Traces of radioactive fallout from nuclear tests decades ago found in American Honey
Kathmandu, April 23. A new research has revealed that traces of radioactive fallout from nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s can still be found in American honey.
The radioactive isotope, known as cesium-137, is found in low levels which are less harmful. But it is astonishing to find such an element even decades after international bomb testings have ended.
Cesium-137 is a byproduct of nuclear fission involving the reaction of uranium and plutonium. Its traces are found in food sources due to nuclear contamination in the environment.
Plants that have a low level of potassium absorb cesium as both have atomic similarities, thus fulfilling the nutrients lacking in the metabolic process of those plants.
As a result, cesium finds it way into plant nectar passing it onto bees. Bees then magnify its concentration while making honey, resulting in more presence of cesium in the honey we consume.
The population of pollinating insects is on the decline and cesium could be considered as one of the reasons. Researchers have said that more research is required to preserve the world ecosystem.
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