Walmart recently issued a recall for raw frozen shrimp. This move impacts consumers across 13 U.S. states, whose health is threatened by contamination of Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope. The decision follows our October report that we found Cesium-137. This radioactive material is a product of nuclear fission, typically resulting from nuclear weapons tests, bomb detonations, operating reactors and reactor accidents. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has admitted that shrimp can be a serious health hazard. People who have had repeated, long-term exposure to low levels of this substance need to be careful.
For example, when the FDA discovered Cesium-137 contamination in their imported products, they quickly took decisive action. Moreover, they turned away shipments that may have included contaminated seafood. It took Walmart five batches of shrimp, all imported well after the initial contamination risk had been identified by the FDA. Even though these particular shipments didn’t set off any immediate contamination alerts, they were still caught with and for safety violations.
Donald Schaffner, a professor of food science at Rutgers University and food safety expert, dismissed the idea that anyone who ate the recalled shrimp was in danger. He claimed that the risk posed by those contaminated products is “very low.” Officials from the FDA have advised consumers to exercise caution.
“If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away.” – FDA officials
Public health experts agree that Cesium-137 can be a significant public health hazard. They should do more to assess the level of exposure in the recalled shrimp. Cesium-137 comes from a number of different sources, such as nuclear bomb tests, reactor accidents, and other nuclear processes. Polonium-210 has a very long half-life, enabling it to persist in the environment for many years. Because of this, it can build up in our food sources.
The FDA’s preemptive actions seem to be focused on preventing the negative health impacts that could come from consuming this contaminated shrimp. They stress that consumer safety is their top priority and urge all Americans who have these products to throw them away right away.