Frozen raw shrimp sold at Walmart in several states may be contaminated with a radioactive isotope, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.
The FDA issued a warning on Tuesday regarding possible exposure to Cesium-137, or Cs-137, detected in shipping containers and frozen shrimp products at four U.S. ports. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol alerted the FDA about the Cs-137 detection, and regulators collected samples from the container and the products, confirming the presence of the radioactive component in one sample of breaded shrimp, according to the press release.
Frozen raw shrimp sold at Walmart in several states may be contaminated with a radioactive isotope, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.
The FDA issued a warning on Tuesday regarding possible exposure to Cesium-137, or Cs-137, detected in shipping containers and frozen shrimp products at four U.S. ports. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol alerted the FDA about the Cs-137 detection, and regulators collected samples from the container and the products, confirming the presence of the radioactive component in one sample of breaded shrimp, according to the press release.
What is Cesium-137?
Cs-137 is a man-made radioactive isotope and trace amounts of it are found in soil, food and air, according to the FDA.
The levels detected in the breaded shrimp sample could pose a health concern if consumed over an extended period.
“The level of Cs-137 detected in the detained shipment was approximately 68 Bq/kg, which is below FDA’s Derived Intervention Level for Cs-137 of 1200 Bq/kg. At this level, the product would not pose an acute hazard to consumers,” the FDA said in a statement. “Avoiding products like the shipment FDA tested with similar levels of Cs-137 is a measure intended to reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could have health impacts with continued exposure over a long period of time.”
The long-term effect of repeated low exposure to Cesium-137 is an elevated risk of cancer, resulting from damage to DNA within living cells of the body, the agency said.
