Posted on 08/04/2007 6:23:55 PM PDT by BenLurkin
FALLON, Nev. (AP) -- Two dairy farms have dumped milk after the discovery of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope in 25 nearby drinking water wells. Officials from Sorensen's Dairy and Oasis Dairy said they will stop selling milk until it is tested for the isotope, polonium-210, by the Food and Drug Administration. Officials said there's no known health risk at this time.
A study released Friday by the U.S. Geological Survey found the radioactive isotope in 24 private wells and one public well around Fallon, about 60 miles east of Reno. Polonium-210 is known to cause cancer in humans.
All dairies around Fallon sell their milk to the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative, which in turn markets the milk to a dairy in Reno and plants in northern California.
Fallon farmer Bret Sorensen said he began dumping 6,000 gallons of milk Friday morning at the cooperative's request.
Dr. Anette Rink, a supervisor at the Nevada Department of Agriculture, said she expects to have test results back from the FDA by Monday. Milk is not normally sampled for polonium-210 because the cows' bodies filter out most of the metal, Rink said.
Concentrations of polonium-210 found in the 25 wells ranged from less than 0.1 to 67.7 picocuries per liter. Thirteen had amounts greater than 15, which is the maximum allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency for public wells. The EPA does not regulate private wells.
Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian security agent, was killed in London last year with a dose of polonium-210 much larger than the amount detected in Fallon.
USGS researchers conducted the well tests as part of a University of Nevada, Reno, study investigating a possible link between groundwater contamination and 20 leukemia cases around Fallon since 1997. Health officials say about one leukemia case in five years would be expected.
They could try to sell it to the Russians.
I would think the Chinese would be the customers we would want to sell to … paybacks and all.
Congress must immediately act to stop the “actinide decay chain”.
This deadly chain is responsible for terror isotopes such as Polonium 210, Bismuth 218, and the infamous Radon!
A simple alteration in the Weak Force* will stop the beta decay links in the chain and keep the children safe from polonium contaminated Earth.
*I mean it must be easy, it’s a Weak Force.
But the Russians like to use those radioactive beverages to deal with ‘troublemakers’.
LOL! Truism.
California as a law and we cannot import milk.
Hmmm ... perhaps a uranium deposit in the neighborhood?
>>>Two dairy farms have dumped milk after the discovery of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope in 25 nearby drinking water wells.
Would this have anything to do with Spencer Abraham having nuclear waste dumped into the mountains in Nevada?
Imagine that!!!
Small world!
Not in a million years! /sarc
Small world!
Ain't it though. lol
>>>A study released Friday by the U.S. Geological Survey found the radioactive isotope in 24 private wells and one public well around Fallon, about 60 miles east of Reno. Polonium-210 is known to cause cancer in humans.<<<
Maybe the EPA will put a plastic dome over them like they did in the Simpson’s Movie.
I wonder how long their wells have been contaminated?
Maybe the EPA will put a plastic dome over them like they did in the Simpson’s Movie.
I haven't seen the Simpson's movie yet.
I don’t know. But from reading the timeline from the AGI Government Affairs Program. It is quite possible the interim storage containers could have been there since 2001. The licensing wasn’t the same for interim storage vs. permanent storage.
>>I haven’t seen the Simpson’s movie yet.
Oh, I recommend. It was the best political satire I’ve seen since Chuck Jones.
Speaking of Uranium, you do realize that there is a good reason why folks who live in the NW corner of New Jersey have “black quartz” in their backyards.
We’ll go see it the first chance we get to.
Shhh, you are suppose to say Radon. This way no one realizes it is uranium in the drinking water.
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