radioactive watermelons??? dude, yer cantelopes are glowing..

September 12, 2002

" There are practically no cases of radioactive watermelons this

year, " was the triumphant announcement of Andrei Buyanov, one of

Moscow's corps of atomic food inspectors. Unfortunately for

Muscovites, there were plenty of other radioactive fruits and

vegetables. Moscow is 415 miles from Chernobyl, where an atomic

reactor blew up in 1986; food found in the region can still be

contaminated. Last year, inspectors seized more than 3,000 pounds of

radioactive food bound for the stalls of the city's 69 outdoor

markets; this year, they expect to haul in 10 percent more. The

riskiest foods are those foraged in forests -- mushrooms, berries,

and the like, which are generally handpicked in the wild, making them

harder to monitor than food grown on farms. Mushrooms, for instance,

which are a staple of Russian cuisine, are prone to absorbing Cesium

137, a radioactive element with a half-life of 30 years.

straight to the source: New York Times, Michael Wines, 12 Sep 2002

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