健康英语新闻:U.S. finds low levels of radiation in milk

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Xinhua) -- A trace amount of radioactive iodine has been found in a sample of milk from the west state of Washington, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Wednesday.

According to a joint statement from the two agencies, results from a screening sample taken March 25 from Washington detected 0.8 pCi/L of iodine-131, which is more than 5,000 times lower than the Derived Intervention Level set by the FDA.

These types of findings are to be expected in the coming days and are far below levels of public health concern, including for infants and children, the statement said.

Iodine-131 has a very short half-life of approximately eight days, and the level detected in milk and milk products is therefore expected to drop relatively quickly.

"Radiation is all around us in our daily lives, and these findings are a minuscule amount compared to what people experience every day. For example, a person would be exposed to low levels of radiation on a round trip cross country flight, watching television, and even from construction materials," said Patricia Hansen, an FDA senior scientist.