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Radiation Found in US Milk, EPA Says

Updated: Wednesday, 30 Mar 2011, 7:16 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 30 Mar 2011, 7:16 PM EDT

(NewsCore) - The US government said Wednesday that traces of radiation have been found in milk in Washington state, but said the amounts are well below levels of public health concern.

In a written statement, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that results from a screening sample taken March 25 from Spokane, Wash., detected 0.8 pCi/L of iodine-131. That would be more than 5,000 times lower than the Derived Intervention Level set by the US Food and Drug Administration, the agency said.

The EPA statement said it has increased the level of radiation monitoring in response to the radiation leaks from the earthquake stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex in Japan. The agency said it expects more findings of radiation "in the coming days" but added that they are "far below levels of public health concern, including for infants and children."

Iodine-131 has a half life of approximately eight days, and the level detected in milk and milk products is therefore expected to drop relatively quickly, the agency said.

"Radiation is all around us in our daily lives, and these findings are a minuscule amount compared to what people experience every day. For example, a person would be exposed to low levels of radiation on a round trip cross country flight, watching television, and even from construction materials," Patricia Hansen, an FDA senior scientist, said in a written statement distributed by the EPA late Wednesday.

The FDA last week said it will block imports of Japanese milk products and certain other foods produced in the area around the Fukushima nuclear facility because of concerns about radiation contamination.

--Wall Street Journal