The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene's Proposal to create a baseline of radiological levels found in Wisconsin's raw milk and by extension, dairy products

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

Radiochemistry: Analytical Track Food Defense 2020 Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene FDA Laboratory Flexible Funding Model PAR-20-105 Project of Radiological Discipline Abstract/Summary Establishing a radiological baseline for the dairy products of Wisconsin The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) is Wisconsin’s public and environmental health laboratory. As part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the WSLH is committed to exploring new ideas and developing new programs to benefit the state and nation. The WSLH’s Radiochemistry unit has been a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) for over twelve years. This agreement has enabled the WSLH radiochemistry department to maintain and enhance its testing capability and capacity for rapid and accurate response in the event of radiological food emergencies. The department has experience in gamma and alpha spectrometry, gas proportional counting, and liquid scintillation counting. The Radiochemistry unit uses only approved Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and FDA FERN Cooperative Agreement Program methodologies. The unit is certified and inspected by the EPA, a complete quality assurance and quality control program is maintained. This laboratory is not a regulatory laboratory for human or animal food, nor does it perform animal diagnostic laboratory services. According to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Wisconsin produced over 30 billion pounds of milk last year and is the country’s largest producer of dairy products. With the cessation of the EPA RadNet milk sampling program in November 2014, WSLH’s Radiochemistry unit is seeking to fill this deficit in the nation’s food monitoring by testing Wisconsin’s raw milk to further the FDA’s efforts to prevent foodborne exposures to contaminants from a radiological event. The program will focus on analysis of raw unpasteurized milk samples from the state’s dairy plants for gamma emitting isotopes, including 137Cs and 131I. All results obtained for this project would be reported to the nationally integrated science system FERN. Future goals include increasing the number of dairy plants beyond the initial scope of this project and expanding to incorporate alpha and beta emitters, such as americium, plutonium, and 90Sr.