Emily
Editor, Senior Moderator
WA fish tested for tsunami-related radiation
Alaska Says Testing Fish for Radiation is Unnecessary
Here is some independent testing done by a seafood company that includes Alaskan salmon:
Vital Choice Fish Pass the Test with Flying Colors
We're the first fishmonger to release radiation results; they show either none, or normal, safe trace levels
by Craig Weatherby
The independent tests include Cesium-134, (WA is testing only for I-131 and Cesium-137). The Cesium-134 was the only isotope found in any species of fish, though at very, very low levels using the detection levels available in the testing. (And not at all in salmon.)
That surprised me since according to this government doc, Cs-134 has only a 2.1 yr half-life compared to Cs-137's half life of 30 years. Apparently the Cs-134 distributes through the ocean food chain in a different way than Cs-137.
Nobody is testing for Strontium-90, (I've read that the testing for that radio-nucleotide is more costly.)
I think the assumption by governments has been that I-131 and Cs-137 can be used as markers of contamination, then more expensive testing could be done for other contaminants if levels of those two rise to levels of concern.
But I think given the finding of the independent testing on Cs-134 found without evidence of Cs-137, this should be studied more systematically by the government and university researchers.
Alaska Says Testing Fish for Radiation is Unnecessary
Here is some independent testing done by a seafood company that includes Alaskan salmon:
Vital Choice Fish Pass the Test with Flying Colors
We're the first fishmonger to release radiation results; they show either none, or normal, safe trace levels
by Craig Weatherby
The independent tests include Cesium-134, (WA is testing only for I-131 and Cesium-137). The Cesium-134 was the only isotope found in any species of fish, though at very, very low levels using the detection levels available in the testing. (And not at all in salmon.)
That surprised me since according to this government doc, Cs-134 has only a 2.1 yr half-life compared to Cs-137's half life of 30 years. Apparently the Cs-134 distributes through the ocean food chain in a different way than Cs-137.
Nobody is testing for Strontium-90, (I've read that the testing for that radio-nucleotide is more costly.)
I think the assumption by governments has been that I-131 and Cs-137 can be used as markers of contamination, then more expensive testing could be done for other contaminants if levels of those two rise to levels of concern.
But I think given the finding of the independent testing on Cs-134 found without evidence of Cs-137, this should be studied more systematically by the government and university researchers.