> “easiest explanation” is that a medical or industrial device containing cesium-137 was inadvertently reprocessed as scrap metal. The radioactive material could have become gaseous after entering the PMT furnace and then been released from the facility’s smokestack
Half life tracking presumably would give a "birthday" for the cesium-137 source. Given they suspect scrap contamination in a recycling smelter, its at best informing to root cause. That, and the length of the tail yet to come as it passes down the ladder.
Protectionist regimes and opaque supply chains that aim to maximize profits above all else aren't motivated to provide honest answers, only a least-damaging public relations narrative.
What was the local impact of this pollution incident?
> "Some of the highest levels of contamination detected in the area were reportedly found in the company’s furnace, which is about 1.5 miles southwest of the BMS Foods facility where the shrimp was processed. Investigators think that radioactive dust was released into the environment after PMT inadvertently smelted scrap metal containing cesium-137. “Because it’s airborne, the contamination can be carried by wind,”..."
Wikipedia page doesn't have any estimates on when the contamination event might have started (so products processed before that would be safe). It only tells that the food recall in the US started 2 months ago.
So, as an aside, I think consumer reports could do so much to embrace the digital era and access new generations of consumers.
My parents read it regularly, and I subscribed for a year or two about a decade ago and felt so strongly how it hadn’t seemed to change since I was a kid in 1990s. And as I’m deep in tech, I feel the lack of content and communication.
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[ 0.19 ms ] story [ 42.1 ms ] threadhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prachin_Buri_radiation_inciden...
https://qz.com/thailand-radioactive-cylinder-found-foundry-1...
> "Some of the highest levels of contamination detected in the area were reportedly found in the company’s furnace, which is about 1.5 miles southwest of the BMS Foods facility where the shrimp was processed. Investigators think that radioactive dust was released into the environment after PMT inadvertently smelted scrap metal containing cesium-137. “Because it’s airborne, the contamination can be carried by wind,”..."
https://www.riskyornot.co/episodes/815-radioactive-shrimp
> Risky or Not? Radioactive Shrimp
> Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating shrimp impacted by the recent recall.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_radioactive_shrimp_recall
My parents read it regularly, and I subscribed for a year or two about a decade ago and felt so strongly how it hadn’t seemed to change since I was a kid in 1990s. And as I’m deep in tech, I feel the lack of content and communication.