Radioactive pet bowls

[rostasi]

I was tempted to place this info in the "Politics" section

and rant on the importance of having regulations of

which some pinheads seem to have so many problems with,

but, alas, I figured that most of us have more than a few

brain cells and would clearly understand. Also, not everyone

here, with pets, visits the "Politics" section.

from a newsletter I receive:

"A foreign supplier mistakenly used small quantities of radioactive Cobalt-60

in making certain stainless steel pet food bowls for Petco, the company says.

'The affected products were found to emit low levels of radiation.'

...Customs and Border Protection agents discovered the problem during routine

screening of a large cargo container..."

more here

Not sure what you're supposed to do with it if you have one tho.

Edited October 28, 2012 by rostasi

[sonnymax]

You neglected to include these statements from the notice:

The Cobalt-60 levels in the affected products are far below State and Federal regulatory limits. All of the expert testing conducted on these products to date indicates that there is no health risk to the public, to our associates or to pets.

The Illinois state government did its own testing and issued a news release stating that “a person would have to hold one of the bowls against their chest for roughly six and a half days to receive a dose of radiation equivalent to a single chest X-ray,” and that “these bowls do not pose an immediate health risk.”

...very few affected items were actually sold to consumers. We are working to contact those customers to inform them of the situation and to retrieve those particular bowls....Customers who purchased these products between the dates of May 31 and June 20, 2012, should bring it to their local Petco store for a full refund. If you have any questions, please call Petco Customer Service at 877-738-6742.

[Jazzmoose]

This explains why Smedley has gained the superpowers of a food dish and can contain vast amounts of kibble...

[rostasi]

I think the rules of the board prohibit me from printing the full article.

Yeah, you're right. I suppose only a little contamination is just fine.

Edited October 29, 2012 by rostasi

[Dave James]

If your dog begins to glow, it's probably time to call the vet.

[Big Wheel]

I think the rules of the board prohibit me from printing the full article.

Yeah, you're right. I suppose only a little contamination is just fine.

Radiation exposure is especially dependent on distance from whatever is emittiing it. Your house's smoke detector likely contains radioactive americium, but as long as it's staying on your ceiling and not strapped to your pajamas every night your exposure should be negligible.

[Ted O'Reilly]

"Radioactive pet bowls"?!?

Do radioactive pets need special bowls? And where do you get radioactive pets in the first place?

There are things I just don't understand...

[AllenLowe]

actually, this saved my dog's life the other night when he ran into the road - they could see him for miles, and all the cars stopped.

[JSngry]

Call me an old fussbudget, but I'd think the concern would not be the amount of radioactive material, but rather the fact that there was a failure in oversight that allowed it to slip in there to begin with.

[papsrus]

I wonder what else the foreign supplier manufactures?

[Ted O'Reilly]

I wonder what else the foreign supplier manufactures?

Let's hope it's not toilet bowls...

[JSngry]

Or Geiger counters...

[Jazzmoose]

Your house's smoke detector likely contains radioactive americium, but as long as it's staying on your ceiling and not strapped to your pajamas every night your exposure should be negligible.

Yes, and it needs it to work. What purpose does radioactive material serve in a food dish? Plus, radioactivity exposure is cumulative. It's not like you can say "it's okay, this is a different element, so it won't add to my exposure".

[Big Wheel]

Your house's smoke detector likely contains radioactive americium, but as long as it's staying on your ceiling and not strapped to your pajamas every night your exposure should be negligible.

Yes, and it needs it to work. What purpose does radioactive material serve in a food dish?

Obviously it doesn't, and it's wise to minimize your exposure to all sources of ionizing radiation, but screaming "CONTAMINATION" like Three Mile Island is melting down inside your house is an overreaction. With the level of Cobalt-60 we're talking about here, if you hear about the recall, take the bowl back or dispose of it however they're telling you and you'll be fine. And if you don't and the thing stays on your floor for 20 years, you'll almost certainly still be fine thanks to the inverse square law that causes radiation intensity to vary with the square of your distance from it.

(I hope everyone freaking out about trace Cobalt-60 in your pet bowls also makes sure to avoid the backscatter X-ray machines that are still at many smaller airports, which likely deliver a much stronger dose.)

[sidewinder]

One satisfied customer..

[Dave James]

I wonder what else the foreign supplier manufactures?

I did a deep dive on Google. They make a high end kibble called Sr 90. Sr, of course, is the chemical symbol for Strontium.

[rostasi]

the fact that there was a failure in oversight that allowed it to slip in there to begin with.

this.

...and suggesting that anyone is "screaming 'CONTAMINATION'"

is itself an overreaction. There was never any mention of how

it would affect me or other people in the original post,

but if you want to go in the direction of health concerns then

I'll point out the obvious: humans are not always the center of the universe.

Do we know what "low level of radiation" is for a 7 pound animal over,

let say, a dozen years? "State and Federal regulatory limits"?

No problems...but they are "working to contact those customers to

inform them of the situation and to retrieve those particular bowls..."

Also, if you check the original post, you'll see that the importance

of some form of proper regulation was the issue of concern.