Radioactive material from the Fukushima disaster is found in California

After the disaster of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011, radioactive substances leaked into the surrounding areas, causing water and food to be contaminated with radioactive materials. Seven years later, the traces of the disaster were found half way around the world - in California's wine.

According to Live Science, a group of French nuclear physicists analyzed 18 bottles of California red wine produced from 2009 onwards and found that the amount of radioactivity in bottles came after the carpet. The Fukushima nucleus is higher than normal, some twice as high as Cabernet Sauvignon. They published those findings in the online magazine Arxiv.

Although the level of radioactivity has been measured, experts say there is nothing to worry about.

The researchers used two methods to look for traces of a radioactive isotope called cesium-137 . The first method developed about 20 years ago was to measure radiation through the glass shell, so there was no need to open or destroy the bottle. According to the study, before 1952, cesium-137 (radioisotope derived from nuclear reactors in the mid-20th century) did not exist, which is evidence that ancient wines contained impurities.

For more accurate detection, the researchers destroyed the wines by burning them into "ash". And they measured the amount of cesium-137 in the ash.

According to The New York Times, although the level of radioactivity has been measured, experts say there is nothing to worry about. The California Department of Public Health says " Californians are not facing any health and safety risks."

Besides, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the amount of radioactive substances from the Fukushima disaster infecting food and water in countries outside Japan is very low and does not pose a threat to human health.

According to the World Nuclear Association, even in Japan - the heart of the disaster, more than 100,000 people have been evacuated to another area and there have been no reported deaths or radiation diseases until now on. Moreover, most of the bottles of wine produced after 1952 are contaminated with some radioactive material.