New food chain samples posted
5/2 (5:20pm): Our food chain samples have been updated with new samples of topsoil, spinach, kale, and arugula. We have also begun testing Northern California seaweed.
There are no isotopes from Japan detected in the new spinach, kale, arugula, and seaweed samples. The new strawberry samples from 4/20 show no I-131, but Cs-134 and Cs-137 are present. The highest levels of radioisotopes detected would require the consumption of more than 3 tons of strawberries in order to receive the same equivalent dose as a cross-country airplane flight.
The topsoil continues to show decreasing levels of I-131, while the trend for Cs-134 and Cs-137 is not yet clear.
Mark [BRAWM Team Member]
But isn't there a difference
But isn't there a difference in ingesting radioactive particles in your food vs flying in a plane?
This is what I've been
This is what I've been hearing as well. It's like comparing sound and light. They both come in through our head.
The valley
So has the team done any central valley soil tests or tested any produce from the valley?
The Central Valley is the world's most prolific location for food production and processing. Agriculture drives the valley's economy; the area supplies half the nation's fruits and vegetables. In addition to large agricultural production, the Central Valley is the nation's largest dairy region and is home to the world's largest ice cream plant.
http://www.ftz226.co.merced.ca.us/valley/index.html
Any thoughts on Broccoli?
Any thoughts on Broccoli? Or the stalks of Broccoli for Broccoli slaw? I used to live on this as a cancer survivor but now are afraid to eat it.
Laura, I've stocked up on
Laura,
I've stocked up on the frozen broccoli at Whole Foods. It is from Mexico.
Trader Joe's also has a lot
Trader Joe's also has a lot of frozen fruits and vegetables from other countries.....j
how about blueberries, would
how about blueberries, would that be the same like starwberries? how about citrus and avodaco, both very important in the California growing season?
thanks
Food chain samples for Los Angeles?
CPMs are trending up in Los Angeles, again. Any chance BRAWM can test produce from the Los Angeles/So Cal areas? Or, do you know of anyone down here testing the food chain...
Keep testing away, guys. And, Thanks!
Thank You!
Thank you, BRAWM Team members for the New Food Chain Samples post. Looks encouraging:).
First and Foremost: Bravo BRAWM Team! & THANKS
NOW -
Really interesting on the strawberries and topsoil!
It kind of looks like - obviously - location matters. On the same date of purchase two batches of strawberries were quite different in levels.
I think the idea of "tending" is scientifically only really valid if you do have multiple sources to "average" out and provide highs and lows BUT I am GLAD youi had TWO strawberry batches for 4/20 (heh).
Comparing the strawberries to the topsoil for the 20th of April and then around the 8th, it appears as if there is something to extrapolate about the radiocesium: It seems to have remained pretty much the same, on average, along with the amount bioacumulated or absorbed by the strawberries (while the green veggies are not seeming to bioaccumulate it OR they simply didn't get hit by the plume with the heavier doses where they were.
Do you BRAWM folks have any assessment of what might be the interpretation of these results.
Obviously, to me, the next step is more and a variety of sources for soil, AND asap MILK and more outdoor grown strawberries which seem to be the best bioaccumulators of the cesium from these preliminary results or they were just unluckily in the wrong rains at the wrong time.
I guess the good news is the disappearing of the iodine 131
BUT
since no one is testing for Strontium 90 in these foods, which has a long half life like Cesium 137, AND since the Cesium is almost about the same as it was in the beginning of April (meaning either absorption, collection or more plumes as the old deposits arewashed out by cleaner rains etc) AND since the EPA says that Strontium 90 MAY "travel with" Cesium (where they find cesium they look for strontium they have said as it could come from the same source) THEN I am still a little uncomfortable with the levels in the strawberries (and I LOVE strawberries better than spinach, dammit) and the topsoil.
What can I say but thanks, bravo, much obliged, salud, l'Chaim, etc for the results.
They are only moderately comforting since we do not have enough samples from enough sources and still need updated milk, grass and more topsoil as well as some more srawberries and spinach from varied outdoor grown sources. Pain in the ass, but THAT will start really narrowing you to the data you want and need and WE need. OR it will just show the iodine diminishing to nothing and the cesium just being, as I suspect, pretty much everywhere we go and in a lot of our foods.
THANKS, at least the spinach and green plants look a little less dangerous to me today (my guess is that the roots of such plants go deep, and go straightdown kind of unlike strawberries which have shallow roots and are close to the ground so...
the green veggies tap roots do not absorb that much contaminated moist soil near the surface the way strawberries would (say in the top inch) and maybe too the cesium "filters out" as it is absorbed into the soil so that the tap roots don't get as much.
Just a hypothesis.
Maybe you should grow some plants in the contaminated soil in beakers or glass jars and watch what happens with the roots ot something (call the botany lab - they can do genetic tests too!)
Anways, great job. Wish the news was NONE DETECTED anywhere though!
I was hoping to get a BRAWM response
to some of my comments and question about why strawberries may show more than greens and whether you might extend the range/quantity of samples from multiple sources.
Because the two samples you got from strawberries compared to the soil seem to show continue elevated levels my concern is that bioaccumulation of the long lasting radiocesium 137 may remain steady in certain areas (in soil) and certain crops.
Can you comment please?
from what i've read, the
from what i've read, the problem with cesium is that it "irrevokably" binds to the clays and organics found in soil...which is why it's mobility is poor (it moves quite slowly downward, and doesn't really ever penetrate beyond 7-15 inches even after years of settling). my understanding is that more mature plants--and plants with broad leaves--are at higher risk for radioactivity, due to surface area absorption (spinach leaves are larger than strawberries). there is evidently much less uptake from root systems than surface contamination.
if you're really concerned, dig up a couple of inches of soil in your yard, throw down some bagged soil (likely packaged before last month) and plant your own strawberries (under plastic sheeting) :)
Thanks! I just asked about
Thanks! I just asked about this. What about blueberries?
Any thoughts on grains and
Any thoughts on grains and fruits & veggies with thicker skins(corn, oranges, etc). Might they be at lower risks for radioactivity?
Thanks
i've read that rind doesn't
i've read that rind doesn't matter, but again, my sources aren't numerous :) because oranges grow above ground, they are also prone to surface contamination. the trick would be to find out when harvesting takes place, and when that harvest is sold. we're still eating onions, potatoes, carrots...stuff growing underground. unfortunately someone told me recently that the naturally-occurring potassium in potatoes somehow attracts man-made radioactive isotopes, even underground :( but i haven't been able to verify.
i wrote to dave's killer bread, and was told that they harvest wheat every spring, concluding in sept, at which point they silo everything. from sept until spring, they are drawing on that storage...so if you eat his loaves, they should be safe (from last year) until this sept. i would imagine most grainaries would operate in a similar manner, but you could always try calling your sources.
i honestly don't know what we'll do when the current stores of 2-year-shelf-life frozen veggies, 3-year-shelf-life canned goods, last year's grain, etc. run out. guess we'll just have to eat it, taking (small) comfort in the fact that at least there'll be no iodine :)
I was wondering about
I was wondering about oranges myself...
From May onwards, out here,
From May onwards, out here, there is no more rain and produce will be irrigated.
It would be nice to test the water some farms use, but I'm not holding my breath.
Great news got Milk
Any tested milk .it does a body good...
Thank you for the new data.
Thank you for the new data. It is encouraging to see some things are going down and that you are testing seaweed. If I may ask, what isotopes will you be testing for in seaweed besides Iodine? Any chance you will be testing sea water? Thanks again for all your hard work.
Our equipment tests for
Our equipment tests for gamma radiation, so any isotope that is a strong gamma emitter is a candidate for us. If we find significant amounts of other isotopes, we will report those too.
Given that we tested seaweed, it would be nice for us to test the sea water from around that area. However, since there were no radioisotopes found in the seaweed, we don't expect to see anything in the sea water, so I'm not sure how much of a priority that is for us.
Tim [BRAWM Team Member]
Wow, thank you BRAWM team.
Wow, thank you BRAWM team. Please keep testing and consider adding sea water from that day along with seaweed to compare results just in case you do detect anything. Thank you again.
Thanks for posting food
Thanks for posting food results. Quick question, do you have any comments about Grass findings? Do you think there is a trend in decreasing levels, or too soon to tell?