Blast From The Past

The May 26, 1962, issue of Nature contained an article titled "Iodine-131 and Other Fission Products in Drinking-Waters." The scholarly journal article was published in the wake of the appearance of iodine-131 in air, water and milk due to nuclear weapon testing in 1961. Scientists in England sampled rainwater and surface water for levels of iodine-131 and they summed up the findings:

"It can be concluded, therefore, that the amounts of iodine-131... likely to be ingested in drinking-water from the sources we have examined constitute a negligible hazard to the population."

Reference: Bentley, R.E. et al. (1962). "Iodine-131 and Other Fission Products in Drinking-Waters." Nature 194, 736-737.