Lithuania Turns Back Radioactive Berries
A truckload of forest berries triggered an alarm at Lithuania’s border, exposing another side of the security checks protecting Europe’s food supply.
Lithuanian border guards refused entry to 20 metric tons of blueberries from Belarus on November 3 after detecting cesium-137, the State Border Guard Service announced the following day.
The truck reached the Šalčininkai crossing early on Tuesday. Fixed radiation-monitoring equipment sounded an alert, and officers checked the load again with portable instruments before identifying the radioactive isotope.
Specialists at Lithuania’s Radiation Protection Center recommended refusing the shipment, according to the border service. The truck and its cargo were returned to Belarus.
