# Radionuclides in Food - Capability/Capacity Development

> **NIH FDA U19** · NEW JERSEY STATE DEPT/HEALTH/SENIOR SRVS · 2020 · $187,500

## Abstract

Project Summary – Discipline C: Radiochemistry, Track 2 
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) Public Health and Environmental Laboratories (PHEL) is 
pursuing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Laboratory Flexible Funding Model cooperative 
agreement focused on improving the capability and capacity of NJ to maintain food safety and security. In this 
project, the radioanalytical laboratory will expand the radiochemistry capability and capacity through: 
 a) Purchasing a new 16-detectors proportional counting system (Tennelec LB4200) to expand the capacity of 
 gross alpha/beta tests. The new instrument will primarily be used for the analysis of gross alpha/beta in food 
samples. 
 b) Hiring a fulltime research scientist and a laboratory technician to maintain the personnel necessary for the 
 analysis of food. The research scientist will perform radiochemical preparation of food samples, operation 
 and maintenance of instruments, and methods development to support the cooperative agreement goals. 
 c) Develop a rapid preparation and analysis method for I-131 in milk to provide surge capacity testing needed 
 for low level I-131 measurement (< 1 pCi/L) for milk during the recovery phase following a nuclear event. 
The 
laboratory will develop a method to concentrate the iodine on a resin through a batch- 
anion-exchange technology. The Iodine-131 will be determined by directly counting beta of the resin 
Current methodologies are either not sensitive enough or are costly in terms of time and resources. 
Dowex-1×8 ion-exchange 
in a low 
background liquid scintillation counter. Sample preparation could be completed within four hours. Assuming the 
sample is received within four days of collection (decay factor ~0.5), 80% of chemical yield, and the counting 
efficiency of 60%, and counting of 30 minutes, the minimum detection limit for 1.0 L of sample will be far below 1.0 
pCi/L. The total time of analysis from receival to report could be completed in as few as eight hours. 
By conducting the work detailed in this proposal and managing an integrated food safety system, NJDOH will be 
able to expand its food defense and safety activities while further safeguarding public health. Importantly, the 
work conducted by PHEL will supplement the national efforts of the FDA and other states while providing our 
federal and State partners with critical radiological contaminant data they can use to enhance their food defense 
and safety activities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10175321
- **Project number:** 1U19FD007119-01
- **Recipient organization:** NEW JERSEY STATE DEPT/HEALTH/SENIOR SRVS
- **Principal Investigator:** PEIXUE MA
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $187,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10175321

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10175321, Radionuclides in Food - Capability/Capacity Development (1U19FD007119-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10175321. Licensed CC0.

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