Testing for radioactive materials in breast milk

Abstract

Following the accident at Tokyo Electric Power's Dai'ichi Reactor, Fukushima Prefecture has conducted tests to detect the presence of radioactive materials in the breast milk of mothers applying for such tests. Of 467 mothers who applied for testing between June 2012 and March 2013, it was found that (134)Cs and (137)Cs were absent from all cases. The passage of time since the accident has seen a decrease in the number of mothers applying for the tests. Nonetheless, the prefectural government has decided to continue to conduct the testing as a means of allaying the anxiety of breast-feeding mothers in the future.