Food Standards Agency
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Radioactivity report published
The level of radioactivity people absorb through food remained below the EU legal limit during 2008, says a report published by the Food Standards Agency.
Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE) 2008 is an annual report combining the Agency’s monitoring results with those of the Environment Agency, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. It is the most comprehensive annual independent report of radioactivity in food, and covers the whole of the UK.
The survey measures radioactivity from different parts of the food chain, including for people who live close to nuclear sites and eat locally produced food. The report also assesses how much radioactivity people would absorb from authorised radioactive discharges in the environment, for example from the air.
By combining these sources, the report found that the total dose in the UK is significantly under the EU annual dose limit for members of the public of 1 millisievert for all exposures to radiation. The findings do not highlight any safety concerns for the food chain.
The science behind the story
Radioactivity has been around since the Earth was created and it exists naturally in the atmosphere, soil, seas and rivers. It's also created by human activity during energy production and military operations. Inevitably, some of this gets into the food and drink we consume.
The main purpose of the Agency’s monitoring programme is to make sure that levels of radioactivity in food and drink, from discharges, do not lead to us receiving unacceptable amounts of radioactivity through our food. Authorised discharges are those that nuclear sites, or industrial manufacturers, are allowed to make under their operating licences.
