NMS Strontium 90 in Milk Data Dictionary

Becquerel (Bq)
The International System of units (SI) for radioactivity used to measure the rate of radioactive decay.  One becquerel is defined as one decay per second.

Bq/L
The units used to report radioactivity concentration in milk.

Error
The amount the calculated value may vary from the true value.

Start Date
The date the milk was collected.  Milk is collected every three months.

Station Name
Milk samples were collected from various locations across Canada.  Sampling at all stations, except for Ottawa, was discontinued in 1994.

Strontium-90
Strontium-90 (90Sr) is a radioactive isotope produced by nuclear fission with a half-life of 28.8 years.  90Sr undergoes decay to yttrium-90 (90Y) via emission of a beta particle.





References
Environmental Radioactivity in Canada 1997-2009.  2013, Radiation Surveillance Division, Health Canada: Ottawa, Ontario
United States Environmental Protection Agency.  Radiation Glossary.  [Cited 2014-01-08].  Available from: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/glossary/