Radiation Detected In Drinking Water In 13 More US Cities, Cesium-137 In Vermont Milk

[villager]

Radiation Detected In Drinking Water In 13 More US Cities, Cesium-137 In Vermont Milk


Radiation from Japan has been detected in drinking water in 13 more American cities, and cesium-137 has been found in American milk—in Montpelier, Vermont—for the first time since the Japan nuclear disaster began, according to data released by the Environmental Protection Agency late Friday.

Milk samples from Phoenix and Los Angeles contained iodine-131 at levels roughly equal to the maximum contaminant level permitted by EPA, the data shows. The Phoenix sample contained 3.2 picoCuries per liter of iodine-131. The Los Angeles sample contained 2.9. The EPA maximum contaminant level is 3.0, but this is a conservative standard designed to minimize exposure over a lifetime, so EPA does not consider these levels to pose a health threat.



The cesium-137 found in milk in Vermont is the first cesium detected in milk since the Fukushima-Daichi nuclear accident occurred last month. The sample contained 1.9 picoCuries per liter of cesium-137, which falls under the same 3.0 standard.

Radioactive isotopes accumulate in milk after they spread through the atmosphere, fall to earth in rain or dust, and settle on vegetation, where they are ingested by grazing cattle. Iodine-131 is known to accumulate in the thyroid gland, where it can cause cancer and other thyroid diseases. Cesium-137 accumulates in the body’s soft tissues, where it increases risk of cancer, according to EPA.

<snip>

http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon/2011/04/09/radiation-detected-in-drinking-water-in-13-more-us-cities-cesium-137-in-vermont-milk/

[Tx4obama]

1. You should post this in Late Breaking News (LBN) n/t

[necso]

2. I took the data from the following table

(although using another data source; it seems identical... excluding any errors I may have made), and rearranged it (I put it into a two column table format... oh well, I should have checked first).

http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/radionuclides/pdfs/guide_radionuclides_table-betaphotonemitters.pdf


Nuclide pCi/l
Ag-105 300
Ag-110m 90
Ag-111 100
As-73 1,000
As-74 100
As-76 60
As-77 200
Au-196 600
Au-198 100
Au-199 600
Ba-131 600
Ba-140 90
Be-7 6,000
Bi-206 100
Bi-207 200
Bk-249 2,000
Br-82 100
C-14 2,000
Ca-45 10
Ca-47 80
Cd-109 600
Cd-115 90
Cd-115m 90
Ce-141 300
Ce-143 100
Ce-144 30
CI-36 700
CI-38 1,000
Co-57 1,000
Co-58 300
Co-58m 9000
Co-60 100
Cr-51 6,000
Cs-131 20,000
Cs-134 80
Cs-134m 20,000
Cs-135 900
Cs-136 800
Cs-137 200
Cu-64 900
Dy-165 1,000
Dy-166 100
Er-169 300
Er-171 300
Eu-152 200
Eu-154 60
Eu-155 600
F-18 2,000
Fe-55 2,000
Fe-59 200
Ga-72 100
Gd-153 600
Gd-159 200
Ge-71 6,000
H-3 20,000
Hf-181 200
Hg-197 900
Hg-197m 600
Hg-203 60
Ho-166 90
I-126 3
I-129 1
I-131 3
I-132 90
I-133 10
I-134 100
I-135 30
In-113m 3,000
In-114m 60
In-115 300
In-115m 1,000
Ir-190 600
Ir-192 100
Ir-194 90
K-42 900
La-140 60
Lu-177 300
Mn-52 90
Mn-54 300
Mn-56 300
Mo-99 600
Na-22 400
Na-24 600
Nb-93m 1,000
Nb-95 300
Nb-97 3,000
Nd-147 200
Nd-149 900
Ni-59 300
Ni-63 50
Ni-65 300
Np-239 300
Os-185 200
Os-191 600
Os-191m 9,000
Os-193 200
P-32 30
Pa-230 600
Pa-233 300
Pb-203 1,000
Pd-103 900
Pd-109 300
Pm-147 600
Pm-149 100
Pr-142 90
Pr-143 100
Pt-191 300
Pt-193 3,000
Pt-193m 3,000
Pt-197 300
Pt-197m 3,000
Pu-241 300
Rb-86 600
Rb-87 300
Re-186 300
Re-187 9,000
Re-188 200
Rh-103m 30,000
Rh-105 300
Ru-103 200
Ru-105 200
Ru-106 30
Ru-97 1,000
S-35 inorg 500
Sb-122 90
Sb-124 60
Sb-125 300
Sc-46 100
Sc-47 300
Sc-48 80
Se-75 900
Si-31 3,000
Sm-151 1,000
Sm-153 200
Sn-113 300
Sn-125 60
Sr-85 900
Sr-85m 20,000
Sr-89 20
Sr-90 8
Sr-91 200
Sr-92 200
T0-96 300
T0-96m 30,000
T0-97 6,000
T0-97m 1,000
T0-99 900
T0-99m 20,000
Ta-182 100
Tb-160 100
Te-125m 600
Te-127 900
Te-127m 200
Te-129 2,000
Te-129m 90
Te-131m 200
Te-132 90
TI-200 1,000
TI-201 900
TI-202 300
TI-204 300
Tm-170 100
Tm-171 1,000
V-48 90
W-181 1,000
W-185 300
W-187 200
Y-90 60
Y-91 90
Y-91m 9,000
Y-92 200
Y-93 90
Yb-175 300
Zn-65 300
Zn-69 6,000
Zn-69m 200
Zr-93 2,000
Zr-95 200
Zr-97 60