Science Past from the issue of July 2, 1960

HIGH MILK CONTAMINATION FROM NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS — Radioactive contamination of milk is likely to be “the most widespread hazard” resulting from a nuclear accident or explosion depositing fission products on agricultural land, according to recent studies in England reported in a forthcoming issue of Nature…. Elements that appeared to cause the greatest contamination are the isotopes of iodine and strontium although barium-140 and cesium-137 also contribute to the peril. These findings resulted from a series of 53 experiments with 44 cows in which the fission products were artificially introduced into the diet of the animals and their milk subsequently monitored for radioactivity.

From the Nature Index

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