The German dose limits are beyond ridiculously low due to a scientifically unjustifiable fear of radiation. A person would have to eat 28 lbs of contaminated meat to get the same low-level radioactive effects of being on a transatlantic flight [1]. Longitudinal studies of air crew who fly every day for decades have shown no increase in health risk from low doses.
The linear no-threshold model of radiation at super low levels is unsupported by any evidence. The terrifying death rate numbers people calculate are like saying that since CO2 can suffocate someone at a certain level, millions of people die suffocating on low levels of CO2. It's really wild.
It's an unpopular view, but the biggest problem with environmental radiation from nuclear incidents is you can easily detect it. Unlike crap like PCBs, mercury, glyphosates, pesticides and so on; all of which are much more fearsome than radiation from Fukoshima or Chernobyl.
And yes, I put my money where my mouth is, literally, by eating game meats in Ukraine.
Exactly. The incredible ability of radiation detection equipment to detect literally single nuclei decaying is a huge part of the problem. People hear clicks and assume it's dangerous. When I took my Geiger counter on a flight (carry-on), my neighbors were a bit surprised at the continuous clicking.
I didn't realize you could bring a counter on flight. I am going to have to buy me one of those. For science.
My favorite muons on international flights story: LBNL guys used to have film badges. One of them took a long international flight to go to some conference. He may have stashed his badge in his luggage where it was X-rayed as well. It was reported at a "head of DoE" level as a terrible human radiation incident. Nope, just the normal thing from flying (plus maybe some extra). There were still some old timers around with film badges, so everyone got to hear about the story so they don't do it again.
Anyway, while I don't want to be around too much ionizing radiation, I'd much rather avoid the numerous insane chemicals we put into the environment. Ukraine/Belarus food isn't as saturated in that sort of thing: they can't afford the costs.
There's a difference between simply being exposed to radiation and consuming radioactive substances since they get absorbed into your organs where they deal more direct damage.
Taking this into account, I would like to know how the "same low-level radioactive effects as" claim was calculated.
Very good observation, in case of some radioactive nuclides their effect is insidiously long term as they may accumulate in body (strontium-90). Many pro-nuclear people and outlets oversimplify the effects of radioactivity. Single number comparisons are not always adequate, since there are many types of radiation, exposure and effects.
For food contamination by radioactive nuclides such as Cs-137 limits were introduced in EU regulation from 1987 and this was last expanded and numbers updated in 2016:
For Cs-137 the limit is 1000 Bq/kg, in some countries it is lower - 600 Bq/kg.
The document does not seem to indicate how the number was determined, but it seems reasonable that scientists who understand radioactivity and impact of various radionuclide ingestion had some weight in the final decision.
This paper explains how the limit values were arrive at. In short, the rule is to assume that the contaminated food is the only source of food for the most sensitive ones (children). That's why the limits seem to be very strict.
Of course I would eat it. I'm a scientist. I understand that radiation at these low doses has never been shown to cause any harm. It's not some mysterious boogeyman to me. I've read the papers. I understand that natural background radiation is all around me all the time, and has been since the dawn of life. Biological systems are well-adapted to dealing with low-dose radiation. I understand that in certain parts of the world like Ramsar, the natural dose rate is 50x my dose rate, and that the hundreds of thousands of people living there show no increase in health effects.
If you'd like to send me some, we can arrange a live-stream of me eating it. I will measure it with my Geiger counter and then eat it in front of the world.
Having checked the levels to see that they seems reasonable? Sure.
Every steak you eat is radioactive. Every potato you eat is radioactive. To say nothing of bananas, one of the most radioactive fruit.
You're eating radioactive things every day of your life. Your body is adapted to deal with that, and with all the other carcinogens you encounter daily. It is only once the damage caused by that radiation gets to a high enough level that your body's defence systems can't deal with it any more that it starts getting dangerous.
The linear no-threshold model of radiation at super low levels is unsupported by any evidence. The terrifying death rate numbers people calculate are like saying that since CO2 can suffocate someone at a certain level, millions of people die suffocating on low levels of CO2. It's really wild.
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/09/05/germans-b...