Radioactivity in food

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.

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Petaris said:

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?

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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.

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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.

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