Japan Radioactivity Could Enter Food Chain

[LoZoccolo]

Radioactive material is carried by minute moisture droplets in the air. It can then be directly inhaled into the lungs, get washed down by rain into the sea and onto soil, and eventually contaminate crops, marine life and drinking water.

Cow's milk was also especially vulnerable, experts said, if cows graze on grass exposed to radiation.

"Cows are like vacuum cleaners, picking up radioactive iodine that lands over a wide area of pasture, and then those particles very easily are concentrated and pass into the milk," said the expert, who declined to be identified.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/03/15/world/asia/international-us-japan-nuclear-health.html?_r=2&hp

[leftstreet]

1. Couldn't you just dissolve potassium iodide pills in the milk?

:popcorn:

[petronius]

2. That's truly fascinating, and I thank you for this valuable fact.

Is there anything we can do to avoid the potential health risk of drinking fresh milk in the coming weeks? :shrug:

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. Yes, buy this:

Organic Valley Organic 1% Lowfat Single Serve Milk

It has a shelf life until opened. Then you need to refrigerate it and use it within 5 days.

[dkf]

16. Where do you find this? I don't recall coming across this in the past.

[in_cog_ni_to]

19. I bought mine on Amazon.com

:hi: I'm told you can find it in the grocery stores by the powdered milk, evaporated milk? That's probably in the baking isle where you fond cake mixes and things like that. I had never heard of it before either.

[Quixote1818]

3. In my opinion this is the biggest concern here in the US

I could care less about the tiny amounts that might be in the atmosphere here.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kestrel91316]

5. Not "can". WILL.

[The_Casual_Observer]

17. "Has"

[glinda]

6. How far will this travel? I live in MN. where I buy milk here.

[in_cog_ni_to]

11. I'm in Illinois and buying enough shelf stable milk to last for months.

We don't drink much milk anymore, but do occasionally. If you have young kids who need milk or if you drink it a lot, I would buy Organic Valley Organic 1% Lowfat Single Serve Milk. Amazon.com sells it. But buy it NOW, before the radiation makes it here. Then you know it's safe.

[flamingdem]

8. How long this would impact the food chain is a big question

Depending on the isotopes, decades?

[LoZoccolo]

10. I read elsewhere that it's radioactive iodine that's most likely to end up in the pastures.

I'm not sure what the half-life is; if someone else could chime in?

[in_cog_ni_to]

14. That's what I want to know too.

The government won't tell us. Watchdog groups WILL, but then it's too late. And how many people can buy and store decades worth of food and water?

[JeffersonChick]

9. k&r

[Joe Bacon]

12. ...and it's going to rain in Los Angeles this weekend

Lovely :sarcasm:

[flamingdem]

15. Good catch you're right

What would you do:

1. leave area (east? south?)

2. seal up your house stay home

3. nothing and be happy and play in the park

[Lucinda]

13. This thread is locked but has a lot of good sources for long storage milk brands:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x655166

[dkf]

18. Thanks for pointing the thread out.

Very helpful.