Radioactivity testing in food
Eurofins offers the radioactivity testing in food associated with contamination of the food chain with radioactive materials(30.03.2011) （Download PDF）:
Occurrence of radioactivity
Natural sources of radiation - a combination of cosmic and
terrestric radiation - represent the major part of radioactivity in the food chain. The radionuclides Potassium-40, Uranium-235 and 238 as well as products from these decay series such as Radon-222, Radium-226 and Thorium-232 can be dated back to the origin of the earth. Radio- nuclides such as Tritium and Car- bon-14 are continuously formed in the atmosphere. Main sources for man-made radioactive material dispersed in the environment have been the nuclear weapons tests performed in the 1960s as well as the reactor accident in Chernobyl in 1986.
Relevant nuclides
As past experiences have shown, severe damage and containment breeches within nuclear power plants lead to the harmful release of volatile isotopes such as Iodine and Caesium. Less volatile radionuclides such as Strontium, Antimony, Ura- nium and Plutonium can be part of aerosol or dust particle releases. The extent and severity of their release is highly dependent on the long half life of Caesium-137 of 30 years. In contrast the Iodine isotopes 131 and 133 with their short half-lives of up to 8 days are only relevant for a short time following a reactor accident.
Radionuclides in the food chain
Following a radioactive fallout the presence and bioavailability of Caesium-137 depends on properties and characteristics of the soil. In sandy soils Caesium-137 may quickly penetrate into deeper layers. In arable mineral soils, Caesium-137 binds to clay minerals resulting in significantly reduced bioavailability for agricultural crops. Therefore, Caesium-137 is normally not detected in fruit, vegetables, grains and cereals in Western Europe. Acidic soils and soils rich in humus, such as bog and forest soils are in a higher risk category as Caesium-137 maintains a higher mobility and bioavailability. Up to today these facts result in considerable contaminations of mushrooms, forest fruits and venison with Caesium-137 e.g. in Bavaria.
Regulatory provisions
The European Commission has boosted the safety meas- ures governing imports from Ja- pan. With immediate effect spe- cial conditions layed down in Commission Regulation No. 297/2011 come into force. Food and feed products from Japan are only allowed to be imported with safety certificates attesting that the products:
* have been harvested and/or processed before 11 March2011, or
* are not originating from one out of 12 named Japanese prefectures, or
* do not contain levels of Iodine-131, Caesium-134 and Caesium-137 above the maximum levels provided in the Regulations (EURATOM) No. 3954/87 (food), 770/9 (feed) and 944/89 (minor foodstuffs) (s. Tab. 1).
Consignments shall be notified prior to their arrival at the com- petent authorities and will be subject to random controls. Special conditions for food imports from Japan have also been issued by other countries such as the US, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hongkong.
Analysis
The analytical expertise in the field of radioactivity of Eurofins is based on more than 20 years experience. Our offering includes the analysis of Iodine-131, Caesium-134 and Caesium-137 by means of gamma-spectrometry using either germanium- or sodium iodide-detection. Sample quantities of about 1 kg are necessary. Other radionuclides such as Strontium-90 can be quantitated on request. In addition, we can analyse the elements (not radionuclides) Uranium, Stron- tium and Thorium using ICP- MS. Please find an overview of our offering in Tab. 2.
About Eurofins
* Global provider of analytical services with momentarily 150 laboratories and 8000 employees in 30 countries
* Competence centres and laboratories of excellence with state-of-the-art analytical technology
* Local contacts with a global network
* Punctual delivery of exact results
* Accreditation according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005 or the appropriate standard of the given country
* Continuous participation in proficiency tests to check and confirm our quality
* Authorised experts for double and cross checks according to § 43 of the German Food and Feed Code (LFGB)
