Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor

[Chopperboy]

Packbot working inside the reactor building of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 3.

(pictured on April 17, 2011)

[Throatwobbler]

The scaremongers are busy on this thread aren't they.

[midas]

Tokyo Electric admits fuel could be melting at Fukushima nuke plant

TOKYO, April 21, Kyodo

An official at Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, admitted Wednesday that fuel of the plant's No. 1 reactor could be melting.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/04/86750.html

[midas]

Yes ......I was thinking this...........

“It’s been kind of quiet out of Japan… This is not good” says lead nuclear engineer for GE Mark 1 reactor "

" The recent silence from Japan about conditions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility that was damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami has a local man wondering just how severely the facility has been damaged.

The one thing he does know is that whatever is going on inside the reactors is very serious.

“It’s been kind of quiet out of Japan. This is not good,” said Eddie Petrowsky, nuclear engineer, area farmer and former employee of the Morris, Ill., Dresden No. 2 Nuclear reactor. “They’ve got some major problems.”

Petrowsky worked for two and half years as the lead nuclear engineer at the Morris facility, which is of the same type as the Fukushima facility, so he is familiar with its construction and operation"

http://enenews.com/kind-quiet-japan-good-lead-nuclear-engineer-ge-mark-1-reactor-fukushima

[Crushdepth]

The scaremongers are busy on this thread aren't they.

Yeah there's nothing to worry about, a bit of radiation won't kill you. Don't listen to people that tell you that plutonium is dangerous, they are exaggerating, who cares if a bit gets out. And the 20km exclusion zone set up by the government today is just to keep the journalists out, it's quite safe really.

[TheWalkingMan]

Found this on youtube...

[JetsetBkk]

Found this on youtube...<snip>

I may be wrong, but I think China is not actually part of Japan.

Did you find any videos about the other 400+ reactors operating in the world?

[Chopperboy]

Officials of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) said April 18 that a pool of water about five meters deep had been found in the basement of the building housing the No. 4 reactor. Radiation levels as high as 100 millisieverts per hour were detected on the water's surface.

About 54,000 tons of radiation-contaminated water also sits in the basements of the turbine buildings for the No. 1 to No. 3 reactors.

At the No. 2 reactor, holes have opened in the suppression pool connected to the containment vessel so repairs will be needed before the No. 2 reactor can be submerged. However, there is the possibility that radiation levels of several dozens of sieverts are present near the suppression pool. Such levels would lead to immediate health problems for workers.

NISA official Hidehiko Nishiyama said, "The situation is very serious. It is desirable to lower the level of radiation workers are exposed to by using anything that will shield the radiation as well as by decontaminating the workers. We will have to think of ways to carry that out from now."

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201104190193.html

A detailed breakdown of the on-site problems

[Chopperboy]

Japan: area around Fukushima declared a no-go zone

Naoto Kan, the Japanese prime minister, has declared the 12-mile evacuation area around the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant a legal no-go zone.

Until now, residents have been advised to leave the area around the plant, which has been leaking radioactivity into the atmosphere and the sea after being damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Anyone approaching the zone has been informed by emergency teams in protective clothing of the dangers of continuing their journey.

But from midnight, no one will be allowed in.

Mr Kan announced his decision during a meeting with the governor of the prefecture, Yuhei Sato.

It comes after police announced that more than 60 families were still living within the 12-mile limit. The families will all be forced to leave the area under the new rules.

"The plant has not been stable," Yukio Edano, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, told reporters in Tokyo. "We have been asking residents not to enter the area as there is a huge risk to their safety.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8465250/Japan-area-around-Fukushima-declared-a-no-go-zone.html

[Chopperboy]

The grim videos documenting abuse of sub-contract workers by the Japanese nuclear industry.

Thanks for posting Walkingman.

Why does Jetset mention China???

Edited April 21, 2011 by Chopperboy

[unblocktheplanet]

Fallout picture April 17 and predictions

http://www.youtube.c...d&v=BnRMS71OpCY

This is scaremongering?!?

Here's my grown daughter's perspective from Victoria, B.C., on Vancouver Island:

The half-life of radioactive iodine-131 is 8 days, so its effects by the time it gets here are quite minimal. That being said, I think over the longer term, the other radioactive isotopes lingering with very very long breakdown rates are probably more worrisome globally. How the fuc_k are they allowed to be storing all that completely not-dealt-with radioactive waste by every nuke plant?!? It's complete insanity. There are waste pools like the ones at Fukushima all over the world. Scary shit.

I heard a completely independent nuclear research scientist from SFU speaking on CBC on April 6th. Their project is one taking measurements regularly, and the data have been publicized in relation to the nuclear disaster here. According to their measurements found in seaweed, you'd have to eat 2 KILOGRAMS of dried seaweed in 1 DAY to get the equivalent of a dental x-ray. Or 6 KG to get the equivalent radiation from a cross-country airplane flight. Levels after the Chernobyl disaster were 10 TIMES higher than the radiation being found today, despite the fact Japan is closer to B.C. According to the information I have heard reported, rainwater samples are showing equally miniscule measurements.

This interesting note was posted on the internet by a UBC M.D. (http://www.causticso...com/tag/dr-rob/) - his specialty is in psychiatry, but he obviously either has good research skills or knows a lot about radioactivity, as you will see by the posting:

"A note by a Dr. Michael Colgan, a physiologist and nutritionist, has been making the rounds on Facebook, and it has aroused significant anxiety in people. Colgan is alarmed about the levels of radioactive I-131 detected at Simon Fraser University. He advises steps you should take, saying these "measures will do a lot to prevent radiation from accumulating in your body to levels likely to cause disease" (my italics).

He offers no evidence that the radioactivity at the levels measured is harmful, nor does he indicate what diseases might be caused. We can do much better.

I-131 is a fission breakdown product in nuclear reactors. It is trapped efficiently by your thyroid gland. It emits a gamma photon with an energy of 364 keV (kilo-electron Volts) and a beta particle (an electron) with a kinetic energy of 606 keV. The beta particle travels through the tissue in your thyroid gland and causes ionizations which can create free radicals which damage DNA. Each time a single atom of I-131 decays, it emits the electron and then the gamma photon. It decays to stable xenon, an inert gas which diffuses out of your body. Damaged DNA which doesn't get repaired increases your risk of cancer.

After Chernobyl, I-131 rained onto grass in northern Ukraine, southern Belarus, and western Russia. This grass was eaten by cows which concentrated the radiation. Children who drank the milk developed thyroid cancer at rates 10x higher than unexposed children. Source.

The highest level of I-131 measured in rainwater from SFU on the 20th of March was 12 Bq/L. This is, as Colgan says, 12 disintegrations per second, per litre of water. How much is that?

Not much. Actually, you need special, liquid nitrogen cooled, solid state detectors to detect levels of radioactivity that low.

Is it really that low? Let's look at the amount of radiation in foods right off the grocery store shelf from basically anywhere in the world, even places with no nuclear reactors:

Milk: 40 to 50 Bq/L

Powdered milk: 400 to 500 Bq/kg

Concentrated fruit juice: 600-800 Bq/L

Instant coffee: >1000 Bq/kg ( Source.)

My point here is that radioactivity is everywhere, including extremely common foods, at levels up to 100x higher than detected at SFU. Please don't throw away all your Nabob. It really is ok.

But, you might say, that is naturally occuring radiation, not I-131. You're right. Let's look at I-131.

If your doctor sends you to a nuclear medicine department to have your thyroid function tested, we use I-131 to test that. The dose we give you is approximately 111,000 Bq of I-131 to see how much your thyroid takes up, 10,000 times the amount detected in rainwater at SFU. In 50 years of performing this test, there is zero difference in cancer rates between tested and untested populations.

If you come to us with a hyperactive thyroid, we also treat that with I-131, in the amount370,000,000 Bq. This is 35,000,000 times the amount in the rainwater. Again, you guessed it, zero difference in cancer rates, even in the 10% of people who need a 2nd treatment.

If you come with thyroid cancer, we treat you with about 5,000,000,000 Bq of I-131. Yes, 5 billion. With a "B."

Even at this amount, there is no convincing evidence of increased cancers of other kinds, only the slightest non-significant trends toward possibly increased risk. Actually, some individuals get a recurrence of their thyroid cancer, and we may treat them with total doses of 22 billion Bq of I-131. At this point, still, the long term evidence is not clear. There may be a very tiny risk of a subsequent cancer 5 to 20 years later, and even this risk is so small that it triggers arguments between those who think there is increased risk and those who think not.

So, everybody, please relax. Put the iodine tablets down, and back away slowly. All you're doing is making hucksters wealthy."

--------------------------------------------------------------

I think sheeple have gotten used to spin and censorship. I think they're hiding their heads in the sand.

[Chopperboy]

If your doctor sends you to a nuclear medicine department to have your thyroid function tested, we use I-131 to test that. The dose we give you is approximately 111,000 Bq of I-131 to see how much your thyroid takes up, 10,000 times the amount detected in rainwater at SFU.

If you come with thyroid cancer, we treat you with about 5,000,000,000 Bq of I-131. Yes, 5 billion. With a "B."

I wouldn't quote the medical establishment!, they're near the top of the killer list - just a few places behind vehicle accidents. Vioxx alone killed between 88,000 and 139,000, cancer causing hormone replacement therapy made from horse urine, Avandia (heart attacks and fake test results) and the list goes on and on - we could devote a whole thread to the subject. One parallel with the nuclear industry however is the revolving door between regulators (FDA) and industry (Big Pharma).

Edited April 21, 2011 by Chopperboy

[Chopperboy]

Japan's Radioactive Water Is 20,000 Times Above Legal Limit Leaked Into Pacific Ocean

TOKYO, April 21 (Bernama) -- Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), owner and operator of a stricken nuclear facility in northeast Japan said Thursday that 520 tonnes of radioactive water are 20,000 times above the annual permissible level for the plant leaked into the Pacific Ocean in early April.

TEPCO revealed for the first time that between April 1 and April 6 highly contaminated water containing around 5,000 terabecquerels of radioactive substances leaked from its No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima prefecture into the sea, reported China's Xinhua news agency on Thursday.

But the level of radiation is far lower than the 370,000 to 630,000 terabecquerels of radioactive substances estimated to have been released into the atmosphere from the plant in the days following the March 11 quake and tsunami, the pace and volume of the contaminated flow from the plant to the sea was considerable.

During the six-day leak, some 520 tonnes of highly radioactive water is believed to have flowed into the Pacific at a rate of about 4.3 tonnes per hour, but being that from late March radioactivity in the sea was still evident, the toxic spill could have been far larger, experts said.

[TheWalkingMan]

Found this on youtube...<snip>

I may be wrong, but I think China is not actually part of Japan.

Did you find any videos about the other 400+ reactors operating in the world?

Hi JetsetBkk,

Where did you find China? This video was shot in Japan, about Japan and it is in Japanese language and English.

Edit:

Here are some more tasty tidbits... The sales of contaminated food was predicted by some posters soon after the disaster, as Japan is somewhat notorious for selling mislabled food.

Co-op sells banned spinach to consumers in eastern Japan

Thursday 21st April, 01:45 PM JST

CHIBA —

A Tokyo-based cooperative has delivered spinach grown in the town of Tako, Chiba Prefecture, to consumers in three eastern Japan prefectures despite a government ban on shipments due to concerns about radiation, the Chiba prefectural government said Thursday.

Some of the 74 lots of Tako-grown spinach—home delivered by Pal System Consumers Cooperative Union to 70 households in Gunma, Saitama and Chiba prefecture—had already been consumed, it said.

A dealer in the town of Shibayama which also has vegetable fields in Tako shipped the spinach in question as part of 380 lots on April 10 and has said it did not know of the shipment ban, prompting the local government to issue a verbal warning, it said.

Japan Today

And here is another gem...

Nuclear plant workers at risk of depression, death from overwork: doctor

Wednesday 20th April, 11:40 AM JST

FUKUSHIMA —

...At the end of each day, workers are decontaminated and go to the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant some 10 kilometers to the south to sleep on the floor of a gymnasium there in sleeping bags with blankets. There are tatami mats on the floor and a sheet to insulate from the cold, he said.

Among the workers was one who was engaged in work around the clock without being allowed to go out at one point, he said.

The workers also face a poor diet, centering on canned and retort-packed foods although they can now have three meals a day, improved from the initial once a day...

Japan Today

TheWalkingMan

Edited April 21, 2011 by TheWalkingMan

[elcent]

This is exactly the question we need to answer

<H1>Greenpeace Attacks Donor Conference

'How Many Chernobyls Can the World Afford?'

<BR clear=all>Photo Gallery: 8 Photos APThe global community has pledged a half-billion euros at the donor conference in Kiev for a new sarcophagus to cover the ruins of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Tobias Münchmeyer of Greenpeace argues the conference is only the beginning. The dangers of Chernobyl will be with us for thousands of years to come and will remain extremely expensive for Europe.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: The European Union and governments from around the world have pledged €550 million ($797 million) in aid for Chernobyl. You were present at the donor conference in Kiev. Has the conference had a positive echo?

Münchmeyer: This is a schizophrenic event. On the one hand, this was about the international community providing money for a second protective shell. It is supposed to protect the devastated reactor. At the same time, though, people are turning a blind eye to the actual roots of the catastrophe: nuclear power. The second part of the conference is focused on the future of nuclear power. But in that regard it feels as if everyone is either deaf or blind. Chernobyl is located only 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Kiev, but here one constantly hears that we need to stick with atomic energy and that it is entirely safe.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: That's a paradox.

Münchmeyer: The world is pumping hundreds of millions of euros into Ukraine to eliminate the aftermath of Chernobyl. At the same time, Kiev wants to expand its nuclear industry and the West is also empowering the Ukrainian government to do so. We need to draw lessons from Chernobyl. It is tragic that, 25 years after we now have a reactor disaster at Fukushima. The question is this: How many Chernobyls can the world still afford?

SPIEGEL ONLINE: To what extent is Europe empowering Ukraine?

Münchmeyer: The lifespans of Ukraine's old nuclear power plants are to be extended by 20 years. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment bank are even stimulating Kiev's atomic ambitions by providing financing for the construction of high-voltage power lines that will soon be used to export nuclear power to the West.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How significant is the danger that Chernobyl still poses today?

Münchmeyer: Estimates suggest that 95 percent of the fuel material still remained in the reactor ruins, even after the explosion. That continues to be the greatest concern, and the fuel needs to be recovered and put into interim storage in next few decades. But there isn't a single place anywhere in the world that serves as a final storage place for highly radioactive material. In addition, there are approximately 800 pits inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone where radiated construction materials, vehicles and machines were hastily buried. People don't even know today precisely where many of these unplanned nuclear depositories are located, not to mention what, exactly, has actually been buried there.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What kind of immediate effects does that have?

Münchmeyer: The pits threaten to contaminate the ground water, which could in turn lead to radioactive water seeping into nearby rivers. Forest and bush fires could also again stir up radioactive material from plants and the soil, posing a renewed threat for people within a radius of at least 40 to 50 kilometers.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: When will the new sarcophagus be completed?

Münchmeyer: For guidance purposes, the year 2015 has been set. Officially, however, there is no longer a target date. That's because two previous dates named for completion had to be pulled. So the question of when the second protective shell will be completed remains a completely open one.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: The new sarcophagus will be a high-tech building, a hanger taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York and 250 meters (820 feet) wide. It is estimated that the protective shell will cost €1.5 billion. Why does Chernobyl still remain so expensive today?

Münchmeyer: Because practically nothing has been done during the past 25 years to either mitigate or eliminate the consequences of the catastrophe. After the disaster, the Soviets hastily encased the radioactive reactor ruins. It was a good decision and an enormous task.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: But what is it that makes these sums of money so enormous?

Münchmeyer: The new sarcophagus is expensive because it is a pioneering venture. It will be built next to the reactor and then slid over the ruins. Never before in history has a building of that size been transported on rails. The construction is also a logistical challenge because the death zone lacks infrastructure. Additionally, the radiation levels in the area surrounding the sarcophagus are still so high that a responsible deployment of construction workers remains extremely difficult -- especially when you take into consideration that the new one is to be built directly next to the old sarcophagus. Concerns about the premature collapse of the old sarcophagus are also complicating planning.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Can one estimate today the time frame for which Chernobyl will no longer present a danger?

Münchmeyer: There's a lovely saying that time heals all wounds. But in Chernobyl, time is healing nothing because the radioactive danger will continue to exist for hundreds and thousands of years. In the case of plutonium, we are talking about a half life of 24,000 years. The new protective casing is officially expected to last for 100 years, but that is just a blink of an eye.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How much longer will the international community be dealing with the issue of Chernobyl?

Münchmeyer: This wasn't the last donor conference; it was the first. We must face the fact that Chernobyl donor conferences will still be held for decades to come -- even for hundreds of years. The accident was a catastrophe of Europe-wide scope. If we truly believe in the idea of a common Europe, then we cannot force Ukraine to deal with the problem on its own.

Interview conducted by Benjamin Bidder http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,758246,00.html

</H1>

[elcent]

from today onwards, nobody will be allowed into the 20km zone, not even to pick uo private belongings.. Yesterday it was announced that peoiple may return within 6 months.

Govt to enforce no-go zone

The Japanese government is legally enforcing a no-entry zone within 20 kilometers of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from midnight Thursday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano made the announcement on Thursday morning. The legally-controlled off-limits zone covers about 27,000 households in 9 municipalities.

The government had already instructed residents within the area to evacuate.

Edano said the no-entry zone is aimed at protecting the health and safety of local residents, some of whom have been returning home without sufficient radiation safety measures.

From Thursday midnight, anyone entering the banned area could be subject to fines.

The government also said it would allow one member of each household to temporarily return to their homes in the off-limits zone. But it has decided not to allow visits for residents living within 3 kilometers of the nuclear plant.

Edited April 21, 2011 by elcent

[unblocktheplanet]

This is exactly the question we need to answer

<H1>Greenpeace Attacks Donor Conference

'How Many Chernobyls Can the World Afford?'

Münchmeyer: There's a lovely saying that time heals all wounds. But in Chernobyl, time is healing nothing because the radioactive danger will continue to exist for hundreds and thousands of years. In the case of plutonium, we are talking about a half life of 24,000 years. The new protective casing is officially expected to last for 100 years, but that is just a blink of an eye.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How much longer will the international community be dealing with the issue of Chernobyl?

Münchmeyer: This wasn't the last donor conference; it was the first. We must face the fact that Chernobyl donor conferences will still be held for decades to come -- even for hundreds of years. The accident was a catastrophe of Europe-wide scope. If we truly believe in the idea of a common Europe, then we cannot force Ukraine to deal with the problem on its own.

Interview conducted by Benjamin Bidder http://www.spiegel.d...,758246,00.html

</H1>

Chernobyl blew up 25 years ago and it's going to take them another five years to complete its mausoleum?!? Govt priorities are sure screwed up. Stop the holy wars for a day or two and there's the money. Sheesh!

[unblocktheplanet]

from today onwards, nobody will be allowed into the 20km zone, not even to pick uo private belongings.. Yesterday it was announced that peoiple may return within 6 months.

Will someone please provide us a translation of those signs? TIA!

[elcent]

Ban urges Japan to be open about Fukushima

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has urged Japan to quickly act and provide full information with regard to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Ban and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, inspected the Chenobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine on Wednesday -- 6 days before the 25th anniversary of the Chenobyl disaster. They visited the site after attending an international nuclear conference in Ukraine.

After the inspection, Ban told NHK that the Japanese government should take every possible measure as quickly as possible regarding to the Fukushima crisis, in cooperation with the IAEA.

He called on Japan to provide all information about the Fukushima accident to the international community so as to make these data available in reviewing safety standards of nuclear power generation.

Thursday, April 21, 2011 06:08 +0900 (JST)

Someone else feel something fishy from the reports the public is receiving.

[elcent]

from today onwards, nobody will be allowed into the 20km zone, not even to pick uo private belongings.. Yesterday it was announced that peoiple may return within 6 months.

Will someone please provide us a translation of those signs? TIA!

If you use MS one note copy paste the image into it and right click it to copy the text in the image and paste it besides it. Then you can translate it with a machine translator.

[elcent]

Nuclear Tension In India - video clip

http://www3.nhk.or.j...1104201809.html

Nuclear Agency Speaks - video clip - a so called schedule

http://www3.nhk.or.j...1104201804.html

Call for Safety Review - video clip - Kan in Chernobyl talking about nuclear safety reviews.

http://www3.nhk.or.j...1104211707.html

Ongoing Battle - Chernobyl - scary realistic summery of current standing after 25 years - video clip

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/movie/feature201104201705.html

Edited April 21, 2011 by elcent

[elcent]

BTW Chernobyl has a cost estimation of about 7 trillion $$$ so far and still no end in sight. The trend is upwards. Soooo cheap, isn't it?

[elcent]

Bleak Conditions - bad food no dosimeters -

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/movie/feature201104192005.html

[elcent]

Right now!!! ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE WITH 6.3 ON THE RICHTER SCALE HIT TOKYO.

[elcent]

it's registered here and downgraded to 6.1

http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

Edited April 21, 2011 by elcent

[unblocktheplanet]

from today onwards, nobody will be allowed into the 20km zone, not even to pick uo private belongings.. Yesterday it was announced that peoiple may return within 6 months.

Will someone please provide us a translation of those signs? TIA!

If you use MS one note copy paste the image into it and right click it to copy the text in the image and paste it besides it. Then you can translate it with a machine translator.

Don't know what "MS one note", possibly PC (which I'm obviously not! <g>). I use Mac. Can anyone help with a translation, please? TIA!

[elcent]

from today onwards, nobody will be allowed into the 20km zone, not even to pick uo private belongings.. Yesterday it was announced that peoiple may return within 6 months.

Will someone please provide us a translation of those signs? TIA!

If you use MS one note copy paste the image into it and right click it to copy the text in the image and paste it besides it. Then you can translate it with a machine translator.

Don't know what "MS one note", possibly PC (which I'm obviously not! <g>). I use Mac. Can anyone help with a translation, please? TIA!

I don't have one note handy at the moment, I'm on a different machine now. One Note is an MS program with more features than MS word. If someone has it handy please provide the translation.

[Throatwobbler]

Fallout picture April 17 and predictions

http://www.youtube.c...d&v=BnRMS71OpCY

This is scaremongering?!?

Here's my grown daughter's perspective from Victoria, B.C., on Vancouver Island:

The half-life of radioactive iodine-131 is 8 days, so its effects by the time it gets here are quite minimal. That being said, I think over the longer term, the other radioactive isotopes lingering with very very long breakdown rates are probably more worrisome globally. How the fuc_k are they allowed to be storing all that completely not-dealt-with radioactive waste by every nuke plant?!? It's complete insanity. There are waste pools like the ones at Fukushima all over the world. Scary shit.

I heard a completely independent nuclear research scientist from SFU speaking on CBC on April 6th. Their project is one taking measurements regularly, and the data have been publicized in relation to the nuclear disaster here. According to their measurements found in seaweed, you'd have to eat 2 KILOGRAMS of dried seaweed in 1 DAY to get the equivalent of a dental x-ray. Or 6 KG to get the equivalent radiation from a cross-country airplane flight. Levels after the Chernobyl disaster were 10 TIMES higher than the radiation being found today, despite the fact Japan is closer to B.C. According to the information I have heard reported, rainwater samples are showing equally miniscule measurements.

This interesting note was posted on the internet by a UBC M.D. (http://www.causticso...com/tag/dr-rob/) - his specialty is in psychiatry, but he obviously either has good research skills or knows a lot about radioactivity, as you will see by the posting:

"A note by a Dr. Michael Colgan, a physiologist and nutritionist, has been making the rounds on Facebook, and it has aroused significant anxiety in people. Colgan is alarmed about the levels of radioactive I-131 detected at Simon Fraser University. He advises steps you should take, saying these "measures will do a lot to prevent radiation from accumulating in your body to levels likely to cause disease" (my italics).

He offers no evidence that the radioactivity at the levels measured is harmful, nor does he indicate what diseases might be caused. We can do much better.

I-131 is a fission breakdown product in nuclear reactors. It is trapped efficiently by your thyroid gland. It emits a gamma photon with an energy of 364 keV (kilo-electron Volts) and a beta particle (an electron) with a kinetic energy of 606 keV. The beta particle travels through the tissue in your thyroid gland and causes ionizations which can create free radicals which damage DNA. Each time a single atom of I-131 decays, it emits the electron and then the gamma photon. It decays to stable xenon, an inert gas which diffuses out of your body. Damaged DNA which doesn't get repaired increases your risk of cancer.

After Chernobyl, I-131 rained onto grass in northern Ukraine, southern Belarus, and western Russia. This grass was eaten by cows which concentrated the radiation. Children who drank the milk developed thyroid cancer at rates 10x higher than unexposed children. Source.

The highest level of I-131 measured in rainwater from SFU on the 20th of March was 12 Bq/L. This is, as Colgan says, 12 disintegrations per second, per litre of water. How much is that?

Not much. Actually, you need special, liquid nitrogen cooled, solid state detectors to detect levels of radioactivity that low.

Is it really that low? Let's look at the amount of radiation in foods right off the grocery store shelf from basically anywhere in the world, even places with no nuclear reactors:

Milk: 40 to 50 Bq/L

Powdered milk: 400 to 500 Bq/kg

Concentrated fruit juice: 600-800 Bq/L

Instant coffee: >1000 Bq/kg ( Source.)

My point here is that radioactivity is everywhere, including extremely common foods, at levels up to 100x higher than detected at SFU. Please don't throw away all your Nabob. It really is ok.

But, you might say, that is naturally occuring radiation, not I-131. You're right. Let's look at I-131.

If your doctor sends you to a nuclear medicine department to have your thyroid function tested, we use I-131 to test that. The dose we give you is approximately 111,000 Bq of I-131 to see how much your thyroid takes up, 10,000 times the amount detected in rainwater at SFU. In 50 years of performing this test, there is zero difference in cancer rates between tested and untested populations.

If you come to us with a hyperactive thyroid, we also treat that with I-131, in the amount370,000,000 Bq. This is 35,000,000 times the amount in the rainwater. Again, you guessed it, zero difference in cancer rates, even in the 10% of people who need a 2nd treatment.

If you come with thyroid cancer, we treat you with about 5,000,000,000 Bq of I-131. Yes, 5 billion. With a "B."

Even at this amount, there is no convincing evidence of increased cancers of other kinds, only the slightest non-significant trends toward possibly increased risk. Actually, some individuals get a recurrence of their thyroid cancer, and we may treat them with total doses of 22 billion Bq of I-131. At this point, still, the long term evidence is not clear. There may be a very tiny risk of a subsequent cancer 5 to 20 years later, and even this risk is so small that it triggers arguments between those who think there is increased risk and those who think not.

So, everybody, please relax. Put the iodine tablets down, and back away slowly. All you're doing is making hucksters wealthy."

--------------------------------------------------------------

I think sheeple have gotten used to spin and censorship. I think they're hiding their heads in the sand.

I think there are far too many people on here who have no idea what they are talking about and are prepared to believe anything they read on the internet.

[Throatwobbler]

Ok an open question to all you scaremonger out there. What is your background in Nuclear Physics and radiation?

[elcent]

The biggest threat comes from reactor in Unit 2. The water in the turbinee hall basement was measured with 1000 mSv/hour, the same water the three workers got in touch with a few weeks ago. No reports about their wellbeing so far. Exposed for 6 hours to this radiation leads to dead.

The robots were withdrawn and couldn't dedect the leak(s) yet. because massive steam coated the camera lenses. Still, Tepco tries to safe whatever they can on a step by step base with many unknown obstacles ahead.. They hope that within 3 months they will have found the leak(s) and repaired it. - Environmentalists are getting angry so does the population.

In meanwhile Greenpeace sends it's flag-ship the "Rainbow Warrior" to the region to measure the contamination in the waters there.