Testing for presence of radioactivity in food products imported from Japan to Canada

Takeuchi, Kazuhiro (author)
Sidhu, Bobby (Advisor)
Zitouni, Abderrachid (Advisor)
British Columbia Institute of Technology School of Health Sciences (Degree granting institution)
(editor)
(translator)

Following the Fukushima Nuclear accident of March 11th of 2011, many people, particularly among the general public are still skeptical about the safety of foods imported from Japan. Furthermore, currently little radiation monitoring of food happens in Canada. The present study aims to test for the presence or absence of gamma radioactivity in various food products imported to Canada from Japan. Thirty commonly imported Japanese and thirty-two additional Canadian food products were purchased from supermarkets and convenience stores in Vancouver, British Columbia. All samples were tested for gamma radiation from cesium-134 and cesium-137 using a portable gamma spectrometer, the EXPLORANIUM GR-135 Plus Identifier. All food samples tested in this experiment were found free of any detectable gamma radioactivity.

© Kazuhiro Takeuchi 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright heron may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphics, electronic, or mechanical including photocopying, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems – without written permission of the author.

2015-04

11 pages

Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015.
Peer reviewed