SGS offers Food Testing for Radiation Contamination from the Nuclear Accident in Japan

FAIRFIELD, NJ, June 22, 2011 (Press-News.org) Since March 29, highly radioactive water has been flowing into the sea. As of April 9, this leak was plugged using 6,000 liters of a coagulant, but the facility still plans on discharging 11,500 tons of low-level nuclear contaminated water into the sea. The local fishermen are requesting that the plant stop dumping radioactive water into the sea. In the region of the power plant, the fishermen have stopped fishing and fear that they will never be able to fish again, even if there is only a low level of contamination.

Damage limitation

China has expanded the ban of edible agriculture products and feed coming from 12 areas in Japan, including the area around Tokyo. South Korea is deciding whether to institute bans of products in the event of further dumping of radioactive water in the sea. India has banned all food imports from Japan, and the EU issued tighter radioactive limits (http://www.foodsafety.sgs.com/radioactivity-testing-in-food.htm#table3) on Japanese food imports on April 8. Australia is holding food from high risk regions and testing any product received, to assure compliance with their regulations. Products affected include fruits, vegetables, milk, milk products, seaweed and seafood. Singapore and the U.S. have imposed restrictions on food from some regions in Japan. However, Japan is not a major world food exporter. Only specific items such as fishery products, bivalve mollusks, casings and pet food are imported into the EU and in 2010, EU imports of Japanese food amounted to only 9,000 tons of vegetables and fruit.

Health risks

Nevertheless, there is legitimate reason to worry about the effect of radioactive contamination (http://newsletter.sgs.com/eNewsletterPro/uploadedimages/000006/SGS-Safeguards-06211-Radiation-Contamination-Found-in-Imported-Food-from-Japan-EN-11.pdf) of the environment and food chain after the nuclear accident in Japan. I-131 and Cs-137 are the main fission by-products that are released and can cause cancer in humans. I-131 moves through the atmosphere more easily than Cs-137, but it has a half-life of only eight days. Cs-137 attaches itself directly to particles and deposits in the soil for a much longer time. The half-life of Cs-137 is about 30 years. Both radionuclides can accumulate in plants, fruits, vegetables and crops, leading to an unsafe food supply chain.

SGS's state-of-the-art radionuclide testing capabilities (http://www.foodsafety.sgs.com/radioactivity-testing-in-food.htm) can help you detect and measure radioactive contamination in your imported food products.

If you need more information, don't hesitate to contact us:

SGS Consumer Testing Services
James Cook
Food Safety Technologist, SGS North America Inc.
291 Fairfield Ave, 07004 Fairfield, NJ, UNITED STATES

t +1 973 461 1493

E-Mail: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: http://www.sgs.com/foodsafety

SGS is the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With 64,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,250 offices and laboratories around the world.