Need some sane and practical guidelines
I am a breastfeeding mother with three children living in Northern Minnesota. I was only recently made aware of the gravity of this post-Fukushima situation, after seeing the following article and doing some follow-up. http://www.euractiv.com/en/health/radiation-risks-fukushima-longer-negli...
I have had zero success getting any information amount our risk here in Minnesota, and this forum is the only site I've found that seems to be addressing this issue in a rational way. We have a huge organic garden that sustains our family, and I'm scared to death to eat any of it. Can someone direct me to a source of practical guidelines for protecting my family, particularly my children? Can we eat our garden? Are processed dairy products safe? What about grass-fed meat? Will supplements such as kelp and selenium help, as some have suggested? Or will this just chelate the harmful substances into my milk and poison my infant? I'm starving and terrified, and I desperately need advice.
Study
http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/27/10/1569.full.pdf+html
Fukushima cesium spew
http://www.japantoday.com/category/commentary/view/fukushimas-cesium-spe...
Fukushima's cesium spew - deadly catch-22s
By W David Kubiak
Commentary Jun. 29, 2011 - 09:38PM JST ( 28 )
For those most focused on Fukushima’s human toll, there are several main sources of concern: the continuing radiation menace in the region’s fields, crops and seafood; and TEPCO’s recent admission that its reactors won’t be under control until 2012 at best. These offer critical reminders that radioactive cesium is now Japan’s public enemy No. 1.
Behind the confusing fog of rad, rem, becquerel and milliseivert statistics lurks the basic fact that the spread of cesium 137 was the deadliest legacy of Chernobyl and is now the gravest health threat facing eastern Japan.
. It is seldom appropriate
.
It is seldom appropriate to use the words pregnant and cyanide in the same sentence. But here we go. The chemical name for the pigment Prussian Blue is ferric hexacyanoferrate. The chemical formula is:
Fe7(CN)18?14H2O
We can review these subjects somewhat dispassionately in North America. Japan has probably already missed the boat for the population within 50 miles of the Fukushima power plant.
By their failure to act, the Japanese have chosen the path of ARS, cancer and death.
PB reduces Cesium Retention
Guidance for Industry on Prussian Blue for Treatment of Internal Contamination With Thallium or Radioactive Cesium
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/03d-0023-nad00001.pdf
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. 03D-O023]
Cesium and thallium ions are ordinarily excreted into the intestine,
reabsorbed from there into the bile, and then excreted again into the
gastrointestinal tract. Orally administered prussian blue traps thallium or
cesium in the intestine, interrupts its reabsorption from the gastrointestinal
tract, and thereby increases fecal excretion of thallium and cesium. Prussian
blue itself is not absorbed across the intestinal wall in significant amounts.
Forty-six patients with heavy internal contamination were treated with prussian blue. Data on the whole-body effective half-life of cesium-137 during treatment and after treatment with prussian blue was completed on 33 of the 46 patients. The untreated mean whole-body effective half-life of cesium-137 is 80 days in adults, 62 days in adolescents, and 42 days in children. Prussian blue reduced the mean whole-body effective half-life of cesium-137 by 69 per cent in adults, by 46 per cent in adolescents, and by 43 per cent in children (see International Atomic Energy Agency, 1998).
Data from additional literature articles, including a study of 7 human volunteers contaminated with trace doses of cesium-137 and reports on 19 patients contaminated with cesium-137 in other incidents, show a similar reduction in whole-body effective half-life after administration of prussian blue (see Madhus, 1968 and National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement, 1979).
Boron and Zeolite
If you are concerned that you may have been ingesting radioactivity in any manner, then passing it on to your baby through breast milk (happening in Japan, don't know about here)you can take boron and a good quality zeolite or Bentonite Clay to help rid your body of it. Be careful about the clay you buy, as some are full of aluminum.
Rosemary is also good for keeping a body healthy that has be exposed.
A concerned dairy farm in Hawaii is giving their cows boron, which seems to be lowering or eliminating radioactive Iodine and Ceseum from their milk.
You can soak your veggies in water with clay in it to absorb isotopes. I switched to growing my own sprouts. That's the only veggies I eat now, besides tomatoes and lettuce that have been greenhouse grown. But, as some have mentioned, this stuff has been circling the planet and settling into the soil since the 1940s. Lots of horror stories about nuclear testing and waste dumping polluting our air, water and land. You'd have to have been born before Hiroshima and Nagasaki to have had any years without some man made radiation exposure.
Still, do all you can to take care of yourself, your immune system and especially your little one. Better to be safe than sorry.
The farmer in Hawaii feeding
The farmer in Hawaii feeding his cows boron is nuts. Boron is used to moderate nuclear reactions, not to remove contamination. Also, I highly doubt that he is testing to confirm/deny the efficacy of his methods.
I would like to backup BC
I would like to backup BC here. I would consult your physician before giving a baby any clays and especially boron. Clay normally contains higher concentrations of natural radioactive thorium and uranium daughters. We have obseved decay of milk activity here without any measures taken by the dairies. It is most likely a coincidence that he observes lower activity in the milk.
Self-Treatment is not recommended
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I concur, that self-treatment with Boron, by an expectant mother, is not prudent in North America, at this time. Self-treatment with radiation dosage KI and Prussian Blue is similarly advised against.
For all practical purposes, the radioactive Iodine is gone. And while radioactive Cesium is Public Enemy Number 1 (ichiban) in Japan, it is a much smaller player in the Americas.
These things stated, it is considered prudent to investigate the matter. It is also considered prudent to acquire a limited quantity of such materials. Evidently the US Government has abandoned the practice of stockpiling ANY radiation drugs. The government also failed to notify the public that they discontinued this 50 year old standard practice.
Nuclear disaster preparedness is non-existent in these United States.
YOYO
Dietary Boron
Dietary Boron
North Americans are very unlikely to exceed the boron Upper Limt (UL) from dietary sources. A few boron basics are provided for reference. It is assumed that the only dietary source that is hazardous to gravid females is the wine. No RDA is set for boron as no metabolic need has been established in the literature. Metabolic interactions between boron and radionuclides are not within the scope of this paper.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI//DRI_Vitamin_A/502-553_150.pdf
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI//DRI_Vitamin_A/vitamin_a_full_report.pdf
The main dietary intake of boron are coffee, milk, apples, dried beans and potatoes. Highest dietary concentrations of boron occur in avocado, peanut butter, peanuts, prune & grape juice, chocolate powder, wine, pecans, granola raisin and raisin bran cerial. High dietary intake (95% percentile level) corresponds to 2.3 mg/day for men, (2.7 vegetarians) 1.8 mg/day for women (4.2 mg vegetarians).
The age adjusted dietary Upper Limit (UL) for boron for females is unchanged in pregnant and lactating females; at 17 mg/deay 14-18 years and 20 mg/day for 19-50 years.
This is an old article, and
This is an old article, and was written during some of the worst of what came down. It seems to mostly focus on I-131, which in Minnesota is long gone. Seriously, there is no way that you have to think about I-131 right now. California dep't of health, CTBTO, the crew here, all have not seen stateside I-131 in the air for a long time, and that which has been deposited has decayed (ie, become non-radioactive). Please look at the air monitoring results on this page and you will see that I-131 is in no way an issue at your location at this time.
As for taking kelp, the idea there is that if a person is taking kelp, which is high in normal, non-radioactive iodine, it will limit the uptake of radioactive I-131. This is no longer an issue, see above.
What may be an issue, albeit one which looks to have very little risk, is the cesium that has been deposited here and there throughout the US. This was mostly deposited by rain in late March early April, but do not get the idea that just because it rained that you got some, or that if you got some, it's a huge deal.
Can you eat out of your garden? Well, you have to eat, right? Why would veggies at the store be any better?
Is processed dairy safe? Myself, I have tried to avoid products made around 3/15/1111 to 5/31/11. You can buy aged cheese. This is probably not even necessary - you oughtta see what was in the milk for years back in the early 60's. Far worse than now, which is not to say any cesium in your kid's milk is good, but keep perspective.
Grass fed meat will have cesium in it if the animal ate plants with cesium on/in them. Is it safe? Depends on the level (and the levels we are seeing are quite low compared to those from atmospheric testing and even what Europe saw post-Chernobyl) . Myself, I think that it should be OK here in the US, but it would be very interesting to see it tested for actual levels. I am wondering if BRAWM will test meat.. I would advise they make it into jerky first :).
For crying out loud though, do not starve yourself. Take your vitamins (I have read that Vitamin D3 may be especially good for preventing cancer in any case, and it can't hurt), keep healthy, and don't stress out too much. If you want to emphasize pre melt-down foods, nearly all dried rice and beans and pasta on the shelf were made prior to this event.
Thanks for caring
It is commendable that pregnant and nursing moms pay close attention to dietary radionuclide intake. I'll try to skip the past and deal with the present and future.
If you are just now getting around to taking dietary action, perhaps the thread labeled Safe Food is a good start. Reverse osmosis discussions may be helpful (it works).
While I am not Mormon (LDS), that group has an excellent food storage and rotation program. They would be a great group to contact to get food that was produced BF Before Fukushima. They will absolutely try to convert you to their sect, but it may be worth the hassle.
Medium cheddar cheese is aged 6 months. Sharp cheddar is aged a year. Extra sharp is aged 2 years. So that tells you to switch to medium now, sharp in mid-September and Extra Sharp next March.
We can always HOPE that the government will do something helpful, but that is hugely unlikely.
Prussian Blue is a demonstrated and economical livestock food suppliment for reduction of Cesium in meat and milk. So, if you are raising your own livestock, get some PB. If you have covered hay or grass, feed the livestock that.
You can remove a significant amount of radionuclides from leafy vegetables by soaking in baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).
Thanks for the input
Thank you to the previous posters for your reassurance. I'm especially grateful to hear that soaking produce on baking soda solution can help reduce exposure, if there is any. My partner will be so very happy to hear that our entire garden won't be going to waste this year. I had previously heard that radionuclides are immediately metabolized into the plant upon contact, but I'm going to go with this new, more hopeful tip :)
We do not raise our own livestock, but have always purchased local, grass-fed meat. Perhaps I'll ask if they have any frozen PF meat they can supply us with. If an animal eats contaminated vegetation, will those radionuclides remain in the animal indefinitely, and subsequently be in their flesh and milk indefinately? Same goes for me- If I've ingested anything (during the period of the worst fallout when I didn't realize I should have avoided certain things), will my breastmilk be forever tainted? Is there anything I can do to detoxify myself without harming my infant (short of weaning of course)? Similarly, if there is cesium in our local dairy's milk that my young son drinks, is there anything I can do to mitigate this for him, or should I even be worried about that at all? There are LOTS of articles out there right now saying that small amounts of Fukushima radiation in our children's milk is not a concern. Not so sure about that.
We already have a RO system on our drinking water, plus we have a VERY deep well, so I'm not terribly concerned about that. And I've been stocking up on aged cheddar already. I'm just hoping that things like fruit and nuts, which are staples of our diet, are safe. I now avoid west coast fruit as much as possible, but nuts are almost always from CA.
Again, I am so appreciative for the feedback.
Leaching Radionuclides from food
:
Soap and water will remove or vastly reduce surface contamination of produce. This is preventive.
But beyond that; simple, safe and inexpensive household chemicals actually leach radionuclides from inside such leafy foods as spinach, lettuce and cabbage. This process is not complete, but it is a step in the right direction, which is in the literature. Then just rinse it off or soak in R/O water and enjoy.
The literature on this subject is not comprehensive. Not all household chemicals have been tested and not all produce has been tested.
In point of fact, radionuclides ARE metabolized into the plants via root and leaf. Leaf adsorbtion was a player during the recent hemispheric radionuclide storm, but is not much of a player now. The vectors are rain and windblown nuclear fallout dust.
Leaf adsorbtion is, generally speaking, a much bigger player than root uptake. So, during radionuclide storms, 'plant-tophats' and water sprinklers will reduce radionuclide uptake by plants.
The 'Take Aways' are that:
'Things are not hopeless'
'Simple measures can make a major difference'
'Some uncertainty remains, in spite of our best efforts'
'We will make some mistakes in the process'
'We cannot test everything'
So by golly, I redirected two (2) water spinklers onto my fig tree. And I enjoy the figs.
I think the worst of it is
I think the worst of it is over (until next year when the animals eat this years hay) so what's done is done and there's not a whole lot you can do about that.
Our family STILL is not drinking milk since there are still low levels of it. We've been drinking powdered milk (mix n drink brand) since we found out in late march. Of course we ate a ton of strawberries during that time which I'm sure had the highest levels in it. I beat myself up about that all the time, especially since my kids ate them. BUt what can you do.
I have two kids and we're doing everything we can to keeep them away from anything with milk in it (ice cream, yogurt, etc) and we're eating Tillamook aged cheese (9mos).
The rest of our food I try to buy what is grown in a greenhouse. I'm still buying organic chicken and beef and hoping for the best. Berries seems to be radiation free (below MDA) now, so just this week we started to eat all kinds of berries again.
You could have your breast milk tested to find out although I'm not sure where in your area you can do that.
It's hard getting through each day not knowing what we're ingesting. I wish we could control it all but we can't. Again the good news is, most everything is near or below MDA except for milk, so hopefully the worst is really over.
I am also doing much of what
I am also doing much of what this poster is doing for my family. No milk yet...not until Cesium is undetectable. I figure we will be getting an increased amount in other foods that we don't know about, so if I can avoid the major concentrators that this may help. We are also using powdered milk now bought before Fukushima...there might still be some in the stores left...it tends to have a long shelf life. No dairy..only on special occasions or when I can't control what my kids eat.
We are also buying up lots of grain fed beef from our local butcher to store. Hopefully the grain fed beef this year will be safest, other than pre-fukishima beef. The grain is from last year most likely, and most of this year's cows acquired most of their body weight pre-fukishima.
Hope this helps...safe foods topic has lots of good info, also.
Hey OP. I'm right there with
Hey OP. I'm right there with you. I'm inAz nursing an infant and have a 3 year old and everyday I worry want we are eating. We have been avoiding dairy, trying to buy PF foods, buying green house veggies when I can, we are eating fruit right now, I'm looking into a berkey filter but for now I'm buying smart water because it's distilled....hopefully that's good????
Also we are taking chlorella daily, minerals ecspecially selenium,spirulina,modiflan or PF seaweed,just ordered quality miso soup, gonna make fermented foods a daily food, taking french green clay internally, magnesium baths also with clay and drinking a high quality greens drink. I've researched FOR HOURS on foods/supps that will help get some of this crap out. I could happily send you or anyone links for this or why I'm taking what I am.
I'm very interested in starting zeolites but I worry about to much passing to my milk. My baby is only 4 months so it's hard to supplement her. We also take a feremented cod liver oil that's high in A,D and omega 3s.
Baking soda is good internally so I have read
Thanks mom in AZ. I'd love
Thanks mom in AZ. I'd love to see your most helpful links on supplements. I'm thinking about giving my son and myself daily spirulina, as well as daily apples for the pectin. I'm very concerned about doing anything myself that will detoxify into my milk (my nursling is also almost 4 months old). I've also read about Zeolites, but it seems too risky to me. We're eating miso daily. I just mix it into stuff. My head is ready to explode with the worries I face at every turn, like my neighbor's eggs that we eat 6 of every day. Evidently these might be one of the worst sources of bio-accumulation radiation. At this point, I'm just soaking our garden veggies in baking soda, eating a balanced diet with no dairy and only local foods, and hoping for the best.
You're doing a lot to
You're doing a lot to mitigate your family's risk.
Commend yourself for a good job. :)