CRIIRAD, an independent French research body on radioactivity, said it had detected radioactive iodine-131 in rainwater in southeastern France.
A sample analysed on 28 March showed radioactivity levels of 8.5 becquerel. In parallel testing, the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), the national public institution monitoring nuclear and radiological risks, found iodine-131 in milk.
According to the institute, concentrations from a sample collected on 25 March showed levels of less than 0.11 becquerels per litre. In normal times, no trace of iodine-131 should be detectable in rainwater or milk.
The rates detected are said to be extremely low – particularly in comparison to rates observed after Chernobyl in 1986 – and the authorities are stressing that there’s no cause for panic.
Indirect contamination of milk in particular normally occurs within a couple of days if cows have been outside eating grass, CRIIRAD noted. The fact that France’s IRSN found iodine-131 in a milk sample taken on 25 March indicates that radioactive fallout has already been reaching Europe since at least 23 March.
Radioactive iodine-131 is particularly toxic when absorbed by the thyroid, where it saturates and leads to an increased risk of cancer.
Source: EurActiv
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