FDA Warns Public Not to Consume Potentially Radioactive Shrimp

The Food and Drug Administration has warned the public not to consume certain frozen shrimp products sold at Walmart due to possible contamination with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope. It said the warning affects the Great Value brand of raw frozen shrimp sold at the superstore, adding that anyone who purchased the product should dispose of it.   A statement from the agency said the FDA was “actively investigating reports of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination in shipping containers and frozen shrimp products” in a shipment from Indonesia. It said that the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) had detected Cs-137 in shipping containers at four U.S. ports: Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami. The FDA added that although it had not confirmed the presence of contamination in any commercial product in the United States, the shrimp products appear “to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern.”  “If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away. Do not eat or serve this product,” the FDA statement added. The FDA said limited exposure to Cs-137 can cause “an elevated risk of cancer, resulting from damage to DNA within living cells of the body.” The FDA has recommended that Walmart recall this product. TIME has contacted Walmart for a response. This is a developing story.