The Global Economy And The Radioactive Cheese Grater - Flint Journal [View All]

[hatrack]

GENESEE TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- There are lots of toxic hazards to guard against in the stuff that ends up at recycling centers and landfills. Until this past summer, a radioactive cheese grater wasn't one of them. According to the state Department of Environmental Quality, the common kitchen utensil with an uncommon past set off the alarms at Genesee Recycling in August, sending ripples all the way to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Environmental Protection Agency.

"We know it was manufactured in China but at this point we are still unsure what the source of the material is or was, or where it possibly entered the system," said Thor Strong, the state DEQ's chief of radiological protection. Strong said his office got the call when workers at the recycling facility dug through an incoming scrap metal load that had set off their radiation monitors, tracking the source to a cheap handheld cheese grater made by EKCO and labelled "Made in China."

It's only the latest in an ongoing string of toxic products imported from China -- including children's toys loaded with toxic lead, pet food poisoned with melamine and toothpaste containing ingredients used in antifreeze. "This appears to be yet another example of how our system of keeping Michiganders and all Americans safe from potentially hazardous chemicals and products is failing," said Mike Shriberg, spokesman for the Ecology Center, which has led an ongoing campaign to protect kids from toxic toys.

"The nation's chemical regulatory laws are woefully out-of-date, and the increasing number of potential hazards showing up in Michiganders' homes is evidence that an update and improvement is needed now."

EDIT

http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/11/a_radioactive_cheese_grater_at.html