Fda Fern Radiation in Food Project

 Project SummaryThe Washington Department of Health Public Health Laboratories (WAPHL) operates acomprehensive environmental radiation laboratory with advanced radiation emergencyresponse capability, including procedures for measuring radiological contamination in foods.Food safety and security are essential components to public health as well as commerce inWashington State. Washington is a large agricultural food producer and has several majorports which are active in food importing and exporting. From the ports, food is shippedthroughout the Unites States, as well as the Pacific Rim and other parts of the world.The ultimate objectives of this application are: Maintain expertise in radiological food testing atthe Washington State Radiation Laboratory; maintain capacity to process a large number andwide variety of samples quickly and accurately; strengthen existing collaborative partnershipswith FDA and other FERN laboratories strengthening the Integrated Food Safety System,maintain expertise in keeping radioanalytical instrumentation in good working order, and; modifyor develop rapid radioanalytical procedures to analyze foodstuffs. This application willspecifically be used to fund two radiochemists primarily to maintain expertise and capacity, toparticipate in surveillance and emergency response testing of foods, and as time allows,continue matrix extension studies for rapid analysis of beta-emitting strontium isotopes infoodstuffs.