Japan hastily set a legal limit Tuesday for the permitted level of radioactive iodine in seafood as safety concerns spread overseas in the wake of continuing leaks contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The limit of 2,000 bequerels per kilogram set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for radioactive iodine in marine products such as fish and shellfish is the same as that already adopted for vegetables, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a press conference.

Concern is growing about seawater contamination and the safety of seafood as Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the Fukushima power plant, has begun dumping water containing a relatively low level of radioactive materials into the sea as it struggles to contain highly contaminated water at the complex.