General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsALL THE BEST, SCIENTIFICALLY VERIFIED, INFORMATION ON FUKUSHIMA IMPACTS
1. My favorite magazine growing up, Popular Mechanics, has a very nice write up about understanding radiation counts from radiation safety expert Andrew Karam. Andrew Karam has over 30 years of experience in health physics (radiation safety), beginning with an eight-year stint as a mechanical operator and radiation safety specialist in the Navy. Since then, Karam has worked for the State of Ohio, Ohio State University, the University of Rochester and as a private consultant. Favorite Quote: In the areas of Japan I visited, radiation dose rates were elevated to about three to four times typical natural radiation dose rates (which are about .1 mrem per hour), but nowhere near as high as natural radiation levels Ive measured in parts of Iran.
2. Is the west coast being fried by Fukushima radiation? Dr. Andrew Thaler, a marine biologist and chief editor of Southern Fried Science, totally dismantles Michael Snyders Activist post 28 Signs That The West Coast Is Being Absolutely Fried With Nuclear Radiation From Fukushima. Take Home: No and the Snyder article distorts the truth and outright lies to advocate for his position. Favorite Quote: The article is a paranoid, poorly reasoned attempt to link the tragedy of the Fukushima disaster to just about every environmental issue facing the US west coast in the last few months.
3. Are high radiation readings being observed on the west coast of the United States? No doubt youve seen the video of a man in San Francisco, California using a Geiger Counter showing high radiation readings on the beach. Enter Dan Sythe, the CEO of International Medcom Inc. that develops and produces radiation detection instruments and systems. Dan has a list of impressive credentials on everything Geiger Counter related. At the Geiger Counter Bulletin, he tests the same California sand and compares it to readings from Fukushima. Take Home: The radiation signature in the coastal sands is normal and is not the same as from Fukushima. Favorite Quote: The radionuclides are in the NORM class of radioactive substances, not from Fukushima. NORM stands for Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material
If the sand were contaminated by radiation from Fukushima it would show Cesium 137 [it does not]. Super Favorite Bonus Quote: The radiation level [in the sand] is elevated, but roughly equivalent to some granite counter top material from Brazil.
4. Related to the above, Wendy Hopkins an Information Officer of the California Department of Public Health, has made a public statement. Favorite Quote: Recent tests show that elevated levels of radiation at Half Moon Bay are due to naturally occurring materials and not radioactivity associated with the Fukushima incident. There is no public health risk at California beaches due to radioactivity related to events at Fukushima. By the way, Dean Peterson, Director for Environmental Health Services for San Mateo County, also stated that the radiation is due to naturally occurring minerals typically found in coastal geology.
I understand why people are scared and concerned. I grew up in the age of imminent nuclear destruction (does anyone else remember doing nuclear attack drills in schools that were very similar to tornado drills?). My generation and the baby boomers before us were steeped in a pot of nuclear fear and skepticism. As Kim stated in her post, While there are terrible things that happened around the Fukushima Power Plant in Japan; Alaska, Hawaii and the West Coast arent in any danger. These posts were meant to scare people (and possibly written by terrified authors). They did just that, but there is a severe lack of facts in these posts. I caution everyone to thoroughly evaluate all claims and look at the biases and expertise of those making them.
6 MORE IMPORTANT POINTS INCLUDING
-Is radiation, in the form of Cesium, reaching the west coast?
-Are babies in the U.S. dying as a direct result of Fukushima radiation?
-Is everyone on the west coast swathed in Fukushima radiation?
: http://fukushimaupdate.com/all-the-best-scientifically-verified-information-on-fukushima-impacts/
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)hobbit709
(41,694 posts)using distortions and outright lies like that purported radiation plume map-which is actually a tsunami wave height image.
mahina
(17,715 posts)You're the best.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)It makes little sense that concentrations could be so high after diffusing for thousands of miles. I'd think it would fall off as one over distance squared or cubed.
Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)Japan is where I want to eventually live.
longship
(40,416 posts)madokie
(51,076 posts)I have a question for you. When they say normal radiation levels is that due to all the nuclear weapons test that were done in the years following WW2 or is it due to natural causes. I know we have natural uranium deposits as there is one near what I call my home place. I don't know but I suspect a lot of what is called normal background radiation is because of all the testing that was done years ago. Best I remember there were literally hundreds of test, air, water and inground of which inground in my way of thinking would be the safest.
Thanks
FBaggins
(26,775 posts)It's well below 1% of the annual dose.
That doesn't mean that all of the dose is "natural" of course. In the US, roughly half of the estimated dose comes from medical testing or treatment.
Interesting to note that while the dose from nuclear testing is comparatively small... it's still many many times higher than that from Fukushima.
madokie
(51,076 posts)he's not a shill for the nuclear industry as I see you to be, sorry.
again my apologies
FBaggins
(26,775 posts)Your past swings in being able to assess reality on the subject long ago removed your opinion of me from the list of things I care about.
Here are a couple authoritative sources:
http://hps.org/documents/environmental_radiation_fact_sheet.pdf
http://www.ncrppublications.org/Reports/160
The second source is expensive, but the piece you're looking for is summarized in the USA column of the wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_radiation
Bonobo
(29,257 posts)But it is a good one.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)very very little of the normal background radiation comes from atomic testing in the period between WWII and the atmospheric test ban treaty. The majority of background radiation comes from natural decay of radioactive elements in soil and bedrock, and granite bedrock tends to have a higher concentration of uranium and radium than other rocks (this is also why houses built in areas with granite bedrock can have issues with radon, see here for instance).
madokie
(51,076 posts)Thank you for this.
maindawg
(1,151 posts)How many times have we been lied to ? How hard is it for some billionaire to spread propaganda ? Hell they are using disney characters to brainwash our elementary students these days. No, you will need alot more than some article in a magazine to convince me.
I would prefer to read about what the hell they intend to do about the situation than some article assuring me that the radiation pouring into the pacific ocean everyday cant hurt me. Bullshit.
RC
(25,592 posts)Take a couple of years off, get a small boat and go from the West coast to Japan. Take note of all that water along the way. Keep in mind how deep that water is. You will cross over water that is well over six miles deep in some places.
If there really were a danger, as you say, from that radiation from Fukushima on the west coast, Northern Japan would be glowing in the day time and everything to the horizon in all directions, would be dead. That doesn't seem to be the case.
My expertise on how much water is out there? I was in the Navy and crossed the Pacific three times. Plus my globe and various world maps, education and some common sense. Find a swimming pool and put in a couple of drops of black ink. What color did the water in the pool turn?
snooper2
(30,151 posts)Another thing they are missing is the radioactive water is a little heavier, and a lot is moving towards the South Pole (being heavier) and freezing...
When Global Warming really heats this summer and starts melting the ice there the levels will be 20-50 times what they are now! Everywhere!
I would stock up on what fish is left now. My wife is looking for a good freezer we can put a couple years worth of fish in.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)Because gravity on a globe on your desk is exactly the same as gravity of Earth. So the south pole is "down" and everything runs to it.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)I feel really bad for the Emperor Penguins that live there-
I hope they aren't glowing this summer
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)If X=the amount of radiation found 1 kilometer from the Fukashima site.
and
The distance from Japan to California is about 8700 KM.
then
the radiation at any given point in California will be X/75,690,000.