ban All Food From Japan!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on social media, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Hong Kong Did Not Ban All Food From Japan
Let me just start by pointing out that Hong Kong did not ban ALL food imports from Japan.
It would be illogical to do that since the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant only goes into the Pacific Ocean, and does not affect land produce, for example.
Fact #2 : Hong Kong Only Banned Some Seafood From Japan
On 22 August 2023, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee ordered Environment Secretary Tse Chin-wan and relevant departments to immediately activate import controls on some seafood from Japan.
Environment Secretary Tse Chin-wan then announced an indefinite ban on some seafood imports starting on Thursday, 24 August 2023 – when the Fukushima nuclear power plant is expected to begin releasing its treated waste water.
Fact #3 : Macau Banned Live + Fresh Food
In tandem with Hong Kong, Macau also ordered an import ban on food from Japan. But instead of banning just seafood, Macau is banning live and fresh food products, food products of animal origin, sea salt and seaweed.
While this appears to be more wide-ranging than the seafood-only ban by Hong Kong, it only covers “live and fresh” food products, and does not appear to cover dried foods or canned food products.
Fact #4 : Only 10 Prefectures Are Affected
In addition, the limited food import ban by Hong Kong and Macau only affects 10 prefectures in Japan:
Tokyo,
Fukushima,
Chiba,
Gunma,
Tochigi,
Ibaraki,
Miyagi,
Niigata,
Nagano, and
Saitama
All forms of seafood from these ten prefectures will be banned from being imported into Hong Kong, regardless of whether they are frozen, chilled, or dried. It does not include vegetables, fruits, or canned food.
When it comes to Macau, only live and fresh food products from these ten prefectures will be banned from being imported.
Fact #5 : Even China Only Banned Seafood From Japan
Just in case you think that it was China that banned all food imports from Japan, that is also untrue.
On 24 August 2023, China announced an immediate blanket ban on all seafood imports from Japan.
While the Chinese ban is much wider – covering the entirety of Japan, it is still limited to seafood, and does not affect non-seafood food imports from Japan.
Just like the Hong Kong ban, the Chinese ban does not include vegetables, fruits, or canned food.
Fact #6 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered + Treated Before Release
To be clear – TEPCO isn’t going to just release radioactive water into the ocean. The Fukushima waste water is being filtered using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most of its radioactivity.
The ALPS uses a series of chemical reactions to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water, leaving only tritium and carbon-14. Tritium and carbon-14 are radioactive forms of hydrogen and carbon, which makes them difficult to separate from water.
The treated waste water is then diluted with seawater to reduce the concentration of tritium and carbon-14 before it is released into the ocean.
The final level of tritium is estimated at 1,500 becquerels per litre, which is lower than what is required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for release, and even lower than the WHO limit for drinking water.
There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.
However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Japan will start releasing tons of treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant!
Take a look at the viral warnings, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Fukushima Waste Water Will Contaminate Japanese Food!
People are now sharing articles about the impending release of radioactive waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, with warnings about contaminated Japanese food!
Circulating on WhatsApp : Must avoid seafood from Japan 😭.
Avoid consuming any Japanese seafood imports. Japan will start dumping their 1million ton of radioactive ☢️ waste water into the ocean this Thursday. Keep your family safe from radiation-laced Japanese seafood products.
Circulating on WhatsApp : Good luck to shashimi lovers
Japan to release Fukushima waste water into the ocean starting on Thursday
No Evidence Fukushima Waste Water Will Contaminate Japanese Food
The decision of the Japanese government to release the radioactive Fukushima waste water is an emotionally-charged event that has triggered condemnation by many people all over the world.
It doesn’t help that there is now a wave of warnings about contaminated Japanese food on social media and instant messaging platforms.
Take some deep breaths and CALM yourself down. Then consider what we know so far about all these warnings.
Fact #1 : Japan Approved Release Of Fukushima Waste Water
On Tuesday, 22 August 2023, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida approved the release of the radioactive waste water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, at a meeting of Cabinet ministers involved in the plan.
He instructed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s operators, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) to get ready to release the waste water from Thursday onwards, if weather and sea conditions permit.
At the cabinet meeting, Kishida said that the release of the waste water is an essential step to decommissioning the nuclear plant, and continue with the recover of the Fukushima prefecture after the 11 March 2011 disaster.
Fact #2 : IAEA Approved Release Of Fukushima Waste Water
The International Atomic Agency (IAEA) conducted a safety review of Japan’s plans to release treated water into the Pacific Ocean.
After nearly two years of work, the IAEA released a report (PDF download) on 4 July 2023. The IAEA concluded that the plan are “consistent with relevant international safety standards“, and would have “negligible radiological impact on people and the environment“.
Fact #3 : Fukushima Uses Water To Cool Fuel Rods
Now, it is necessary to understand WHY there is even radioactive waste water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
After the plant’s cooling systems were destroyed by the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, three of its nuclear reactors melted down. The reactors were also damaged by explosions caused by the release of hydrogen gas.
To prevent further damage to the reactors, TEPCO has been pumping water to cool the nuclear fuel rods. The water, which is now contaminated with radioactive elements, is then stored in massive tanks.
Currently, about 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive water is stored in over 1,000 gigantic tanks at the nuclear plant.
Obviously, this is not a sustainable solution for TEPCO in the long-term, as they have to keep building new tanks, and old tanks will eventually leak. Or the water may be accidentally released.
In August 2013, TEPCO revealed that 300 metric tonnes of highly-radioactive water leaked from a storage tank.
In October 2013, TEPCO revealed that another tank was leaking, and some of the highly-radioactive water may have reached the ocean.
In February 2014, TEPCO revealed that a valve left open by mistake allowed about 100 tonnes of highly-radioactive water to overflow from a storage tank.
In October 2016, about 32 litres of highly-radioactive water leaked from a seam in a water tank.
Regardless of what we may think about the release of radioactive water into the ocean, it doesn’t appear to be practical to keep all that water in tanks that will eventually leak.
It is arguably much safer to treat and discharge the water, instead of risking these inevitable leaks of highly-radioactive water.
Fact #5 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered + Treated Before Release
To be clear – TEPCO isn’t going to just release the radioactive water into the ocean. The Fukushima waste water is being filtered using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most of its radioactivity.
The ALPS uses a series of chemical reactions to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water, leaving only tritium and carbon-14. Tritium and carbon-14 are radioactive forms of hydrogen and carbon, which makes them difficult to separate from water.
The treated waste water is then diluted with seawater to reduce the concentration of tritium and carbon-14 before it is released into the ocean.
The final level of tritium is estimated at 1,500 becquerels per litre, which is lower than what is required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for release, and even lower than the WHO limit for drinking water.
Fact #6 : Fukushima Waste Water To Be Released Over 30 Years
Most people are not aware that nuclear power plants around the world regularly release waste water containing higher tritium levels than the treated waste water from Fukushima.
Of course, TEPCO will be releasing A LOT MORE waste water than those power plants, having accumulated over 1.3 million tonnes over the last 12 years or so.
That’s why TEPCO will gradually release the treated Fukushima waste water into the Pacific Ocean over an extended period of 30 years.
According to molecular pathology expert Gerry Thomas, who worked with Japanese scientists on radiation research, and advised the IAEA on the Fukushima report:
The water released will be a drop in the ocean, both in terms of volume and radioactivity. There is no evidence that these extremely low levels of radioisotopes have a detrimental health effect.
Fact #7 : Tritium Has Short Half-Life
Tritium has a short radioactive half-life of 12.32 years. What this means is that tritium will rapidly degrade:
only half the amount would remain after 12.32 years
a quarter will remain after 24.64 years
In other words, some of the waste water in Fukushima now has half the amount of tritium than was originally present when it was collected 12 years ago!
And if water collected in August 2023 was only released at the end of the 30 year discharge timeline, only 18.5% of its original quantity of tritium would remain in the water.
This is part of the reason why tritium paint is no longer used in premium watches to provide illuminated dials – its brightness keeps halving every 12 years!
Both tritium and carbon-14 emit very low levels of radiation through beta radiation, which has low penetrating power – it can be stopped by nothing more than a layer of clothing or aluminium foil!
But more importantly, both tritium and carbon-14 occur naturally in the environment, and only pose a risk to human life if consumed in large quantities.
Unless you plan to drink a lot of undiluted Fukushima waste water to prove a point, you are unlikely to suffer radiation poisoning.
Fact #9 : Waste Water Will Be Discharged Into Ocean
Finally, let me end by simply pointing out that the Fukushima waste water isn’t going to be used to irrigate Japanese farms. So there is no risk to Japanese farm produce.
There is also no evidence that the treated waste water will contaminate Japanese seafood as the treated Fukushima waste water will be released into the ocean, which will further dilute the concentration of the tritium and carbon-14 nucleotides.
Fact #10 : Contaminated Fish Mostly Limited To Fukushima Area
There have been reports that fish living near the drainage outlets at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was found to have radioactive caesium 180X higher than Japan’s safety limit.
However, that contamination cannot be from the discharge of the treated waste water (which has not occurred and would not contain radioactive caesium), but is mostly caused by untreated contaminated water that has been leaking from the nuclear plant for many years now.
In other words, the discovery of such contaminated fish is evidence that the waste water should be treated, instead of being left untreated in storage tanks to risk further leaks.
TEPCO installed nets in January 2016 to contain contaminated fish inside the area. However, these nets have apparently failed, allowing contaminated fish to escape. That’s why regular sampling is now conducted in the area to detect such leaks.
Since contaminated water flowed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station port immediately after the accident, Tepco has periodically removed fish from inside the port since 2012 using fishnets that have been installed to prevent the fish from escaping the port.
However, when a black rockfish with radioactive concentrations that exceed regulatory standards was caught off the coast of Soma [about 50km north of the plant] in January 2022, we began sampling again within this area in conjunction with the installation of more nets to prevent fish from leaving the port.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Will eating vitamin C and prawns on the same day create toxic arsenic which has already killed one woman?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : Eating Vitamin C + Prawns Will Poison Us With Arsenic!
People are sharing this message on WhatsApp and social media platforms, claiming that eating vitamin C and prawns on the same day can create toxic arsenic which has already killed one woman!
This is a long message, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Very Educative:
A woman suddenly died unexpectedly with signs of bleeding from her ears, nose, mouth & eyes. After a preliminary autopsy it was diagnosed that death was due to arsenic poisoning. Where did the arsenic come from?
The police launched an in-depth and extensive investigation. A medical school professor was invited to come to solve the case. The professor carefully looked at the contents. In less than half an hour, the mystery was solved.
The professor said: ‘The deceased did not commit suicide and neither was she murdered, she died of accidental death due to ignorance!’
Everyone was puzzled, why accidental death?The professor said: ‘The arsenic was produced in the stomach of the deceased.’ The deceased used to take ‘Vitamin C’ everyday, which in itself is not a problem.
The problem was that she ate a large portion of shrimp/prawn during dinner. Eating shrimp/prawn is not the problem that’s why nothing happened to her family even though they had the same shrimp/prawn. However at the same time the deceased also took ‘vitamin C’, that is where the problem was!
Researchers at the University of Chicago in the United States , found through experiments, food such as soft-shell contain much higher concentration of five potassium arsenic compounds.
Such fresh food by itself has no toxic effects on the human body.
However, in taking ‘vitamin C’, chemical reaction occurs and the original non-toxic elements change to toxic elements.
Arsenic poisoning has magma role and can cause paralysis to the small blood vessels. Therefore, a person who dies of arsenic poisoning will show signs of bleeding from the ears, nose, mouth & eyes. Thus as a precautionary measure,
DO NOT eat shrimp/prawn when taking ‘vitamin C’.
After reading this; please do not be stingy. It’s our duty to take care of our friends. Pls share with then. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Prawns and Vit C cannot be eaten together.
Here is an older version that has been going around since 2014:
This is a story that happened to the relative of a friend of mine. If you love your family and your friends, just tell them about this story.
There was a woman who suddenly died with blood coming from her eyes, ear, mouth, nose, skin and tongue. After the authorities investigated, they claimed she died of food poisoning.
Before she died, she ate a lot of shrimp, but so did the rest of her family and they didn’t die. It turns out that the problem was that she drank a liquid vitamin C supplement immediately after she ate the shrimp.
Basically, Shrimp contains an Arsenic Pentoxide (As2O5) and when she ate shrimp, she drank Vitamin C at the same time. This caused a chemical reaction in her stomach. The Arsenic Pentoxide (As2O5) in the shrimp become Arsenic Trioxide (As2O3), which was very poisonous. Her heart, liver, kidneys, and blood vessels failed, and she died from massive blood loss.
So, be careful if you eat shrimp. Wait a few hours before you take Vitamin C. Don’t allow vitamin C and shrimp to occupy your stomach at the same time.
Truth : Eating Vitamin C + Prawns Will Not Poison Us With Arsenic!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms, and here are the reasons why!
Fact #1 : This Is An Old Hoax
The claim that eating prawns together with vitamin C can poison you with arsenic isn’t new. It’s been circulating on email since at least 2001, before being shared on WhatsApp and social media in more recent years.
Fact #2 : Hoax Is Based On Actual Research
While many fact checkers immediately dismissed this as fake news, I need to point out that this hoax is based on actual research by the University of Illinois.
In 1985, three researchers in the University of Illinois’ animal sciences department reported that they unexpectedly found that vitamin C and cysteine can convert harmless arsenic pentoxide into strongly poisonous arsenic trioxide.
The unexpected finding by Gail Czarnecki, David Baker and John Garst concerns the way molecules of arsenic compounds are constructed. If atoms within the compounds share five electrons with neighboring atoms, they are said to be ”pentavalent” and are fairly harmless.
Several foods, especially shrimp and prawns, may contain high concentrations of such arsenic compounds. What the Illinois researchers found is that high doses of vitamin C convert the pentavalent compounds into trivalent arsenic, a highly toxic poison.
Cysteine, a chemical sometimes given as a treatment for heavy metal poisoning, also converts arsenic to the trivalent, highly toxic form.
That said, I have to point out that this research does not appear to have been published. None of the three scientists listed any paper on vitamin C’s effect on arsenic compounds:
While that does not mean that they were wrong about their findings, I should also point out that this finding does not appear to have been confirmed or even reviewed by other scientists / researchers.
The researchers did not say that eating prawns / shrimps while consuming vitamin C can kill you through arsenic poisoning. They merely pointed out that shellfish, particularly prawns and shrimps, “may” contain high levels of normally harmless arsenic pentoxide.
In other words – any food that contains high levels of arsenic pentoxide can present with these risks. Not just prawns or shrimps. Common foods that contain higher amounts of arsenic include rice, Brussel sprouts, chicken, mushrooms, beer and wine.
Fact #4 : Risk Involves High Doses Of Vitamin C
The researchers also pointed out that the risk of harmless arsenic in food being converted to poisonous arsenic trioxide involves high doses of vitamin C – megadosing with vitamin C, as they called it.
Normal consumption of vitamin C would not convert sufficient amounts of arsenic to make a difference.
Fact #5 : Danger Was Long-Term Cancer Risk
Finally, the researchers never said that eating prawns / shrimps while taking megadoses of vitamin C can kill you with arsenic poisoning. They were worried about “chronic exposure” to arsenic which is carcinogenic, and can cause cancer if exposed for a long time.
Chronic exposure to arsenic is known to cause cancer in humans. We now must wonder whether megadosing with vitamin C increases the risk of cancer by changing the form of arsenic in food.
Fact #6 : Acute Arsenic Poisoning Does Not Present That Way
You can die if you consume too much arsenic, but you won’t die bleeding from your ears, nose, mouth and ears.
Acute arsenic poisoning presents with diarrhoea and stomach pain, cramps and vomiting (with or without blood), blood in the urine, and convulsions.
I should point out that there is no known case of anyone dying from arsenic poisoning after consuming both vitamin C and prawns / shrimps.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Are there foods that you should never eat with durian, because they will make you sick… or even worse, kill you?!
Take a look at these viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : These Are Foods You Should Never Eat With Durian!
Durian has long been popular in South East Asia, and yet, there are so many myths and misinformation about this King of Fruits.
Many of these myths and misinformation have been circulating on social media, and spread on websites.
Even TikTok influencers, like a certain Malaysian Dato, are trying to ride on the durian gravy train to Internet stardom.
Here is a list of foods these “Internet gurus / experts” claim you should never eat with durian, because they will make you sick… or worse, kill you!
Coca-Cola
Coffee
Milk
White wine / alcohol
Crabs / seafood
Beef / mutton
Brinjal / Eggplant / Aubergine
Mangosteen / Lychee
I will add more, as and when I find new foods that people believe are dangerous to eat with durian.
Truth : You Can Eat These Foods With Durian!
The truth is – these claims are made up by self-professed Internet gurus / experts who have absolutely NO IDEA what the heck they are talking about, and here are the reasons why…
Note : Some of these claims are based on Chinese traditional medicine “beliefs”. I can only tell you what has been scientifically proven or known.
Fact #1 : You Can Drink Coca-Cola While Eating Durian
There is no scientific basis for the claim that Coca-Cola or other soft drinks are dangerous to drink while eating durian.
Coca-Cola and other soft drinks are nothing more than flavoured carbonated water with a lot of sugar in them. They do not interact with durian to produce anything toxic.
However, it is not advisable to imbibe in durian and soft drinks often, as they are both very high in calories.
Fact #2 : You Can Drink Coffee While Eating Durian
There is no scientific basis for the claim that drinking coffee while eating durian can increase your blood pressure and cause a heart attack!
In fact, there are many companies selling durian coffee – basically coffee with durian extracts. Such drinks would have caused many deaths if this claim was true.
It is possible that this false claim originated from a 2018 case in Penang, Malaysia; where two Nepali men were hospitalised after drinking durian coffee that had been tampered with an unknown drug.
The coffee mixture also contains a foreign green substance which is not available in the original packaging. There is a marked difference in weightage, contents and packaging.
The instant durian coffee mixture is laced with a kind of drug, which has yet to be identified, based on the symptoms shown by the two men.
Besides, heart attacks are caused by blockage of your heart’s arteries, by blood clots and arteriosclerosis that develop over years. The mixing of durian and coffee cannot produce instant arteriosclerosis or blood clots.
The claim that drinking milk after eating durian is lethal, because it will increase your blood pressure and cause a heart attack, is nonsense.
It is also not logical. Heart attacks are caused by blockage of your heart’s arteries, by blood clots and arteriosclerosis that develop over years. The mixing of milk and durian cannot produce instant arteriosclerosis or blood clots.
Fact #4 : You Can Drink Some Alcohol While Eating Durian
It is claimed that drinking alcohol while eating durian can cause severe indigestion, heartburn and even death. Allegedly, the high sulphur content in durian helps to break down the alcohol in your body… killing you?
As you can tell, even the premise behind this claim is ridiculous – how does the higher metabolism of alcohol injure or kill you? If the high sulphur content in durian increases metabolism of alcohol, it would allow you to better sustain higher levels of drinking!
It is really the other way around – durian have disulphide (disulfide) compounds that may have a disulfiram effect.
Popularly known as Antabuse, disulfiram is a drug that prevents our body from properly metabolising alcohol, causing unpleasant side effects like headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, chest pain, hyperventilation, vertigo, etc. – what you would experience with an alcohol hangover.
A single 2009 laboratory study showed that the raw durian fruit has disulphide compounds that inhibit up to 70% of the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzyme, potentially producing the disulfiram effect. However, this has not yet been confirmed in actual human or animal studies.
There is, therefore, no actual scientific basis for the claim that drinking alcohol while eating durian is dangerous. Even if the disulphide compounds in durian do produce a disulfiram effect, it will only cause hangover-like effects that are unpleasant but won’t kill you.
However, out of an abundance of caution, it would be a good idea to limit your alcohol intake while eating durian, while monitoring for the disulfiram effect. If you do experience it while eating durian, you should stop consuming alcohol.
Fact #5 : You Can Eat Crabs / Seafood While Eating Durian
This myth is based on TCM belief that crabs / seafood are “cooling” while durian is “warming” or “heaty”.
Apparently, they believe that it is not good for “cooling” and “warming” foods to mix in your stomach, because it “confuses” the digestive system and causes the stomach to be “upset”.
This belief is not backed by any scientific evidence. It isn’t even consistent – TCM practitioners also advise against mixing alcohol and durian because they are both “warming” foods.
There is no reason or evidence that eating crabs or any kind of seafood with durian, or after eating durian, is bad or dangerous in any way.
Fact #6 : You Can Eat Beef / Mutton While Eating Durian
This myth is based on TCM belief that beef and mutton are “warming” or “heaty” foods. Apparently, they believe that eating two “warming” foods together increases the “heatiness” of your body, and cause inflammation.
There is simply no scientific evidence that any of that mumbo-jumbo is true, never mind any actual evidence eating beef or mutton with durian causes any harm.
These false claims are not even consistent. In Fact #5, I shared how TCM believes the opposite is also true – that mixing “cooling” and “warming” foods is bad.
Fact #7 : You Can Eat Brinjal / Eggplant With Durian
This myth is based on TCM belief that brinjal / eggplant and durian are both “warming” foods, and that eating them together will make you sick by increasing the “heatiness” and inflammation of your body.
Again, this is utter nonsense that has no scientific evidence or basis whatsoever.
Fact #8 : You Can Eat Mangosteen / Lychee With Durian
Now, this is a real test in logic. TCM practitioners say that mangosteen and lychee should not be consumed with durian because… get this – they are “cooling” and “warming” foods respectively!
Mangosteen + durian is apparently bad because mixing “cooling” and “warming” foods confuses the digestive system, leading to an upset stomach.
Lychee + durian is apparently bad because mixing two “warming” foods increases your body’s “heatiness” and causes inflammation.
Twisted yourself into a pretzel trying to figure this nonsense out? Don’t bother.
There is simply no scientific evidence or basis whatsoever that it is dangerous or bad to eat mangosteen or lychee with durian.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Warning : Please avoid creating TikTok videos after eating durian, because it apparently makes you Tok Kok (talk cock)!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
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These Facebook seafood scam pages have a simple modus operandi :
offer online seafood delivery at very attractive prices and even free delivery
advertise on Facebook to reach out to people, and avert Facebook’s ire
ghost you after you deposit money into their bank accounts
delete your negative comments on their Facebook page
Even though many people reported Ocean Sense and East Malaysia Seafood Agent as scam pages, Facebook declined to take action and they are STILL ACTIVE.
Seafood Scams On Facebook : How To Detect Them!
The problem with seafood scams on Facebook is how easily scammers create them. Even if they get banned by Facebook, they will simply create a new one.
Facebook also partly enables them to continue with their scam by ignoring reports, claiming that there is nothing on the scam pages that go against their Community Standards. Duh – as if the scammers will post on Facebook admitting that they are scammers.
So how do we detect these seafood scams on Facebook?
Step 1 : Check List Of Reported / Confirmed Seafood Scams
The first thing you should do is run a quick search online on the name of the seafood vendor. See if anyone has reported them to be a scam.
Confirmed Seafood Scams On Facebook
Multiple people have reported that these Facebook seafood vendors have cheated them :
That’s because many people do not bother to lodge a police report, or it may be a recent scam.
Here is a list of reported company and bank accounts, which you should AVOID :
Name
Bank Account
Yap Kok Keong
CIMB 7635-3713-28
A&B Bintang Trading
CIMB 8604-5038-34
Car Boutique Venture
CIMB 8604-5267-74
GS 028 Seafood Trading
CIMB 8604-5270-14
Lee Pea Ching
CIMB 7075-3700-47
Step 4 : Look For An Address
Genuine seafood vendors on Facebook will share with you their address, so you can drop by and select your seafood if you wish.
But don’t just trust the address they post. Always check the address on Google Maps, and use Street View to check if the shop really exists.
Step 5 : Look For Angry Emojis
A genuine seafood vendor may have one or two angry emojis by dissatisfied customers, but scam pages will have A LOT of them.
Hover over the reaction emojis, and look at how many are positive (likes or wow), and how many are negative (angry).
Scam pages will have a lot of angry emojis because they often delete negative comments, so angry customers have only one option – show angry emojis to warn potential customers.
Step 6 : PM People With Angry Emojis
To find out for sure if this is a scam, just PM (private message) those who left an angry emoji react to the Facebook page.
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
There is another seafood scam page on Facebook called East Malaysia Seafood Agent (海鲜海产代理 or 东马海产代理)!
Please SHARE this scam alert, and help bring down that scam page!
Scam Alert : East Malaysia Seafood Agent On Facebook!
Please be warned that there is another seafood scam page on Facebook called East Malaysia Seafood Agent (海鲜海产代理 or 东马海产代理)!
It is related to Ocean Sense, another seafood scam page on Facebook.
Like Ocean Sense, East Malaysia Seafood Agent offers fresh and frozen seafood at very attractive prices, with free delivery and discounts for large purchases :
Cannada lobster
加拿大波士顿龙🦞
Sex : mix
Size : 1.5 – 6 kg per 1
Price : 78 per kg
Take over 10KG free shipping✔️
10公斤以上包邮✔️
Alaska King crab fresh and huge🦀
阿拉斯加 帝王蟹🦀
Sex : mix
Size : 2 – 5 kg per 1
Price : 88 per kg
✔️Take over 10KG Free Shipping
✔️10公斤以上免邮
PM and message us for more details📲
Contact : 016 868 6538 Ah Yap
However, one of our readers confirmed that he was cheated by this vendor, and he shared with us the details of what happened.
Noticeably, the vendor behaved very similarly to Ocean Sense, replying in PM and deleting negative comments. That’s why the page has many Angry reacts, by people who were blocked from commenting.
East Malaysia Seafood Agent Scam : What Happened?
This customer ordered a large quantity of lobsters and Alaska king crabs from East Malaysia Seafood Agent, and was told to bank the money to :
Yap Kok Keong CIMB 7634-371-328
This is the EXACT SAME person and bank account for Ocean Sense!
However, it doesn’t mean it is a safe account. At least 61 people have looked up the same number.
Oddly enough, when he asked for the bank account for the company (whose SSM record he furnished above), he issued him an invoice at a different company, and told him to bank it into “his relative’s company” instead :
However, it doesn’t mean it is a safe account. At least 19 people have looked up the same number.
By this time, he was very suspicious, and decided to take a small gamble.
He said that he would bank a deposit of RM 200 into that Yap Kok Keong personal account, and pay the remainder on delivery.
As expected, he never delivered the seafood and then ghosted this customer.
Help REPORT East Malaysia Seafood Agent On Facebook!
Even though he reported East Malaysia Seafood Agent page as a scam to Facebook, the page is still active, and the person running this page is actively deleting negative comments.
Here is how you can help prevent more people from being scammed.
Step 1 : Report To The Police!
If you are one of those who were scammed, please report to the police ASAP.
Tick the I believe that this goes against Facebook’s Community Standards check box.
Click on the Report button.
That’s it! You have done your part in reporting a scammer.
But for this to work, many more people must report the page as a scam. So please share this out, and get your family and friends to help report them.
Facebook is very lax, and will likely claim that the page doesn’t contravene their Community Standards. But without enough reports, they will take it more seriously.
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
A new seafood scam page on Facebook called Ocean Sense have already scammed several people!
Please SHARE this scam alert, and help bring down that scam page!
Note : There is a similar scam, involving the same person and bank account. See this article for more details!
Scam Alert : Ocean Sense Seafood On Facebook!
Please be warned that several people have allegedly been scammed by Ocean Sense – a seafood vendor on Facebook.
Ocean Sense offers fresh and frozen seafood at very attractive prices, with free delivery and discounts for large purchases :
Shipping fee 25
Take over rm300 free shipping
Take over rm500 10% discount (Each item )
Alaska king crab frozen
MYR 80 size – S (800g-1.5kg)
MYR 90 size – M (2kg -3.5kg)
MYR 100 size – L (4kg-5.5kg) ___________________________
Alaska king crab live
MYR 100 size – S (800g-1.5kg)
MYR 135 size – M (2kg-3.5kg)
MYR 170 size – L (4kg -5.5kg) ___________________________
Canada lobster live
MYR 75 size – S (1kg-2.5 kg)
MYR 85 size – M (3kg -4.5kg)
MYR 95 size – L (5kg -6.5kg) _____________________________
Snow crab live
MYR 89 per kg 1-3kg per pic
However, several customers reported that the vendor would block them after receiving payment, and delete any negative comments on their page.
🆘 🆘 🆘 SCAMMER ALERT
“OCEAN SENSE” – seafood supplier.
Do not purchase from this vendor. It is a scam. Blocks purchasers from FB/FB messenger and mobile number after monies for orders are banked into his account.
FB business name: Ocean Sense
Vendor / Acc name: Yap Kok Keong
Payment Account: CIMB 7634-3713-28
Be careful with online purchases during this depressed period of time!
However, it doesn’t mean it is a safe account. At least 61 people have looked up the same number.
In fact, a similar East Malaysia Seafood Agent page is also using the same CIMB bank account owned by Yap Kok Keong!
Another Ocean Sense customer just shared screenshots of his interaction with the same vendor, who used a different bank account :
A&B Bintang Trading CIMB 8604-5038-34
After paying Ocean Sense RM500, he was told that seafood he purchased would arrive at 11 AM. But there was no sign of it at 12 PM, which was when the buyer realised he was cheated.
You should AVOID dealing with A&B Bintang Trading, and definitely DO NOT send money to CIMB 8604503834.
If you have been cheated by this company, please LODGE A REPORT at the nearest police station!
We reached out to Ocean Sense, and after some digging, they claim that they are based in Tawau, and that their customers can purchase seafood from them at this address :
Ocean Sense 1st Block, Batu 13, Jalan Airport 91000 Balung,
Tawau,Sabah
Contact : Tommy Tan Tel. : 010-775-9395
However, there is no Jalan Airport in Tawau, and Jalan Airport Baru is just an empty road leading to the Tawau Airport.
Help REPORT Ocean Sense Seafood On Facebook!
Even though these customers have reported Ocean Sense as a scam to Facebook, the page is still active, and the person running this page is actively deleting negative comments.
Here is how you can help prevent more people from being scammed.
Step 1 : Report To The Police!
If you are one of those who were scammed, please report to the police ASAP.
Tick the I believe that this goes against Facebook’s Community Standards check box.
Click on the Report button.
That’s it! You have done your part in reporting a scammer.
But for this to work, many more people must report the page as a scam. So please share this out, and get your family and friends to help report them.
Facebook is very lax, and will likely claim that the page doesn’t contravene their Community Standards. But without enough reports, they will take it more seriously.
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
