In Situ Measurement of Cesium-137 Contamination in Fruits from the Northern Marshall Islands
In situ measurement of cesium-137 contamination in fruits from the northern Marshall Islands Carlisle E. W. Toppinga, Maveric K. I. L. Abellaa, Michael E. Berkowitzb, Monica Rouco Molinaa, Ivana Nikolic-Hughesa,c, Emlyn W. Hughesa,b,1, and Malvin A. Rudermanb,1 aK=1 Project, Center for Nuclear Studies, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027; bDepartment of Physics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027; and cDepartment of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 Contributed by Malvin A. Ruderman, May 15, 2019 (sent for review March 5, 2019; reviewed by Paul Cadden-Zimansky and Katrin Karbstein) Radioactive contamination of fruits in the northern Marshall the RMI governments for resettlement (8). According to our study, Islands, resulting from the US nuclear weapons testing program in Rongelap Island had external gamma radiation levels below this the 1940s and 1950s, is still a human health concern, in particular standard, and several islands on Enewetak Atoll had levels of ex- pertaining to island population resettlement and the economic ternal gamma radiation that were indistinguishable from Majuro benefit from farming. Over 200 fruits, primarily coconuts and Island in the southern RMI, which we had designated as a control pandanus, were collected on 11 islands from four atolls in the island. However, because the total radiation dose must be con- northern Marshall Islands in 2017. The energy spectra from nuclear sidered, rather than just external gamma radiation, it is critical to gamma decays were measured on a research vessel for each fruit in examine other exposure pathways, including ingestion. 137 situ. From these recordings, the level of cesium-137 ( Cs) contam- Radiological contamination of the local food sources is one of ination was determined for individual fruits.
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