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Urgent Radiation Information
"Here is the Official Word on the Radiation dangers in Wild caught Alaskan Seafood caused by the Earthquake damaged Nuclear Power plants in Fukushima Japan. If you have additional concerns, please contact us and we'll do the best we can to get you answers."
According to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute...
Every state, federal and international agency as well as every credible independent scientist is saying seafood from the Alaskan waters of the North Pacific Ocean is safe to eat.
On March 23, 2011 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a “Questions about Food Safety” document, which includes the statement,
Seafood from the United States waters for the North Pacific is safe to eat. In the unlikely scenario that airborne pollutants could affect U.S. fishermen or fish landed in the U.S., FDA will work with NOAA to ensure frequent testing of seafood caught in those areas, and inspection of facilities that process and sell seafood from those areas.”
The FDA goes on to explain that assessment by stating: The great quantity of water in the Pacific Ocean rapidly and effectively dilutes radioactive material, so fish and seafood are likely to be unaffected. Steam with radionuclide contamination disperses in the air and deposits on water/ground surface. Over how wide an area depends, among other things, on how high the steam is propelled and on wind speeds at that altitude range. If it deposits on water, it is further dispersed by currents and, ultimately, the laws of diffusion. If the amount of water available is large, the concentration becomes very low.”
A link to the full document can be found at: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm247403.htm
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is currently considering implementation of active monitoring systems for United States fishery areas which would include frequent testing of seafood caught in those areas and inspection of processing and sales operations from those areas, should those measures become necessary. However, due to the reasons stated above, no testing regime is in place at this time.
A joint press release on March 19, 2011 from the State of Alaska Office of the Governor, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Social Services stated: Because there is no immediate or anticipated indication of harmful radiation reaching Alaska or its waters, all seafood and other food items produced in Alaska remain safe to consume.
State officials will notify the public by way of media channels and department websites in the event of any changes in the current situation.”
A link to the full document can be found at: http://www.hss.state.ak.us/press/2011/radiation_pr_032011.pdf
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute will remain vigilant in monitoring the all information on Alaska Seafood safety and relating that information to the many consumers, customers, fishermen, processors and distributors of Alaska Seafood.
A letter from the National Fisheries Institute to Retail Seafood Buyers says...
As Japan continues to face challenges related to the recent earthquake and tsunami, accurate and timely facts concerning the situation there and its impact here in the U.S. is paramount to combating misinformation.
Unfortunately, this evening ABC News aired a story that may raise concerns about seafood caught in the Pacific that would be available in the U.S. market. Given the likelihood that you may receive questions from your consumers in the coming days, we wanted to reemphasize the government’s message. The FDA is unequivocal in its statements that seafood from U.S. waters of the North Pacific is, “safe to eat.”
The FDA last week reiterated their statement that regulators from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), FDA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are monitoring the nation’s resources and are prepared to launch a multi-agency testing and inspection effort “in the unlikely scenario that airborne pollutants could affect U.S. fishermen or fish landed in the U.S.”
The ABC News segment focused on the concerns of one U.S. fishery (pole and line albacore tuna). In a poor piece of journalism, the reporter talked about this fish ending in canned tuna. NFI estimates that at most 0.3% of canned tuna enjoyed by Americans comes from this fishery. And recall that the U.S. FDA remains firm in its statement that fish caught in the region are“safe to eat.”
Japan has established a limit for radioactivity in seafood (the same limit as for vegetables). It is important to remember that less than one tenth of one percent of seafood eaten by Americans comes from Japan - and all seafood from the impacted areas of Japan is being tested by US FDA and Customs and Border Protection agents.
Rich & Debbie
