Radioactivity in food

[thomas]

Here's a piece of news that might be interesting to those among us living in eastern Japan. Is it really as easy as just rinsing our food...??

Hold the cesium: Ways to reduce radiation in your diet

Kunikazu Noguchi, lecturer at Nihon University and an often-quoted expert on radiological protection, assures that consumers need not worry too much about any produce on the market, because at present, radiation levels in most vegetables, meat, dairy and other foods, even those from Fukushima Prefecture, are far below the government's safety limits and often undetectable. But for consumers concerned about the few incidents of tainted food slipping through the government checks (such as the beef from cattle that had been fed with tainted straw in Fukushima, which was shipped nationwide in July), or families with small children, Noguchi suggests a simple way to minimize their radiation exposure through food: rinse it.

Noguchi says that radiation, though invisible and odorless, can be treated and cleaned up like a stain, noting that by rinsing the food well before cooking, preferably with hot water, and/or boiling or stewing it, a large portion of radioactive elements can be removed.

 

[Petaris]

Wouldn't that only work if the radioactive particles were only on the surface? I'm not an expert on radiological protection though.

Still the thought of radioactive stew is kind of amusing to me. No offense intended to those living with the danger or threat of danger though.

I haven't heard anything for a while, are they still very worried about the radiation levels and contamination of foods/goods outside the restricted zone?

 

[thomas]

I haven't heard anything for a while, are they still very worried about the radiation levels and contamination of foods/goods outside the restricted zone?

I believe that people are actually worried about food radiation levels. We also check the origin of vegetables and sea food and try to avoid produce from certain prefectures and regions. The recent incident involving contaminated beef from Fukushima was sort of a wake-up call to many.

Found more on the topic:

Is radiation in food a bigger threat than radioactive particles in the air or water?

Yes, it's the long-term accumulation of the materials in the body that's probably the bigger risk. If you stand in the rain, you were exposed for a couple of minutes. If you eat the food, the material will stay in you -- maybe for years.

Are there certain foods that are more likely to pose a health hazard due to radiation?

Milk is probably the highest risk. At Chernobyl, the biggest health effect was from radioactive material deposited on the grass. Cows ate the grass. Outside of the plant, the biggest death toll was children who drank the milk. If they had dumped the milk or put the animals on stored feed or something like that, it would've saved hundreds of lives there. I'm glad to see the Japanese are at least forthcoming enough to say don't drink this milk, don't eat this food, don't do the fish.

Is there anything you can do to clean radioactive food or otherwise render it safe?

I don't think heat, washing or brushing helps. It depends mostly on the half-life. If it's radioactive iodine, which has a half-life of about eight days, then if you wait enough days there will be almost nothing there. The thumb rule that radiation protection people use is ten half-lives; but ten half-lives on eight days means you're waiting three months. The trouble with milk is cesium, and the cesium half-life is 30 years. You're going to have to dump the milk.

Source: When is radioactive food dangerous?

And from Livestrong.com:

Pectin-Rich Foods

Pectin is a structural polysaccharide found in the cell walls of plants and fruits. According to "Fighting Radiation and Chemical Pollutants with Foods, Herbs and Vitamins," pectin has the ability to bind radioactive residues and remove them from the body. Pectin acts as a natural chelating agent, which is a compound that has an affinity for other molecules. Chelating agents bind to other compounds, dragging them out of tissues or the bloodstream, so they can be removed from the body in urine or feces. Apples, especially the skin, are high in pectin, as are guavas, plums, gooseberries, oranges and other citrus fruits. Organic fruits with less pesticide or fertilizer contamination are the best choice, although pectin powder can be taken as a supplement.

Source: Foods That Cleanse Radiation From Body

 

[Petaris]

Interesting information, thanks for posting it Thomas!

When I was in Osaka and Nara in April no one really seemed too worried about it but I guess as time goes on the food could make its way through the distribution channels. I do remember reading a news story about some farmers from the affected area listing their produce as coming from a different area but I don't remember where I read that. At that time the government was saying that certain produce from the area was still ok to eat. Are they still saying that or are they now saying that you shouldn't eat anything from the affected area?

I really hope things start becoming easier for those affected soon but I know it will be a while. Probably a number of years for those who were in the areas that the tsunami hit.

 

[Emoni]

Meh, the food in Japan is fine... Just don't eat the school children that the Japanese government doesn't mind irradiating.
Remember, nothing to see here... alllll gonna be ok. (Till it things start getting out in 4-5 years)

 

[Chipi]

"Radiation spread reaches Chiba, Saitama prefectures"
The Asahi Shimbun | Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

& the map and text in Japanese: http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0929/TKY201109290441.html

 

[Chipi]

I'm going to Japan in November, and while I'm relatively calm about eating food as I'd normally do, my fiancee is more nervous - he lives in Tokyo atm. He and his friends (all Japanese) do seem to be somewhat worried of contaminated food, and especially about sea food.
I might travel to the Tohoku area by myself to do some work on my thesis, and my fiancee thinks I should bring my own food with me rather than eat local produce in Tohoku... I actually think I should do the opposite. I will do some further research on the effects of contaminated food on the body though, especially if there is any during temporary consumption. I will be staying only for a short while, and even for that short time I'd like to support the local communities.
If then again it turns out to be true, that there is a risk at eating fish produce, I worry more for my fiancee- he is a pescaterian.