I appreciate the notice about the study.  We have studied radioactive
materials in honey, pollen, and bees in the U.S. since the early 1970's,
having worked in rural areas of the west and on a variety of DOE and DOD
sites - e.g. downwind of nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel rod
reprocessing facilities, etc.

We also collaborated with Croatian scientists conducting post-Chernobyl
studies.

The Lithuanian study says that recent levels of radioactive materials in
honey do not exceed human health safety standards.  Our studies show that
these materials can show up in beehives, but not usually at levels high
enough to be a health threat.

In Croatian, measurable levels of some radionuclides were found in honey
derived from honey dew nectar - and this seems to be a consequence of the
Chernobyl accident.  Again, the levels are measureable, and the transport
routes of interest, but do not appear to pose any threat to people eating
honey.


Jerry J. Bromenshenk, Ph.D.
Director, DOE/EPSCoR & Montana Organization for Research in Energy
The University of Montana-Missoula
Missoula, MT  59812-1002
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel:  406-243-5648
Fax:  406-243-4184
http://www.umt.edu/biology/more
http://www.umt.edu/biology/bees