NaturalNewsBlogs Nuclear Disasters and Lessons Learned ~ What is Safe to Eat?

FDA is Stonewalling a 2013 Petition for Better Food Regs

By Kimberly Roberson

This time of year marks anniversaries of three major nuclear disasters: Fukushima, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl on March 11, 2011; March 28, 1979; and April 26, 1986. A major nuclear accident happens on average every 10–20 years. Fukushima just passed the 14 year mark last month. As much as the nuclear industry wants us to believe that their product is clean and safe it isn’t, especially where food is concerned.

So how do we cope with an expanding nuclear industry? There are nearly 94 operating nuclear power plants in the US and over 400 worldwide. The Biden Administration proposed tripling nuclear production by 2050 regardless of the deadly waste and expense it would generate. High level radioactive waste remains hazardous for thousands of years and longer and requires complete isolation from the environment. Not to mention the little known fact that every nuclear power plant requires venting and discharge of radiation into air and water as routine maintenance (known as “batch release”).

Don’t we have enough problems to think about already? This is a big one. Unfortunately, it’s best not to sweep it under the rug, which certainly wasn’t the case with DDT and mercury. Action on those toxins led to significant public health regulations. A panel of experts told lawmakers at a Congressional briefing last July that radiation from the nuclear industry deserves the same attention. (One example is mercury warnings when buying seafood.)

Nuclear radiation is unique because it negatively impacts DNA for many years to come, a process known as trans-generational DNA damage. It also bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in the food chain. Some radionuclides remain hazardous for tens of thousands of years or longer ~ talk about forever chemicals. Tasteless, odorless and invisible, man-made radionuclides didn’t exist until the nuclear age began in 1942.

It’s extremely rare for mainstream media to report on bioaccumulation of radionuclides in food, but last January Newsweek did just that, reporting on radioactive shellfish in Pennsylvania. Counterpunch (not mainstream media) reported that the Japanese government is spreading 14 million cubic meters of radioactive soil around the country in public works projects, even mixing it into agricultural underlayment for growing crops for Japan and for export. What could possibly go wrong? Not to mention Fukushima radioactive wastewater will continue to be dumped into the Pacific for at least 40 more years.

What the MAHA movement may be missing:

The Trump administration issued an executive order in February to establish the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission which is tasked with finding, among other things, lesser known causes of cancer especially in children. Nuclear radiation and a Citizen Petition filed with FDA 12 years ago to protect our food from man made radiation must finally be addressed. 

There is an alarming rise in cancers in younger people, and many cancers involve the digestive tract. The National Academy of Science, BEIR VII report states “There is a linear dose-response relationship between exposure to ionizing radiation and the development of solid cancers in humans. It is unlikely that there is a threshold below which cancers are not induced.” Meanwhile, it’s been stated in the media that Fukushima’s health impacts are “debatable”, as though Chernobyl and nearly 40 years of scientific research there hasn’t proved the wide scale impact over generations.

Chernobyl is still producing data showing illness nearly 40 years after that nuclear disaster began. Yury Bandazhevsky leads the European Commission-supported “Chernobyl: Ecology and Health” project in Ukraine. The project concluded that cesium-137 ionizing radioactive fallout at Chernobyl accumulates in organs and has genetic mutational effects. Kate Brown wrote in “Manuel for Survival, An Environmental History of the Chernobyl Disaster” that berries picked in the region are mixed with others and sold as jam in European markets. 

The equipment used to test food for ionizing radiation are gamma spectrometers, which, at $30,000 are cost prohibitive for most people. The Mother’s Radiation Lab, also known as Tarachine, tests water, soil and food in Japan for radiation. Everything from vacuum bag dust to produce is tested and results are shared with fellow citizens there. 

After the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster in 1979 mothers in Pennsylvania did all they could to protect their families, as documented in Heidi Hutner’s 2022 groundbreaking documentary, “Radioactive, the Women of Three Mile Island”. In an insulting, bizarre twist, Unit 1 is scheduled to go back online in 2028 which have many in the community and beyond outraged.

So What Can We Do To Best Guard Our Health in the Nuclear Age?

Radiation experts and parents filed a Citizen Petition 12 years ago with the Food and Drug Administration after learning that cesium-134 and -137 from Fukushima were detected in cow’s milk, Pacific Bluefin tuna, which migrate from Fukushima waters to California, and more. The FDA lifted all food restrictions on Japanese seafood in 2023, the same year that Japan began ocean dumping radioactive water at the devastated Fukushima Daiichi site. FDA has yet to act on the petition.

Until FDA finally does address the problem, what can we do to best protect ourselves and families? Information is power, and awareness is essential. Today we’re able to learn valuable lessons, one of the most important being that ingestion of radioactively contaminated food and water causes cancers, birth defects and chronic illnesses. Mushrooms, berries, soft cheeses, milk, beef, shellfish and tuna tend to attract higher levels of cesium 134 and 137 than some other foods. They are the same radionuclides cited in the Citizen Petition. Cesium is relatively easy to test for and its presence is an indicator that other radionuclides are present.

Invest in filtered water ~ It isn’t possible to filter all radionuclides from our water (tritium and carbon-14 can not be filtered) many other harmful toxins can be filtered, including microplastics. This decreases the toxic burden in the body. Choices include ceramic filters, reverse osmosis and activated carbon filters.

High quality nutritional supplements ~ A high quality vitamin and mineral supplement (don’t forget the minerals) can help block some radionuclides from accumulating in the body. For example, calcium helps to block strontium 90 from accumulating in bones and teeth.

Wisely sourced food ~ It’s always best to eat unprocessed, whole foods whenever possible. A list is included below. Whatever you choose, consider organic whenever possible. Eating organic does not mean food is free from radionuclides (although organic standards don’t allow irradiation, a process that kills microorganisms including bacteria and doesn’t make food radioactive). Please take a minute to sign this petition Keep Harmful Radioactive Waste Out of Our Food, Conventionally Grown or Organic.

Apples ~ are usually considered wonder food, high in fiber, vitamins and minerals and a popular snack with kids.  Kids drink a lot of apple juice too and pediatricians often advise parents of very young babies that it helps relieve digestive issues.  The pectin in apples helps lower heavy metal toxicity, and new research points to anti carcinogenic properties too.  But conventionally raised apples are grown with a lot of pesticides. The Columbia River Valley in Washington state grows a vast amount of apples and the Columbia River has been called the most radioactive in the world due to the Hanford Reservation’s history of weapons grade plutonium production.

Berries ~ After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Russia in 1986, researchers learned that strawberries and wild berries attracted higher concentrations of radioactive cesium.  Just think for a minute how many foods and beverages are made from berries.  Jams, jellies, pies, popsicles, juices, the list goes on and on. Other options are juices like lemonade, limeade, orange and many other non-berry options.

Butter ~ Same as other dairy products, butter from grass fed cows has increased potential for radiation accumulation. The good news is that there are alternative oils for spreading, cooking and baking: hemp, coconut,  safflower, sunflower, soy and canola are others to consider.  Using a variety to decrease possible chemical exposure is best.

Cheese ~ Almost immediately after Fukushima started spewing radiation in 2011, France’s Commission for Independent Research and Information on Radioactivity (CRIIAD) advised pregnant women, children and the elderly to stop eating soft cheeses.  Countries in the European community have been much more aware of the Fukushima threat because of their proximity to the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in 1986. There are plenty of non-dairy cheese options.

Fish oil supplements ~ Some companies will tell you that they test scrupulously for heavy metals.  Visit their website or call them to verify.  Consider options like flaxseed oil and hemp oil.  They both come in liquid and capsules and have many of the same health benefits of fish oil. Hemp also has a delicious buttery taste.

Grass fed beef  ~ Prized by carnivores for superior levels of omega 3 linoleic acid over the conventionally raised corn-fed variety.  But larger animals who are cultivated for a longer life span tend to accumulate more radioactive cesium.  Beef, like tuna, is in that category. Grass is a potential source of radiation because the jet stream brought pouring rain to the US in March and June of 2011. That seems like long ago but there is evidence that radionuclides bioaccumulate and biomagnify in the food chain. Common sense says that eating lower on the food chain more often would mean less exposures to animals that bioaccumulate radionuclides like cesium 137 and strontium 90.   

Green tea ~ Much of the world supply comes from China and, you guessed it, Northern Japan.  Ironic and worrisome, considering how so many people love to guzzle green tea thinking that it will help prevent cancer. Fair Trade coffee grown in the southern hemisphere is one option, yerba mate is another. 

Milk ~ Grass fed organic needs to be looked at closely too.  There are options which, when incorporated in the diet, can help to lower accumulation of radiation in the body.  This is especially important to remember because we always hear how much kids need milk and calcium.  Soy, hemp, almond, oat, coconut, rice are all alternatives to cow’s milk and are fortified with calcium too.

Sea salt: Ok, the word “sea” should always be a heads up.  Sea salt is in all kinds of foods these days, and somehow just the word “sea salt” seems to mean healthier.  It’s harvested from the ocean and deserts too. It’s never a bad idea to call the company and ask about their production methods and if they test for heavy metals.

Seaweed, kombu, nori ~ Time and again we are seeing  blogs and articles advising that seaweed is radiation protective and should be used now more than ever in the diet.  Dried seaweed has become a popular snack with kids due to the crisp texture and salty flavor. But until sea vegetables are tested for radiation, there is a good chance that seaweed has been or will soon be exposed to radiation releases from Fukushima.  Thankfully there are alternatives like chlorella and spirulina. Do they test for heavy metals? Or choose not to source from oceans at all.

Wild mushrooms ~ We know from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that mushrooms attract radiocesium. Indeed mushrooms get much of their nutrients from the atmosphere and can’t differentiate healthy minerals from unhealthy ones.  Over 80% of conventionally raised button mushrooms are grown indoors or in a covered green/warehouse area. Some people prefer to avoid mushrooms altogether.    

Wild caught salmon, tuna, sashimi and sushi ~ According to NOAA it takes 55 days for BlueFin tuna to migrate from Japan (waters offshore of the Fukushima region) to the west coast of the U.S. Whole Foods sells sustainably farmed Atlantic salmon sourced from Norwegian fish farms that are open to a free flowing ecosystem.

Clearly, it’s no longer business as usual when it comes to food safety, conventionally grown or organic.  It’s important to understand that anywhere there is soil to grow food, or water to harvest seafood, there’s also potential for radionuclide contamination. Without transparent testing and monitoring, we don’t really know what is safe or not. To honor the anniversaries of Fukushima, Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, you can sign the companion to the FDA Citizen Petition HERE.