There was recent news item about radioactive material contaminating frozen shrimp that was being shipped to Walmart stores.

The FDA recalled the shrimp after finding elevated levels of Cesium-137 in shipping containers at 4 U.S. ports. At least one shrimp sample contained a higher-than-expected level of Cs-137. It is likely that radiation was due to contaminated containers, not because of contaminated food products. The origin of the shrimp was Indonesia.

Cs-137 as a flexible, soft, and silvery-white metal that liquifies near room temperature. The radioisotope is a byproduct of nuclear reactions. Trace amounts of Cs-137 are detectable around the world in our food, soil, and air,

I decided to test a package of frozen shrimp I bought at a local Wegmans store. First, I checked the background reading: 0.07 microSieverts per hour, or 0.007 millirems per hour.

I then checked the shrimp package. I detected no significant change from the background reading.

The results are anecdotal, indeed, but interesting.