radioactive sheep?
By jb78000
@jb78000 (15139)
December 30, 2009 7:18am CST
well it is well known that chernobyl itself and the area around it are still experiencing the consequences of the disaster but the cloud that drifted over north west europe is still having effects more than 20 years later. some apparently more economic than anything else.
in the uk sheep farmers have been having a very hard time. sheep still need to get tested although the farmers are saying the meat is now completely safe (and it looks like it probably is from what i have read). the food standards agency is being extremely cautious. there is a link at the end with the details.
so several questions - feel free to answer one, a couple or all of them as you please.
do you think this is health and safety carried to extremes?
is your country still affected in any way by the chernobyl (or other) nuclear disaster?
since nobody is completely sure what a safe level of radiation is would you eat mutton or lamb that came from a sheep in one of the affected areas?
do you think in general nuclear power plants are worth the risk?
and here is the link if you want more information: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/29/sheep-farmers-chernobyl-meat-restricted
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4 responses
@JodiLynn (1417)
• United States
30 Dec 09
well...I don't eat sheep, not even the tender racks of lambie's (man cans count as a rack!) I just don't like the texture & fattiness. What we do eat is almost all locally raised, so I can go pet my meals before they ripen :)
We have Three Mile Island here in PA, which in 1979 one reactor melted down. Now I live close to an Excelon reactor, which, knock wood, has never had any "incidents".
Also in Pennsylvania, we have a quaint little town called Centralia. You can visit, but a haz-mat suit is advised, along with breathing apparatus, as the gasses and fumes can over come you. Oh yeah, and there is NO EMERGENCY responders to rescue you if you don't heed the warnings and blockades. It is, quite literally, a ghost town. Mining gone horribly wrong is the culprit. The town burns from beneath the surface, and there is no way to extinguish the fires. there are NO critters there, at all.
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@jb78000 (15139)
•
30 Dec 09
jodi - going to look these up but do you have links? we like you don't always hear about everything that happens in other people's hamlets
[after seeing the comment about petting your dinner considers evangelical vegetarian outburst. then realises this would be really boring, to her as well as to everybody else]
lamb - are those the causers of the grey clouds?
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@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
31 Dec 09
Well clearly where I am, there isn't an effect from Chernobyl. But if there were, you bet I'd be finding alternate food sources.
As for nuclear power plants, there's a decomissioned one that I can see from my house. It reminds me of a Science Fiction story I once read. A group of aliens watching us from space, very short story, in which they remarked that any body stupid enough to mess with nuclear power on their own planet deserved what they get.
disclaimer - I don't claim to be any sort of expert on the subject though. I'm just leery about it.
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@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
4 Jan 10
hi jb well if it c ame to a toss up between maybe radioactive sheep and other meat I know is not radioactive I would save the poor sheep's life and eat the safe meat as long as its lean, or leave meat out that meal and go veggie for a day. I am not at all fond of eating lamb or sheep really.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
30 Dec 09
Sellafied, that's the one. Do you also recall the name of the beautiful beach it was situated next to. Once came across a lovely pair of tourists who'd had a great day up on the beach there, couldn't understand why they had the whole beach to themselves. Seemed to think the adjoining power station was some kind of tourist attraction. Off they went glowing into the darkness.
@jb78000 (15139)
•
30 Dec 09
i don't know actually - and i went to go check but it wasn't easy to find so i stopped. several beaches were affected and i know one was closed. so radioactive tourists then. nice image. oh and if you want a good laugh here is a link to sellafield's own website: http://www.sellafieldsites.com/
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