RE: DOE REDUCES RADIATION IN CHERNOBYL-AREA FOODS

["Cuttler, Jerry" <CuttlerJ@spkb.candu.aecl.ca>]

What is the annual dose from the Cs-137 in the milk?  What is the dose from 
the K-40 in the milk?  Should the potassium also be removed?
 ----------
From: radsafe
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: DOE REDUCES RADIATION IN CHERNOBYL-AREA FOODS
Date: Saturday, April 27, 1996 2:08PM


     Below is a U.S. Department Of Energy Press Release on reducing
     radiation in Chernobyl-Area Foods.  Please note, I did not write
     this.

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     NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:                      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
     Barbara Wetherell or Amber Jones,    April 25, 1996 202/586-5806


     U.S. PARTNERS USE HIGH-TECH MEANS TO REDUCE RADIATION IN
     CHERNOBYL-AREA FOOD; AIDS U.S. NONPROLIFERATION GOALS

     The Department of Energy today announced joint funding of a
     $1 million project in Ukraine that will remove Chernobyl-related
     radiation from foods while furthering U.S. nuclear on
     proliferation goals.  Selentec of Atlanta, Georgia, which has
     developed a technology for treating radiation-contaminated water,
     will invest almost half of the funding and join DOE's Argonne
     Laboratory in putting its technology into use in Ukraine.
     Selentec recently demonstrated in tests at Argonne that it could
     remove 95 percent of the radioactive cesium in Ukrainian milk.

     Nuclear weapons scientists, engineers and technicians at the
     Ukraine Institutes of Nuclear Research and Superhard Materials
     will also work with the Argonne and Selentec specialists to
     remove radioactive cesium from several food products, starting
     with milk and later including drinking water, juice, and baby
     food.  The project furthers the U.S. nuclear nonproliferation
     goal of preventing "brain drain" in the Newly Independent States
     by providing nonmilitary projects that can help stabilize the
     technology base at local institutes while promoting trade and
     investment opportunities for U.S. industry.  The food-treatment
     program is one of more than 200 under way or completed that
     involve the former defense institutes of the Newly Independent
     States and U.S. laboratories.  About 15 percent of these projects
     involve U.S. industrial partners in cooperative work aimed at
     commercializing products or processes.

     The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident contaminated large
     land areas in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, primarily from
     fission product fallout.  The dose to humans in Ukraine is mostly
     due to food ingestion, and about 80 percent of that dose is from
     cesium in milk.  Food production has been greatly reduced,
     driving up prices, and the milk, juice, and baby food that are
     produced contain levels of contamination that, although below
     maximum permissible levels, prevent the products from being
     exported.  In addition, water in Ukraine is not considered safe
     to drink, and drinking water is provided primarily by imported
     bottled water, increasing the stress on the Ukrainian economy.

     The Ukraine proposal, while providing health and economic
     benefits for Ukraine, will further the work needed to
     commercialize the Selentec technology by demonstrating it can
     decontaminate milk, juice, baby food and water.  Full tests would
     be performed in accordance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration
     protocols to demonstrate that the treated food is safe for human
     consumption.

     DOE's Office of Nonproliferation and National Security will fund
     the first phase of the program, to demonstrate and test the
     technology for milk and water in Ukraine, with $80,000, then will
     provide $480,000 for the second phase of implementing the process
     for juice and baby food.  Selentec will also spend $480,000 on
     the detailed design and fabrication of the milk treatment process
     for use in Ukraine.  Following demonstration of the technology in
     Ukraine, Selentec will establish a Ukrainian business venture for
     private sector application of the technology in Ukraine, Belarus,
     and Russia.

     The Ukraine project addresses the critical need in Ukraine,
     Belarus, and Russia for safe, uncontaminated food, a potential
     market with an estimated value of more than  $70 billion over
     30 years in those three nations.  The anticipated business
     venture is expected to create thousands of jobs in the United
     States and Newly Independent States over several years.

     The U.S. effort to provide nonmilitary work at institutes in the
     Newly Independent States is part of the overall national nuclear
     nonproliferation goal of preventing the spread of nuclear
     materials, technology and expertise.  Besides Ukraine, the United
     States has cooperative programs under way in Russia, Belarus and
     Kazakhstan.  Ukraine has renounced nuclear weapons and signed the
     nuclear nonproliferation treaty.

     - DOE -

     R-96-054


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