Radioactivity levels up to 50 times maximum limit on container from Japan at Dutch port — “Could be dangerous”

Dutch authorities have found traces of radiation on 19 containers originating from Japan, two months after an earthquake and tsunami there caused leaks from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant.

Five of the containers, scanned on arrival at the Port of Rotterdam, were quarantined because the level of contamination was above the permissible threshold, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority said on its website today. The other 14 boxes were cleared after further inspection, it said.

“Whether this is an exceptional incident with a low impact is difficult to say,” said Philip Damas, an analyst at Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd. in London. “You can get a bit carried away into a panic mode when really it’s a one-off.”

Health authorities in the Netherlands said Tuesday they have detected radioactive substances from 19 containers from Japan at a Rotterdam port, of which five have been temporarily seized as the amounts of the hazardous materials exceed the permissible level.