Is the Radiation in milk home grown?

[Boudica the Lyoness]

They have detected small amounts of radiation in milk in Spokane, Washington. We are Eastern Washington hay growers and we can't help but wonder where the radiation is coming from.

The dairy cows are fed hay that was grown last year. There is no grazing for dairy cows in Eastern Washington this time of year. In this day and age most dairy cows are kept in loafing sheds and fed good quality hay and ration....they never get to graze. Even if they were allowed to graze, there's nothing growing yet. Our cows are still on hay.

Where is the radiation coming from? Either there is enough in the air to get into their milk or it's still coming from Hanford like it did in the late 40's or 50's. Back then they tested the milk routinely to see how the radiation, they were releasing, was spreading.

I would like to know what the cows were eating and where the dairy is located.

[Yo_Mama]

1. They found such absolutely tiny amounts that it's probably the water

The amounts found were honestly totally miniscule. In fact I was wondering why they could be so low, but that's the beauty of DU. Someone always knows.

So it's very small contamination of their drinking water.

[uppityperson]

4. That makes sense. So, wondering if they've tested other lactating mammals

goats, sheep, humans.

[catenary]

11. Are there non-lactating mammals?

??

[Drahthaardogs]

13. Yes, the males

[catenary]

14. You're just limiting your social contacts.

:evilgrin:

[uppityperson]

20. I'm not lactating at the moment. Are you? Most mammals aren't currently lactating.

[Mojorabbit]

22. Yes they are

It is baby season for all manner of wildlife, at least it is here in the south.

[uppityperson]

27. For every lactating female, there is at least 1 nonlactating infant (unless infant died)

and there are nonlactating males, etc. My POINT was to check milk from mammals that ARE currently lactating, then smarty pants chimes in "are there non-lactating mammals?"


I think it would be interesting to test milk from other mammals also. See how much has gotten into their milk.

[catenary]

28. I thought you meant it as an adjective, like "herbivorous" or the like,

I did not realize you meant actively nursing. When I saw your comment, I wondered if my biological education wasn't as good as I thought and that perhaps there might be some mammals that did not produce milk - I simply couldn't think of any. Boy, a guy really has to watch his step around here so as not to offend somebody with an innocent question. :eyes:

[Boudica the Lyoness]

8. I didn't think of the water.

Good thinking.

[Mojorabbit]

17. I do wildlife rehab and specialize in wild rabbits

I have my hay shipped here to Fl from American Pet diner based in Nevada. I am concerned also because these little guys start nibbling on hay at 40-50gms, really teeny and what may be a very low radiation level for a person might be deadly for these little guys.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

19. I love bunnies

Buy hay from the 2010 season. There's plenty of it about. Can they eat alfalfa pellets? The pellets will be from last year or maybe older.

We have cottontails and a few Jack Rabbits around here. There's a rare rabbit called the 'Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit'. I think I'm going to see if we can re-establish them on our place. We have lots of sagebrush acres that they'd love.

http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentID=7829

[Mojorabbit]

23. Those are very cool rabbits. Good luck! nt

[Yo_Mama]

21. If you have old hay it will be fine.

I love rabbits. Cute and a ton of personality.

So far - and I've looked at radiation detection levels in 8 states scattered - the amounts found are very small. So small that I think even those itty-bitties would not be affected.

But what I would recommend is to cycle your hay. The half-life on the iodine is only 8 days. So although I wouldn't think there would be any harm to these little cuties from the amounts reported, the precaution of just cycling the hay is going to greatly cut any amounts they could be exposed to. Those little guys won't eat much.

However fresh greens would be more of a risk. I think your best bet is to minimize total possible exposure. Make sure you are giving them bottled water (not rainwater) and cycle the food so that if one batch has picked up more exposure their overall exposure to that batch is lower.

The odds are huge that most of their exposure will be from radon, but a few practical measures to lower exposures wouldn't hurt.

[Mojorabbit]

24. THanks. Greens are going to be a huge problem for me

I go through a ton of them a week for these guys. I have eight almost ready for release eating me out of house and home.

[flamingdem]

2. On a site out of Hanford they said the reactor vented around March 7th

but either scenario must be considered. It was also found in California milk.

[uppityperson]

3. News says it has the signature of Fukushima radiation. Interesting that they aren't outside to graze

You are saying they probably haven't gotten it from their feed since they are eating old food, not grazing?

Makes me wonder if they've tested sheep, goats, or human milk. Kicking to mark to see if anyone has ideas. Thanks for the report about what the cows are eating.

[a simple pattern]

5. This brings up an uncomfortable truth.

Now anyone, anywhere can blame their radiation on the Japanese.
Like blaming farts on the dog, can't really defend himself now can he

[flamingdem]

6. Yes it's good cover to dump / vent right now, for sure some are doing it nt

[CountAllVotes]

7. convenient scapegoats?

Seems you have a point there. I wonder what the radiation level was in the region before this disaster from Japan? Had the cattle been studied ever before?

Lots of questions and very few answers tends to make me go :wtf:

Welcome to the DU btw. :hi:

[flamingdem]

9. Because of millions of dollars over thyroid cancer lawsuits it has been studied

I wish I could find the article I read about Hanford - but google on Hanford and radiation and there is a ton, also milk and iodine in Washington and the word upwind

[Boudica the Lyoness]

16. My husband grew up on this

farm in the 1950's. We're 'downwinders' here. Hanford was releasing radiation on a regular (on purpose) basis and then testing milk to see how far it was spreading. The local farmers thought the government was testing the milk to keep them safe and to make sure there was no radiation. They had no idea the government was experimenting with them!

My husband wonders if the radiation has been there all along.

It was President Clinton that got the dirty secret made public.

"In a draft report, the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments recommends compensation for "a substantial number" of Hanford downwinders who may have developed thyroid cancer from Cold War radiation releases.It is estimated that more than 2 million people in Washington, Oregon and Idaho may have been exposed to radiation released from Hanford from 1944 to 1972".

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/439422/PANEL-URGES-COMPENSATION-FOR-HANFORD-DOWNWINDERS.html

[flamingdem]

18. Good for Clinton! This is such a major tragedy and I'd never heard of it

Sorry you had to deal with that "experiment". I'm glad some people have sued and won.

[Autumn]

10. If they have detected radiation my thought

would be the water.

[F Bastiat]

12. Perhaps these cows are spending too much time in the sun.

:)

[CoffeeCat]

15. Have these cows flown lately?

Or have they eaten bananas or walked by microwaves that were in use?

It could be ANY of those things, by golly! Just ask Ann Coulter.

[PVnRT]

25. Here we go with pesky facts again

You're getting in the way of the fearmongering.

[SidDithers]

26. K&R...nt

Sid