Radioactivity Monitoring Test for Imported Foods Do you know that the imported foods such as milk powder,

chilled fish and canned fish items you purchase from the Sri Lankan market are screened to check whether they are contaminated with radioactive elements? The Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) which functions under the Ministry of Power and Energy of the Government of Sri Lanka is engaged in screening of all the relevant food items imported to Sri Lanka to make sure that food items are not contaminated with radioactive elements. The AEA is using a method known as Gamma Ray Spectrometry to check whether these food items are contaminated or not with radioactive elements. The only place having this facility in Sri Lanka is the Life Sciences Division (LSD) of AEA and this laboratory is maintained under ISO 17025 laboratory guidelines. Only if these food items meet a certain standard, does the AEA issue a certificate to the Ministry of Health and gives its approval to release them to the market. In this world no one can prevent from exposure to radiation continuously. We receive radiation from natural radioactive elements such as Thorium (Th), Uranium (U), Ptasium-40 (40K) present on earth and due to cosmic rays which come from outer space continuously. This naturally occurring radiation level is not harmful to humans. In addition, we are exposed to man-made radiation, mainly due to its uses in the medical sector. Furthermore, the general public can be exposed to harmful radiation which can be harmful to the human body. Through the food chain this kind of radiation level which is greater than naturally occurring, radiation, received could due to of be the the

contamination

environment as a result of testing of nuclear weapons and also due to the radioactive materials released to the environment from various nuclear accidents that happen all over the world.

In the last few decades there were large nuclear accidents that happened in the world which can cause health effects to humans all over the world. The Sri Lankan Atomic Energy Authority took necessary steps to make sure our people are not exposed to harmful radioactive elements. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident on 26th April 1986, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident on 11th March 2011 and testing of nuclear weapons in developed countries have caused contamination of food products with radioactive elements. Thus all over the world imported food items are tested using gamma ray spectrometry for radioactive contamination in both developed countries and a few developing countries. The Atomic Energy Authority also tests imported food items such as milk powder, infant milk food, canned fish and chilled fish using gamma ray spectrometry for radioactive contamination. Since 1997, the AEA has launched a project to determine the radioactive levels of imported milk food items to protect our people from undue exposure to radiation due to consumption of contaminated milk food products. This project was extended in April 2011 to test imported fish food items. The AEA has taken the right decision to test imported food items, such as chilled fish and canned fish using gamma ray spectrometry for radioactive contamination due to the release of a huge amount of radioactive Cesium (Cs) isotopes (137Cs &
134

Cs) to the Pacific Ocean as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

accident on 11th March 2011. A large amount of imported and exported food samples are tested per annum in the manner only if the radiation levels are below the relevant standards and certificates of analysis and authorization letters are issued by the AEA to release the food items to local and export market. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986, the total radioactive material released was 121018 Bq (Becqueral Bq is a unit used to measure radioactivity) and the amount of radioactive Cesium isotopes,
137 134

Cs and

Cs released were 0.051018 and 0.091018 Bq, respectively. This radioactivity

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was released to the atmosphere and spread according to the meteorological conditions led deposited on the surface of the earth over Northern Hemisphere countries. There is a possibility to accumulate spread radioactive elements to the milk through food chains and finally to the general public. From the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011, the total radioactive material released was 4.71015 Bq and the amount of radioactive Cesium isotopes,
137 134

Cs and

Cs released were 2.51015 Bq according to the NHK news published

after the nuclear accident. Not like the Chernobyl nuclear accident most of this Fukushima nuclear radioactivity was released to the Pacific Ocean and spread according to the sea currents. Most of the imported canned fish items and chilled fish are produced using fish which were caught from the Pacific and Indian Oceans which are now have swelled huge amounts of radioactive elements very recently. According to the Sri Lankan regulations allowed maximum radioactivity level is 20 Bq per Kg for milk foods and 100 Bq per Kg for all other food items (Act 19 at 1969 and Gazette notification LD-B/73-1995). In Sri Lanka, we are maintaining very low radioactivity levels for food items as standard values due to no contamination of our environment from radioactive elements while some other developed countries used high radioactive levels as standards as a result of nuclear accidents and nuclear weapons testing. As an example Japan is using 500 Bq per Kg as their standard limit of radioactivity in foods. It is the responsibility of the AEA to measure all imported food samples to ascertain that the radioactivity levels are below these standards. After the analysis of these food samples by gamma ray spectrometry, we certify that the imported food items which you can consume are below the harmful limits of radioactivity in Sri Lanka. The Atomic Energy Authority is the only place in Sri Lanka which makes necessary rules and regulations related to the ionization radiation which can be harmful to life. The Atomic Energy Authority is very proud to say that we have taken decisions at the correct time to make sure our general publics are not exposed to harmful radiation through contaminated imported foods and also we are gladly bound to protect our people in the future. M.C.S. Seneviratne, Shanaka Paranahewage
(Senior Scientific Officer) (Scientific Officer)

Atomic Energy Authority