Posted on 06/12/2011 9:51:31 PM PDT by ransomnote
A ton of mushrooms containing ten times the safe level of a radioactive metal has been seized and destroyed by health chiefs.
The Bulgarian consignment of dried wild mushrooms is thought to have been irradiated by caesium 137 from the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine 25 years ago.
It was found by a UK Border Agency team looking for illegal immigrants and impounded before it reached the shops.
Levels of radiation are measured in becquerels. The EU sets a maximum limit for caesium 137 in food of 600 becquerels per kilogram – double the level in Japan.
But the amount of radioactivity found in the mushrooms destined for British families was more than 6,000 becquerels.
Caesium 137 causes genetic mutations in humans and animals. Eating food contaminated with the radioactive metal can lead to cancer or cause deformities in developing babies.
The mushrooms were discovered on May 6 at Humber Sea Terminal, North Lincolnshire. Details emerged last night in a report by port health chiefs.
Investigators initially thought the radiation was linked to food affected by the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan two months ago.
But they decided Chernobyl was the culprit after Food Standards Agency officers spoke to Bulgarian authorities. The FSA has issued an EU-wide food safety alert.
Last night, an agency spokesman said: ‘There is no evidence that any of the mushrooms have been eaten.’
Farmers around Europe are still suffering from the legacy of Chernobyl. Mushrooms are particularly susceptible to radioactive fallout because they do not have roots, instead using absorption to obtain nutrients from the atmosphere through surface cells.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
"But they decided Chernobyl was the culprit after Food Standards Agency officers spoke to Bulgarian authorities."
Wonder what that conversation contained.
just give it one more year.
The half life time of caesium 137 should be reached this year.
This is why the Germans pay a bounty on wild boars, because they become radioactive from eating mushrooms, etc.
I read that the German government expects that this will be a problem for the next hundred years - a half-life of 30 years means that in 2106, the radiation will be 1/16 of what it was in 1986. Considering that this isotope is not naturally occurring and fairly easily absorbed by living things, that’s still not exactly great.
Absolutely stunning - I don’t know how you came up with the perfect photo for this. Stunning. Thanks.
Yes it’s a gorgeous picture, but I was also trying to post the link, because it IS linked!
http://paxarcana.wordpress.com/2008/03/03/the-fire-breathing-mushrooms-that-will-consume-us-all/
*cringing*
Oh.
Yes, but the Ron Paullies will want to know.... “do they pack a buzz?”
The conversation went like this:
FSA Officer....”The lights seem very bright in here”.
Bulgarian authority...”That’s just your mushrooms glowing”.
.
Yeah, kinda leaves me speechless too.
What an interesting way to probe a country’s ability to detect the trans-shipment of radioactive material.
Jeez.
Roentgens, Rads, Rems, Curies, Sieverts, Greys, and now Becquerels.
Wish they'd pick one.
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