Radiation Detected In Drinking Water In 13 More US Cities, Cesium-137 In Vermont Milk

By JEFF MCMAHON

The Ingenuity of the Commons

Radiation has reached the EPA's maximum

contaminant level in some milk samples

(Royalty-free image collection via flickr)

• Unusual Reading At Chatanooga Nuclear Plant

• Milk Contamination At EPA Maximum

• Highest Levels Yet In Boise Rainwater

[UPDATED 4/11 with FDA's Derived Intervention Level]

Radiation from Japan has been detected in drinking water in 13 more American cities, and cesium-137 has been found in American milk—in Montpelier, Vermont—for the first time since the Japan nuclear disaster began, according to data released by the Environmental Protection Agency late Friday.

Milk samples from Phoenix and Los Angeles contained iodine-131 at levels roughly equal to the maximum contaminant level permitted by EPA, the data shows. The Phoenix sample contained 3.2 picoCuries per liter of iodine-131. The Los Angeles sample contained 2.9. The EPA maximum contaminant level is 3.0, but this is a conservative standard designed to minimize READ MORE...Click Here