UC Cooperative Extension Marin County

Food and Nutrition Safety and Environmental Health - Science Briefings and Guide for Our Community

Radioactive Contamination and Food Safety: Cesium-137 & Shrimp Recall Explained 

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This video provides a science-based explanation of the recent FDA recall of shrimp contaminated with Cesium-137. It covers what radioactive contamination means, how Cs-137 behaves in food, and why adjacent groceries are not automatically affected. Using real-world examples, including past accidents, the briefing explains the difference between radiation and contamination, how food safety recalls protect the public, and what steps community members can take if they encounter recalled products.

Part of our Food and Nutrition Safety and Environmental Health: Science Briefings and Guide for Our Community series, this on-demand session is designed for both staff and community audiences. Viewers can watch at their own pace and gain a deeper understanding of how we supports food and nutrition safety across food systems and public health.
 

👇 Scroll down for more short videos on key subtopics of interest (all under 1 minute)

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FDA latest update of Shrimp Recall_ September 2, 2025

 

  

 

Video Navigation (Subsessions / Subtopics)
00:00 Introduction
21:36 Science in Action Cesium-137 Basics
23:40 Half life and decay
25:06 Cs-137 half life & how long it stays in the body
25:47 Ionizing Vs Nonionizing
27:28 Ingestion (internal) Vs External exposure
27:54 Does Cs-137 attach to the body permanently?
28:15 Health effects
28:52 What harms DNA and organs if Cs-137 is ingested?
29:31 Prussian Blue (Radiogardase)
30:50 How can Cs-137 contaminate foods? Will irradiation make adjacent foods radioactive?
32:22 How to discard Cs-137-flagged shrimp?
34:07 Excreta & Sewers: What happens after ingestion of Cs-137?
34:43 Radiation in everyday life
35:07 Comparative levels of radiation exposure
36:20 How we measure it?
37:20 Dose context for perspective
39:07 Why recall below the Derived Intervention Level?
40:33 References
 
 
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