The nuclear leak   at the Fukushima power plant in Japan, which followed the deadly earthquake two weeks ago, has caused an unexpected reaction in China. A sudden panic buying of salt occurred in many areas of our country about a week after the disaster. Salt in these districts was almost bought up overnight. Some sellers wanted to make a fortune by raising the price. The panic buying was caused by two major rumors on the Internet: First, iodized   salt can protect against radiation. Second, there might be a fall in sea-salt production following the nuclear pollution of the ocean. Such fears are not new. The same kind of panic happened with vinegar during the SARS outbreak and garlic in the time of the influenza period.  How can rumors like this spread in such a large country as China? Chen Fang, a reporter with the China Youth Daily said that many Internet users say there is a "crisis of trust" in today's China. "Experts don't have enough credibility and people don't trust all government announcements, either." Chen said. However, Chen added that the rumors should not be exaggerated  . Many salt-buyers didn't care; others simply failed to understand what experts and governments were talking about. They just did as their neighbors and friends did. It was a case of the blind following the blind - that was the real reason behind the big increase in the demand for salt.  On March 20, the Ministry of Commerce said: "The panic buying of salt has stopped and the market is back to normal." He also said China has enough salt to satisfy demand. Now everything is back to normal, many want to return the salt they bought. But in the view of the Xinhua Daily Telegraph, "It is true that these people paid extra money to buy the salt, but they created the crisis in the first place and caused the price to rise." The newspaper continued: "So there is no reason why they should get the money back." Perhaps consumers should keep the salt to remind themselves that often rumors are without foundation. What is the Xinhua Daily Telegraph's attitude towards the salt-buyers?
They should have only themselves to blame. They should be punished for their activity. They should trust experts and governments. They should return the salt and get the money back.