Washington, March 31: Traces of radioactive iodine have been detected in milk from the US state of Washington as Japan’s nuclear crisis has brought about health concerns.
In a joint statement, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the finding is, however, far below levels of public health concern, including for infants and children.
The iodine-131 — a radioactive form of iodine — is not normally detected, although natural levels of radiation in milk occur. But it is a carcinogenic substance that can cause thyroid cancer — which experts say is generally non-fatal due to the effective treatments.
The agencies have reassured that the level of this particular type of iodine was 5,000 times lower than the FDA’s “defined intervention level” standard.
“These findings are a minuscule amount compared to what people experience every day,” said FDA scientist Patricia Hansen.
Radiation monitoring in the United States has increased in milk, precipitation and drinking water, following the natural disaster that wreaked havoc on Japan.
The Asian nation underwent a tragic catastrophe after it was hit by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11, which was followed by gigantic tsunami waves. A total of 28,000 people are feared dead so far.
The cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant near the epicenter of the quake went out of order after the disaster, leading to explosions that resulted in radioactive leaks.
The quake is now considered Japan’s deadliest calamity since the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which claimed the lives of more than 142,000 people.
——–Agencies