New Research Reveals Traces ofbr Radioactive Fallout in American Honey.br The College of William & Mary conducted br a study in 2020 and discovered a br radioactive isotope in American honey.br The isotope in question, cesium-137, is a byproductbr of uranium and plutonium nuclear fission. .br According to lead researcher Jim Kaste,br nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s coated thebr atmosphere in isotopes, including cesium-137. .br There was a period in which webr tested hundreds of nuclear weaponsbr in the atmosphere … What that didbr was put a blanket of these isotopesbr into the environment during a verybr narrow time window, Jim Kaste, via Science Alert.br Because of this, cesium-137 can bebr found in a number of food sources. .br But Kaste was surprised to discover that honeybr registered “100 times hotter” than other foods. .br Through his research, Kaste found thatbr honey samples from areas with low-potassium soilbr were more likely to be rich in cesium-137. .br The lack of potassium leads plants to take upbr cesium-137 instead and express it in their nectar,br which bees then collect to make honey.