The radioactive cheese grater

[ensho]

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_news/79/the-radioactive-cheese-grater.html


As if we didn't have enough to worry about with lead, Bisphenol A, phthalates, pesticides and mercury, now, a new investigation finds that many common products are radioactive -- even one cheese grater.

A must-read Scripps News investigation found that radioactive waste is being mixed with other metals in scrap yards and recycling facilities, often overseas, and then shipped into the U.S. in a range of consumer products.

The Daily Green urges readers to check out the whole report, but below are the chief findings:

•Imports aren't checked for radioactivity: The U.S. has no regulations specifying how much radioactivity is acceptable, and U.S. agents don't screen cargo containers entering the U.S.

•Radioactive materials contaminate U.S. scrap: U.S. metal recyclers and scrap yards aren't required to test or report the presence of radioactive waste, and there is a strong financial incentive for facilities to dump them or mix them in with clean products, since the cost of proper disposal is steep. Facilities in 36 states currently have no option for properly disposing of radioactive waste. A U.S. program designed to collect the most radioactive waste has a "two-year waiting list and a 9,000-item backlog."

•The scale of the problem or health risk isn't known: No federal agency is responsible for testing, tracking or reporting the presence of radioactivity in consumer goods or raw materials.

Worse, there's very little consumers can do to protect themselves, according to the report. While exposure to low-level radioactivity is a fact of life, there's a scientific debate about the medical implications for chronic low-level exposure, and there's no telling whether or not some common products are delivering doses high enough to cause acute health issues.

This is a "tip of the iceberg" story we'll have to watch.
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sigh - "tip of the iceberg"

[SmileyRose]

1. Releasing radioactive material to the public is terrorism.

for 8 years they've been telling me to be skeered shitless because every single solitary container on every boat that comes in isn't scanned at the port for radioactive material. That dude on ABC had at least 5 specials on how they smuggled in radioactive material and nobody caught it at the port (eeeeeek scream fear faint panic !!!!) That dude never said anything about the radioactive material being tossed in the metal on my cookware.............

Imagine that.

[AwakeAtLast]

2. Wow, thanks for posting

I'm afraid to say that it doesn't surprise me. :(

[Cirque du So-What]

3. The factory where I work checks all scrap metal for radiation

The truck passes through a large structure with radiation detectors mounted strategically around its perimeter. Also, each truck is checked before it leaves the scrapyard for radiation and the driver must have a certificate showing that it has been checked.

The radiation detectors are quite sensitive. In addition to scrap metal, trucks also deliver sand. The 'background radiation' level is often sufficient to trigger the detectors. Once, the detectors went off due to the driver, who had recently undergone chemotherapy with medications that had radioactive components.

This technology isn't new; it's been around at least since the collapse of the Soviet Union. At that time, the place I worked also checked incoming scrap for radiation. Seems the cash-strapped Soviet Union was attempting to dump some of its nuclear waste in ingots of aluminum, which they sold on the world market at bargain-basement prices, hence the need to check all scrap.

This seems to be a simple fix: install radiation detectors at all ports of entry and run the cargo through them! If a Democratic administration and Congress aren't able to mandate such a simple thing - without kowtowing to big business as they whine about the cost - then we're all fucked anyway!

[Buzz Clik]

4. I'm sorry. I don't think I'm reading this correctly. "Imports aren't checked for radioactivity."

So, I have to undress and be completely inspected before getting on an airplane, but radioactivity is not monitored? It's the easiest test to administer, and it isn't done?

[Taitertots]

7. They are worried I have a nail clipper up my butt

But you could ship in a functional reactor without Border safety knowing.

[LiberalEsto]

5. Just another way to eliminate surplus humans nt

[QC]

6. Another triumph of the free market! n/t

[pansypoo53219]

8. makes my getting resale

much better. need a toaster + those harder to find these days.