3131: Cesium

2025-08-20T15:35:07Z

2A02:8070:787:6A80:945D:1AF8:51BB:9B4F: Missing words in transcript

{{comic
| number = 3131
| date = August 20, 2025
| title = Cesium
| image = cesium_2x.png
| imagesize = 588x298px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Someday I hope to find a way to mess up a recipe so badly that it draws the attention of the International Air Transport Association, the International Mathematical Olympiad, or the NSA.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
{{w|Cesium-137}} is a radioactive {{w|isotope}} of cesium. This comic was posted the day after the {{w|FDA}} posted an [https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-advises-public-not-eat-sell-or-serve-certain-imported-frozen-shrimp-indonesian-firm advisory] about frozen shrimp from an Indonesian firm, because they detected this hazardous material in a shipment.

Rather than being concerned about the potential health impacts, [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are curious about the technical details that led to this contamination. Cs-137 is normally a by-product of nuclear reactors, which are not normally used in food processing.{{cn}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[Megan, on the left, looks at a news story on her phone next to Cueball.]

:Megan: There's a recall of frozen shrimp contaminated with cesium-137.
:Cueball: With ''what?''
:Megan: I know, right?
:Cueball: ''How!?''

:[Megan puts her phone away and shrugs.]
:Megan: No idea, but I bet it involved some expensive equipment. Those cesium sources aren't cheap.
:Cueball: Man.

:[Megan stops shrugging, with Cueball in thought.]
:Megan: It's honestly a little inspiring to realize that it's always possible to screw up in a totally new way.
:Cueball: Yeah, the biggest agency whose attention '''''I've''''' drawn by messing up a recipe is the local fire department.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

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3131: Cesium