Food safetyStudy finds traces Japanese radiation in U.S. rain and food
A recently published government study found that following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan, elevated levels of radiation were detected in U.S. rain water as well as vegetables and milk
A recently published government study found that following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan, elevated levels of radiation were detected in U.S. rain water as well as vegetables and milk.
The study, funded by the Department of Energy and DHS, analyzed rainwater from several cities in Northern California including Berkeley, Oakland, and Albany two weeks after the 11 March nuclear disaster.
The samples, collected from 16 March to 26 March, contained trace amounts of various radioactive isotopes including cesium, iodine, and tellurium. Researchers say the amounts were very small and did not pose a risk to public health.
According to Eric Norman, a professor in UC Berkeley’s nuclear engineering department, “The first sample that showed elevated radioactivity was collected on March 18 and levels peaked on March 24 before returning to normal.”
The study also noted that “similar gamma ray counting measurements were performed on samples of weeds collected in Oakland and on vegetables and milk sold commercially in the San Francisco Bay area.”
None of the radioactive isotopes detected in milk or vegetables were of a high enough level to pose a risk to the public.
