High levels of radiation detected in Northwest rainwater

quasi44 said on July 25, 2011 at 10:12 AM

hey fellow HUMANS (hopefully were all Humans)

trojan33 said on July 13, 2011 at 4:53 PM

Sunhawk- Never adressed you, so not sure what you are talking about. However, from the limited data that has actually come out from Japan and what I learned about radiation in my second year of medical school is enough for me to know that what the government is saying is assinine. Physicians were given a statement from the feds on what to tell patients. Why? Because, everyone should panic but nothing could be done about it. End of story. I hope you get it now.

dawgswin said on July 13, 2011 at 3:25 PM

So what about the Ocean???

Sunhawk said on July 13, 2011 at 2:55 PM

@Torgen - You also continue to feed misinformation insinuating that the other radionuclides cesium-134, and 137, tritium-101, uranium-235, strontium-90, and plutonium-238, 239 and 240 are also a cause for concern when everything (milk, rainwater, drinking) has shown levels of those radionuclides in each sample being non-dectable, in other words, we can't find any in those samples. The only samples that contained other radionuclides were found in the air and they were so low as to be completely negligible (the highest being Iodine-131 @ .013 pCi/cubic meter and the next highest being Iodine-132 @ .0029 followed by Cesium-134 @.00052). So where did you receive your Geiger-counter training? Did you ever send the milk samples off for analysis? Precisely what were the levels you claim to have found? What process did you use to show that the effects were due to the nuclear fallout from Japan? You don't even spout facts, you just spout scientific vocabulary in an attempt to win the argument.

Sunhawk said on July 13, 2011 at 2:30 PM

@trojan33 - not that I think anyone is keeping up on this blog at this point except people that have trouble walking away from a discussion (points at self), but I never stated this was not a disaster of insanely catastrophic proportions. I also never stated that this disaster was not worse than Chernobyl. No one would dare refute that. Japan is facing hundreds of years of hardship esp. in the immediate area of the plants involved. What I was refuting was the sensationalism found in this story stating that the EPA withheld information and the insinuation that the radiation levels found in our rainwater were a cause for concern for our health in the Pacific NW. @Torgen - I agree that the preferred amount of exposure for any individual, especially children is none. However, the science and facts show that unless your kids were drinking 20L (5 gal.) of rainwater every day for weeks on end, you have no cause for concern. Don't let your kids deplete our natural resource of puddles.

theroyprocess said on July 13, 2011 at 10:07 AM

Test the air filters in your car for Cesium 137, Strontium 90, Plutonium 239 etc. Dr. Busby rightly said, "it does not matter if radiation goes away. These radioactive elements cause permanent, multi-generational DNA damage". Google Professor Christopher Busby about radiation caused infertility.

campbjer000 said on July 13, 2011 at 7:11 AM

I don't see anything on the EPA website stating that the levels spiked in our rainwater at any time except at one point near Richland....

Torgen said on July 13, 2011 at 2:47 AM

As a busy parent trying to make sense of the conflicting radiation exposure standards, I have two questions for the spokesman from the EPA. 1. What is the right amount of radioactive iodine-131, cesium-134, and 137, tritium-101, uranium-235, strontium-90, and plutonium-238, 239 and 240 for a toddler to be absorbing in Seattle? 2. My 4 year old will want to absorb a little bit more since she is a little bit bigger than her toddler brother, is that still safe or should I tell her no?

shareen said on July 12, 2011 at 10:27 PM

They are hiding information from the public to prevent mass hysteria. You will never get a straight answer from a politician or beaurocrat.

hippiescum said on July 12, 2011 at 6:39 PM

@yessir You really do love me....... I can tell! xxxoooooxxxxx

ronulus said on July 12, 2011 at 6:08 PM

We are on the wind and current paths of a triple Chernobyl but not to worry says those who make billions giving our children cancer.

yessir said on July 12, 2011 at 5:59 PM

Hippie... calling someone a "nutjob" is not attacking someone's intelligence. It is indicating that they are likely not entirely "stable"... there's quite a difference. And your job? Superhero? Oh boy... thanks for affirming my point.

yessir said on July 12, 2011 at 5:56 PM

trojan... I'm gonna have to say his single supporter isn't blowing my doors down ; ) No offense to you personally

hippiescum said on July 12, 2011 at 4:46 PM

@yessir So calling people nutjobs isn't attacking someone's intelligence? Look ,I don't care personally about this little spat we're having online. I'm just another superhero, forced to root out ignorance and call out little yes men on their mediocrity. It's my job - I can't help it. I was born to it. You're right, I'm so gladly not in the majority, which in this screwed up world, tells me I'm on the right track.

trojan33 said on July 12, 2011 at 4:42 PM

yessir- Every dog has his day. Even a dog as smelly as ol hippie. Today is his. He's right, like it or not. This is a big s storm and we are all trapped in it.

yessir said on July 12, 2011 at 4:32 PM

Honestly,,, even on this newsblog... who here wants to hold hands with ol' Hippiescum here and overthrow the US government, live in an air-raid shelter and seething in anger at everything and everyone who doesn't fit his nutjob vision of the world... lots of takers??

yessir said on July 12, 2011 at 4:24 PM

Hippie... LOL.. it's an internet news blog.. the Mensa candidates do not hang out here. Who does? Right wing conspiracy nuts. That's why you get so frustrated every election. Everyone agrees with you on your nutjob blogs, but suddenly at election time... your candidates lose again. Note I do not attack your intelligence. I've no reason to insult you, except to point out time and time again that you live in the shadows beyond reasonable discussion. You simply aren't in on reasonable debate my friend, because your agendas don't allow you to be. Feel free to keep attempting to degrade me. If you haven't noticed I don't care. BUT... I will keep shining the spotlight on precisely "what" you are. You aren't the majority my friend... and contrary to how you might wish to delude yourself... the majority is not massing to your side. That'd be the delusions talking.

hippiescum said on July 12, 2011 at 4:09 PM

@yessir - OUUUCHHHHH! You got me pegged there genius. Funny how, when faced with real information, low information people such as yourself have to resort to their only way of defending themselves; referring to people as nutjobs, conspiracy theorists, goofballs, tin foil hat wearers, etc. One thing you do have right -- I am anti-government (dems and repubs), and I have many other outlets for my rage against nimrods like you. The internet is a hobby.to amuse myself. Funny how most of the posts here agree with everything I've had to say. You should try reading them, if you can.

Torgen said on July 12, 2011 at 3:51 PM

For a preview of the health effects of low level radiation exposure please google video "Chernobyl Heart part 4" and see what children in the Ukraine are struggling with decades after the Chernobyl disaster. The health effects of ionizing radiation exposure on humans can also be observed by a google search of "depleted uranium munitions" or "depleted uranium birth defects" I'm not sure what "safe level" of radiation exposure is supposed to mean if reality indicates a Linear No-Threshold model is probably correct. If so then the EPA and NRC have no clue what they are talking about when they declare safe levels of radiation in our water supply.

trojan33 said on July 12, 2011 at 3:31 PM

I was going to address sunhawk but I see others have. The EPA monitoring is a joke. Anyone, that tells you this is not a disaster of unbelievable proportions is selling a lie.

trojan33 said on July 12, 2011 at 3:14 PM

Is anyone surprised by this? The disaster turned out to be far, far worse than anyone's worst case scenario they imagined. For once the media underreported and underestimated a disaster that all the experts said they were hyping up to sell news. All our urine is going to be glowing in the dark for as long as we live.

waynecrankshaft0 said on July 12, 2011 at 3:00 PM

I just can't listen to the Panic Freaks when they don't make sense, ....... ..... "The level that was detected on March 24 was 41 times the drinking water standard," said Gerry Pollet from Heart of America Northwest." ......."When in fact the rain water in the Northwest is reaching levels 130 times the drinking water standards," said Pollet." .............. ....... Which is it ??? ..... 41 times ??? .... or ... 130 times ??? ........ "THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING !!!" .................... ..............QUOTING CHICKEN LITTLE HERE.

my3cents said on July 12, 2011 at 2:56 PM

@yessir - thank you! I could not have said that more eloquently myself...

yessir said on July 12, 2011 at 2:45 PM

Hippiescum... everytime you "try" to slam me... I smile... If you had any idea how much, you'd quit trying. You are an anti-government conspiracy theorist nutjob of the umpteenth degree. Goofballs of your ilk "live" amidst internet blogs because it's the only place you can spout your nuttiness and not get laughed out of each and every room. I know you think you have power on the internet... you don't... hardly anyone is reading your ridiculous drivel.

Torgen said on July 12, 2011 at 2:19 PM

In the absence of radiation monitoring data coming from State or Fed govts re Fukushima by late March, I finally purchased a Geiger counter to test the food and water for myself. Store bought milk in my frig had detectable radiation that sent the Geiger counter clicking. UC Berkeley's Nuclear Engineering Dept said the source was likely iodine-131 and cesium-137. I have no desire to consume radioactive food so I stopped buying dairy and leafy greens. Reports say that other types of hot particles, strontium, uranium, and plutonium have made their way to North America too but these radionuclides are harder to detect. It's my understanding that ingested ionizing radiation can not be compared to external non-ionizing radiation since the internal emitters are far more dangerous. The EPA's monitoring info thus seems seriously incomplete and misleading as it provides no data on the more dangerous alpha emitters, nor does it factor in the concentrating effects of bioaccumulation

ronulus said on July 12, 2011 at 2:14 PM

There are no safe levels of ionizing radiation. Some will develop cancers in a few years and others will simply take longer. There will be a massive wave of thyroid and bone cancers. The nuke industry makes oncologists very rich as does the tobacco industry.

ronulus said on July 12, 2011 at 2:09 PM

The nuke industry and their lobbyists own our politicians and regulators. On one side are their billions of dollars in blood money and on the other multiple cancers for millions of us and our children. When is the last time mainstream corporate media reported on the triple meltdown, and the hundreds of millions of gallons of radioctive water spewing into the Pacific and washing up on our shores from Alaska to California.

hippiescum said on July 12, 2011 at 1:33 PM

Yes, sickputer, the eerie silence we are experiencing from our "leaders" is the sound of the nuclear industry rearing its ugly head once again. God forbid we should know the truth about the lunacy of nuclear power when there is so much blood money to be made.

hippiescum said on July 12, 2011 at 1:16 PM

@sunhawk So your 15 minutes of "research" proves what? That one part of nuclear fallout has a half life of 8 days? What about 15 other radionuclides that are released in meltdown situations, many with a half life of hundreds of days or years, not to mention the biggie, Plutonium. I suggest you download a copy of the Yablokov Chernobyl report from the New York Academy of Sciences. It will make your hair stand on end. Lots of documentation in direct conflict with the government agencies reports on how "safe" this disaster was. And in case you think that Fukushima is no Chernobyl, do some more research. That situation is not anywhere near over yet. If you expect to hear anything of truth about what is falling on our heads, don't look to the "official sources". It's all lies. And you should be afraid, be very afraid. And @yessir I have met many poodles smarter than you.

Sunhawk said on July 12, 2011 at 1:14 PM

@Kysondra Did you read my post at all? It can ONLY be brief because Iodine-131, the only detectable radionuclide that was outside normal limits, only has a half-life of 8 days. Based on the numbers presented by this article, just to reach the normal daily exposure level from natural sources of radiation the DAILY consumption timetable would look as follows: First 8 days - 10L of rainwater Next 8 days - 20L of rainwater Next 8 days - 40L of rainwater Next 8 days - 80L of rainwater Next 8 days - 160L of rainwater Next 8 days - 320L of rainwater At the point that the levels in rainwater are below the drinking water threshold an infant would have to drink 640L of rainwater just to equal the daily natural radiative exposure. That's a fraction of the level needed to be consumed for weeks/years on end to suffer any immediate or long-term health effects. How many vegetables, plants, etc. do you plant that are harvested in 6 weeks? By the time it hits your table it's non-detectable.

sickputer said on July 12, 2011 at 1:13 PM

There is no safe level of manmade radiation. Period. Radiation accumulates in plants and living tissue and the gradual accumulation of particles is worse than getting a big dose at once. This fact derives from historical studies of nuclear plant accident victims. As for the EPA...where were they when they shut down the monitoring for three months saying everything was fine? Why did General Electric (designer of the Fukushima complex and 24 Fukushima replica plants in America) pay ZERO dollars in 2010 income taxes on gross income of $150 billion? This when the top tax rate for corporations is 35%. Do they have extraordinary influence in Washington and the main stream media? Do you think that the main stream media silence of the past three months about Fukushima was because things were so great in Japan? The world wonders...

Kysondra said on July 12, 2011 at 12:59 PM

@Sunhawk (2/2)- You can’t tell me it isn’t irritating to constantly be lied to by the media and by the government. It’s basic psych that if you can’t justify or explain your position, the best way out is to distract the opposite party with irrelevant information that has enough relation to your subject, it can easily be mistaken for the answer. The people that are over-paranoid are those that don't understand what is going on. Like I said to yomama, people fear what they don't know. That's why you have all these crowds going out and buying iodized salt or iodide without even understanding what else you're exposed to from radiation, whether iodized salt is actually counteractive, or the health effects or allergic reactions from Iodide. All of this information, whether people are for it or against it won't do anything productive in the fearful hands of those who remain ignorant. But for those that care, and have done their research, there are a lot of red flags.

Kysondra said on July 12, 2011 at 12:55 PM

@ Sunhawk (1/2)- You’re partially correct. It doesn’t pose a threat to short term exposure. But it does pose a risk to long term. I think you’re missing the point. You have numbers that are correct. But you’re telling me the only time you interact with water is when it comes out of your faucet? You don’t eat freshly picked food from anyone’s garden, Pike Place, or a farmer’s market? You don’t get rained on incessantly being here in the northwest? You don’t eat the seafood that comes from the same ocean they were pouring radioactive waste directly into? The whole point of all of this is that this radioactivity will be around longer than our lifetimes, and the end result is that we will be exposed to this radiation (at higher levels than normal) for years and years. The article makes a note that, “Even the watchdog group admits, watering plants with water exposed only briefly to those levels is unlikely to cause health problems.” But the issue is that for many of us, it won’t be brief.

Kysondra said on July 12, 2011 at 12:54 PM

@yomama (2/2)- I guess, for those that don’t give a flying s#%&, let them get cancer and let us hope their children aren’t born with weird deformities. For those that are over-paranoid, they will move to the desert or go out and try to find Iodide supplements. Though, there are so many other elements that are more lethal and long-lasting with radiation, that even Iodide supplements wouldn’t save us from the stuff that gets into your bones, blood stream, and organs and stays there for life. The point is, most people in the NW WILL be exposed to this radiation for a lifetime and everyone who is in their 40’s, 30’s, 20’s and younger will more than likely see some terrible side effects. It is irritating that the government tries to play the public for stupid, and ignores data or acknowledging people’s concerns, or tries to distract us with a piece of information relevant to only short term exposure. It has nothing to do with fear. People fear what they don't know.

Kysondra said on July 12, 2011 at 12:52 PM

@yoyomama (1/2)- Sure, that makes complete sense that I would have a U-Haul and all my stuff packed up and ready to go with a new house purchased and my family willing to move with me in the same day this report is released! Come on, be realistic. You can’t save yourself from the radiation, but people can do things to make themselves less exposed to it. And it’s times like this where, if people chose to get involved instead of turning their heads, they could stand up and fight to make changes to prevent this sort of stuff from happening or to be informed when it does. And who gives a s#%& if there “isn’t anything we can do about it.” I think it’s important for people to know if their health, whether it’s short term or long term, is in jeopardy. Let the individual decide what they’re going to do about it. I am just sick of people choosing to be stupid and lazy and uneducated.

kitsapkommuter said on July 12, 2011 at 12:26 PM

"Higher than normal levels of radiation detected in Northwest rainwater" would have been a much more honest headline to the story, but it wouldn't get the eyeballs. Right, Gary? "Even the watchdog group admits, watering plants with water exposed only briefly to those levels is unlikely to cause health problems"

Sunhawk said on July 12, 2011 at 12:05 PM

@yessir Thank you. I needed that.

Sunhawk said on July 12, 2011 at 12:03 PM

The highest level of Iodine-131 in the DRINKING water during this time-frame reached .2 pCi/L. An infant would have to drink 7,000 L of this water to receive a radiation dose equivalent to a day’s worth of the natural background radiation exposure we experience continuously from natural sources of radioactivity in our environment. How many infants do you know that consume 7,000 L of water in a day? The half-life of Iodine-131 is 8 days. which means it doesn't get into the grasses, milk, drinking water, food before it decays into impotency and doesn't remain in the environment long enough to cause the daily exposure for weeks on end necessary for detrimental health effects (stated much later in the article). This information took me 15 min. of searching on the net. Are you telling me that investigative journalism can't find this information? No. They ran it anyway in sensational format for ratings. Big business is evil, the government has issues, but the media is the worst offender.

yessir said on July 12, 2011 at 11:56 AM

Sunhawk... it's like attempting to feed logic to poodles

dawgswin said on July 12, 2011 at 11:50 AM

These are the same people who went out and purchased plastic and duct tape after 9/11.

Sunhawk said on July 12, 2011 at 11:32 AM

The exploitative journalism and hyperbole comes not from the statement that the government detected higher than normal amounts of Iodine-131, but the presentation that it was disturbingly high over expected values and that the EPA was not forthcoming in its presentation of data. Everything presented by the EPA was transparent and proved that there was/currently is no health risk in the precipitation in the Pacific NW. It's 130 times (for a few days) the recommended drinking standard IN THE RAINWATER! But even then, inhumanly copious quantities over extended periods of time (weeks/years) would have to be consumed for the POTENTIAL of health risk to even be existent. You state it's a puff piece, and yet you are incensed that individuals take exception to the choice of presentation. The arguments presented here are not based on facts, but spun rhetoric. I'm sorry, but we don't need extremism from EITHER side to find truth; we need facts, reasonabliity, and compromise to find solutions.

risabee said on July 12, 2011 at 10:57 AM

It IS an advocacy group -- but so is the government -- so we should all get our own data and yes, this is worth checking if you can afford to. What to do is find someone who has a good modern dosimeter/Geiger counter, and DON'T use it like ten meters above the ground (EPA, IIRC), or even one meter (except for "baseline"). If I were seeing a significant overage at ground level compared to a one-meter-high count of, say, 10 to 40 clicks per minute, I'd consider relocating, especially with young children or a pregnant mother. EPA, in its internal documents, burbles about "acceptable" risk in terms of the number of sick people you may see per 1,000, etc. That tends to be what they mean by "safe." If it's *your* granddaughter, is that an acceptable casualty level? To you? Active particles congregate on foliage (wide leaves especially -- think lettuce), at the outlets of gutters, in rain barrels, in ditches, and in puddles. Later in fish, and after that, us.

goamerica said on July 12, 2011 at 10:53 AM

Well the government said it's o.k. ....so it must be o.k.

sickputer said on July 12, 2011 at 10:19 AM

It's funny to see how a few words can stir up the sleeping population. The truth becomes a snowball that can never be stopped on the mountainside as it rolls on picking up fresh snow until it becomes a juggernaut of truth. My answer to people who call me a fearmonger is the same as Benito Juarez gave Maximillan who thought he was some sort of Indian idiot: "It is given to men, sometimes, to attack the rights of others, to seize their goods, to threaten the life of those who defend their nation, to make the highest virtues seem crimes, and to give their own vices the luster of true virtue. But there is one thing that cannot be influenced either by falsification or betrayal, namely the tremendous verdict of history. It is she who will judge us." ----Benito Juarez 1864

Benito_Camelo said on July 12, 2011 at 10:13 AM

Why am I not surprised???????

hippiescum said on July 12, 2011 at 10:03 AM

@Sunhawk Where's the "exploitative journalism"? The article simply states some findings that are facts. If anything, this is a puff piece - go somewhere else if you want real journalism on what is happening with these nuclear accidents and their effects on people. In fact, this article makes it seem that there is no danger, if you'd read it. Sorry if you are so afraid of the truth and facts.

hippiescum said on July 12, 2011 at 9:55 AM

If not for the "fearmongers" people like sunhawk would be living in a bigger cesspool than they're already in. Do really think corporations would police themselves to spew less garbage into the environment. They care not at all for your health and the air, water, and land -- only profits. "Fearmongers" need to exist to balance out the larger portion of the population that are asleep at the switch.

Sunhawk said on July 12, 2011 at 9:48 AM

The desire for clean and healthy drinking water does not constitute a justification of hyperbole and exploitative journalism. Change through irrational fear is not any more constructive and can be more destructive than apathy. Extremism is infantile and counterproductive.

aziza said on July 12, 2011 at 9:27 AM

Sunhawk, its not perpetual fear, these "fearmongers" as you call them ultimately make way for healthier changes in our drinking water supply. Or would you rather drink from a soiled toilet?

hippiescum said on July 12, 2011 at 8:53 AM

@freemonttroll Yes, it does --- the "stable" isotope lead-206!!! I feel better already!!

puyalluprox said on July 12, 2011 at 8:38 AM

Any day now I imagine the Seattle City Council will pass a law taxing Japan for this radiated rain water. It's all they know.

freemonttroll said on July 12, 2011 at 8:33 AM

When uranium decays, isn't the byproduct lead?

hippiescum said on July 12, 2011 at 8:33 AM

From the level of intelligence exhibited by some of the comments here, it's obvious that the wholesale poisoning of humankind (PCBs, Chlorine, Dioxins, Mercury, Fluoride etc) has greatly diminished the ability of most people to think. All the happy little frogs sitting in their pot of hot water getting hotter and hotter make me sick. The radiation dispensed by the Japan disaster already exceeds Chernobyl, and there are still parts of Europe that people will not eat vegetables from. Japan's government has lied, the US government has lied, and the very atomic energy agencies set up to protect people have failed.(not surprisingly) So while there may not be much we can do after the fact, if you go around pretending everything is cool or that we should ramp up our nuclear power program, you are psychotic.

Sunhawk said on July 12, 2011 at 8:32 AM

All the fearmongers need to go back into their caves and don their makeshift aluminum hats and gas masks. If you want to live in perpetual fear, that's your right. There is no need to stir the public up into a frenzy over levels so low they pose absolutely no health risk. It would be impossible to differentiate whether any "cancer" a person got in the "next 40 years" would be due to insignificantly "contaminated" rainwater, genetic predisposition to everyday natural radiation, overexposure to the sun, carcinogens we breath and consume everyday as a result of fossil fuel consumption and poor diet, or the radiation from the plethora of electronics we surround ourselves with. Simply put, shame on you King 5 for seeking out and finding a group who spins paranoid delusions and cites convoluted facts that, to uneducated people, sound plausible, but in reality pose no threat whatsoever. Is this a tragedy? Yes. Does it pose a health risk greater that what we are normally exposed to? No.

applmagotqrntine said on July 12, 2011 at 8:26 AM

Well, I guess that explains the third arm growing out of my forehead....

sickputer said on July 12, 2011 at 8:22 AM

yoyomama writes: >You know, Kysondra, as my folks used to say, "either sh@% or get off the pot". If you are so stinkin concerned about the long term effects, MOVE! SP: It would be nice to move to Santiago or Tierra del Fuego if you had the money. But even South America is beginning to get bleedover from the Northern jetstream. If it gets bad enough or a couple more complexes blow up anywhere then there will be no place on this planet to hide above ground. Bill Gates might survive in a bunker hideaway, but eventually even his heirs will run out of food, water, and bottled air. Ask the 130 million people on Japan if they would like to move. Many will stay to their death because of love for their land. But others will jump at the chance to flee an island if all hope of survival is lost. No sense in speculating what might happen, but we do know northern Japan is seriously contaminated and it is not from Iodine. Cesium, strontium, and plutonium has made quite a longterm mess.

dea3761 said on July 12, 2011 at 8:21 AM

Just 8 days then everything will be ok. No worries. Our goverment is here to protect us.

yessir said on July 12, 2011 at 8:17 AM

one hope about this radioactive hype... hopefully it'll drive all the paranoid nutjobs away

sickputer said on July 12, 2011 at 8:11 AM

Mashuri typed these pixels of light: >But are there dangers from direct exposure to the rain? Should I start using an umbrella? SP: Yes, you should use a big umbrella. Wear long sleeves as they can deflect radionuclides which penetrate the skin barrier. Buy cheap but effective N95 breathing masks for yard work and when you hear the plumes are traveling this way (if you kept up with Internet sources you would know when this is happening). Replace air filters in your cars (wear a mask if you do it yourself). Run car air conditioners on inside circulating mode. Use HEPA filters at home. There have been about three episodes of massive plumes since 311 (March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami). The prevailing easterly jetstream has carried those higher altitude plumes in 36 hours to the west North American coast. Normal winds bring the rest of the bad stuff in an 8-10 day progression. Fukushima Daiichi should really be labeled a Level 8 nuclear disaster and they can't stop it.

yoyomama said on July 12, 2011 at 8:00 AM

You know, Kysondra, as my folks used to say, "either sh@% or get off the pot". If you are so stinkin concerned about the long term effects, MOVE!

sickputer said on July 12, 2011 at 7:57 AM

To posters who commented on the short half-life of Iodine... that is quite true. You could buy some iodine-contaminated cheese and sit it in your refrigerator for a couple of months and the radiation will be very reduced. However, iodine is not the only radionuclide raining down on your head. Very long-lived strontium, cesium, and plutonium have fired into the air from massive vapor releases from the explosions of reactor 3 (the bad MOX reactor) and the spent fuel rods at Reactor 4. Things progressed from a nuclear core melt-down to a melt-through and since this weekend a new term from the Japanese: melt-out. Hot nuclear lava (the corium) at 5000 degrees centigrade in its core is migrating from the containment buildings for reactors 1, 2, and 3. Where they end up (possibly a lateral movement to the ocean a few yards away) will determine the outcome of this disaster. There may be huge explosions yet to come. Japan and the northern hemisphere face new challenges ahead.

collegekid said on July 12, 2011 at 7:44 AM

If it's not unhealthy levels...why mention it? Pure sensationalism, King5. Let's not start getting everyone riled up.

sickputer said on July 12, 2011 at 7:39 AM

Yes, the defense of EPA is that rainwater is typically mixed (diluted) with public drinking water and the resulting water is below dangerous levels. That's the same argument they gave to Hawaiians who also had huge levels of radiation in their rainwater. The Hawaiian response to EPA: we have 17,000 households using strictly rainwater catchment systems. Over 50,000 people drinking contaminated rainwater. No response from EPA for resolving that issue! As the Fukushima crisis worsens (and yes it has) we are confronted with the unescapable nightmare of contaminated food supplies and air. Yes, you might be able to buy "safe" bottled water and "safe" hydroponic food or food from South America, but one thing we can't buy is bottled air. Nuclear plants are the greatest danger to the survival of the human race and frankly we are getting close to the tipping point. There is a new Doomsday clock on our watch and it doesn't refer to global thermonuclear war. The enemy is us.

yessir said on July 12, 2011 at 7:17 AM

Look at the bright side... with that cell-phone pressed to your ear... they'll never know which got to you first. Oh well, at least it's another cause the conspiracy theorists can clamor to. What would we have without worry eh?

kingster said on July 12, 2011 at 6:55 AM

I'm 64, single and would be over a hundred years old before any effect surfaced, and I'm not going to worry about it until someone tells me that I received a lethal dose today. I would worry about children. I guess if you are worried about child deformities you ought to forego sex. If you are worried about cancer, start praying and line up the specialists and treatment you need NOW. We nuked two japanese cities, not the russians or chinese, and we now reap the benefit of our actions. We could have avoided this nightmare but plunged ahead in spite of the warnings of the scientists who built the bomb. It is, however, possible that air pollution from cars and factories will kill us before radiation.

kingster said on July 12, 2011 at 6:48 AM

It sounds like alarmism, sensationalism all over again. What is a citizen supposed to do about something about which they can do nothing? If there is something to do, then tell us. Radiation of far greater potency rains down on us from the cosmos every moment, and there is no where you can go and nothing you can do. Don't sweat it.

otter814u said on July 12, 2011 at 6:19 AM

Don't make me angry,... you... wouldn't like,.. me when... I'm ..angry!! Arrrgghh!

stonetrails said on July 12, 2011 at 5:20 AM

The all those who posted in the early days of the tsunami and pretended to know something about the subject of radiation. I TOLD YOU SO!

w7rkd said on July 12, 2011 at 3:44 AM

Sasquatch would be very upset if he knew about this!

Kysondra said on July 11, 2011 at 11:14 PM

We will see the effects of radiation about 40 years from now when a large majority of us become ill and end up finding out we have cancer. Not to mention a huge spike in thyroid problems and fetal problems. @ dawgswin- And the levels from this are much higher than that we are exposed to from our microwaves. @ mashuri- It wouldn't be a bad idea to use protection to be as little exposed to radiation as possible. It might not be a high enough of an amount to those visiting from Indiana for a weekend, to cause any health problems. But for those of us who will be exposed to radioactive rain water that IS NOT SAFE for years and years, and probably our lifetime, we will be effected by it. For God's sakes, the whole west coast is directly across from Japan. We will be downwind from them until the end of time. Not to mention, our ocean was being contaminated with extremely lethal levels of nuclear waste being poured directly into the Pacific. Where do you think our rain comes from?

roblh31 said on July 11, 2011 at 10:56 PM

I hope we all don't have babies with two heads. I mean, we will not see the effects of the radiation until the birth of the new generation.

Kysondra said on July 11, 2011 at 10:50 PM

NEST Helicopter. Nuclear Emergency Search Team.

Kysondra said on July 11, 2011 at 10:50 PM

Do not trust that our government or any government would inform the public when it would just be "good to know" and not serious. The goverment is like any other business structure that needs to maintain the control and calmness of the people below them. It goes like this, you about the beginning when there's an issue that first happens. Then the news reports and government reports die out. The government doesn't share information until it's too late and people are at risk, in order to avoid mass panic. Plus people are paid to keep their mouths shut in order to avoid serious detrimental actions. People should always be concerned before the government has to tell you to be concerned. That's usually the last card they have to play. Why is there now a government issued helicopter to monitor radiation levels? That's an expensive operation, and they won't do it if there isn't a reason to do so. I want to hear more about our long-term risks.Why do they focus on short term only?

Kysondra said on July 11, 2011 at 10:37 PM

"The EPA says, "safe drinking water standards are based on chronic exposure to radiation over a lifetime." " First of all, multiple scientists have stated that radiation from the Fukushima plant will be around for decades. Secondly, for those of us here, we WILL be exposed to this over a lifetime. So what the hell is the government's answer for our long-term health and not just keeping our focus on today? And also, radiation, if anyone has done their research, doesn't need to be consumed. It can be touched, inhaled, rest on your clothes, stays on inatimate objects for its "lifespan", or soak into your skin, for you to be exposed to radiation. So there should STILL be reason to look into this, even if departments are saying our drinking water is safe. That's not the issue. We should be concerned about radiation exposure well above safe limits, no matter how we are exposed to it. Also, the government raises the limit of "safe levels" of radiation when there's been a leak.

Kysondra said on July 11, 2011 at 10:29 PM

So there's an issue with high levels of radiation being detected in rain water (though not the air). But dangerous if exposed to for a long period of time. I find it interesting that the EPA downplays this when we will see radiation from the Fukushima plant for at LEAST my lifetime and Seattle is constantly exposed to rainwater. Almost on a daily basis. Now there is a government issued helicopter that will be flying through multiple cities testing for levels of radiation. I am not very happy about this and how little the government wants to publicly acknowledge there are probable health hazards to people in this area and not informing us that we are being exposed to high levels of radiation (even if it does have a short life of only 8 days-because by the time that radiation has worn off, it will have rained again.) If there's no reason to worry, why not share the data? For those of us here for our "lifetime," what does the EPA or Gvnt have to say about us being exposed for years?

dawgswin said on July 11, 2011 at 10:24 PM

People probably get more doses of radiation from using their microwave ovens.. Give me a break...

mashuri said on July 11, 2011 at 10:12 PM

OK so the radiation has decayed before it gets even close to our food supply - great! But are there dangers from direct exposure to the rain? Should I start using an umbrella? :) I assume its miniscule, but its nice to know the facts.

s10maniac said on July 11, 2011 at 9:28 PM

What a waste! People just don't understand radiation. By the time any of this water gets into your drink almost all radioactive isotopes have decayed (that means they are normal particals that you will always find) If your plants get it and you don't eat if for a month there is nothing left period. Also the EPA can't have a huge story about every little piece of data.

Thumper said on July 11, 2011 at 8:02 PM

So does this mean I get to glow in the dark?