EPA: Expect More Radiation in Rainwater

[highplainsdem]

Source: Forbes

EPA: Expect More Radiation in Rainwater
Mar. 28


The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday reported finding elevated levels of iodine-131, a product of nuclear fission, in rainwater in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The levels exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) permitted in drinking water, but EPA continues to assure the public there is no need for alarm:

“It is important to note that the corresponding MCL for iodine-131 was calculated based on long-term chronic exposures over the course of a lifetime – 70 years. The levels seen in rainwater are expected to be relatively short in duration,” the agency states in a FAQ that accompanied yesterday’s brief news release.

“In both cases these are levels above the normal background levels historically reported in these areas.”

EPA said it is receiving “verbal reports” of higher levels of radiation in rainwater samples from other states as well, and that Americans should continue to expect short-term contamination of rainwater as radioactive isotopes spread through the atmosphere from Japan.

-snip-

Read more: http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon/2011/03/28/epa-expect-more-radiation-in-rainwater/

[defendandprotect]

1. K/R

[glinda]

2. K&R n/t

[bbgrunt]

3. short term???

[Sirveri]

6. half life of I131 is 8 days. So 40-80 days after release.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

4. for how long?!?!?...It will take them probly 2 yrs to contain this mess

[wtmusic]

5. Iodine-131 has a half life of eight days

so from a practical standpoint it's gone in a month or so.

onedit: if you're worried put a teaspoon of Morton's Iodized salt in glass of water and drink it - will prevent radioactive iodine getting absorbed by your thyroid.

[Mojorabbit]

11. Are you sure this is true?

My understanding is you have to flood the thyroid to prevent uptake of radiation though eating preexposure seaweed etc can help?

[wtmusic]

15. Some Americans are overreacting and taking too much iodine

- physicians advise doing nothing for that reason.

"On the other side of the controversy is the recognition that excessive iodine can trigger autoimmune thyroid disease and hypothyroidism.

According to animal studies, high iodine intake can initiate and worsen infiltration of the thyroid by lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that accumulate due to chronic injury or irritation. In addition, large amounts of iodine block the thyroid's ability to make hormone. "

http://thyroid.about.com/od/newscontroversies/a/toomuchiodine.htm

[ElsewheresDaughter]

13. it's the dangerous elements...cesium 137, and plutonium that concern me most.........

Fukushima has 1760 tons of fresh and used nuclear fuel on site, the Chernobyl reactor had only 180 tons

[wtmusic]

16. You're probably getting more radiation from bananas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose

[flamingdem]

18. BS. The The net dose of a banana is zero. ANOTHER INDUSTRY LIE.

Please check out this thread to learn more about the topic:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x758376

See comments on bananas:
It all depends on two factors:
1)The physical characteristics of the radioactivity—i.e, What's its half-life? Is the radiation emitted alpha, beta or gamma?
2) The way the the radioactivity travels around and is taken up by the body—i.e., How much is absorbed by the blood stream? What tissues does this specific isotope tend to accumulate in?

The Potassium-40 in bananas is a particularly poor model isotope to use, Meggitt says, because the potassium content of our bodies seems to be under homeostatic control. When you eat a banana, your body's level of Potassium-40 doesn't increase. You just get rid of some excess Potassium-40. The net dose of a banana is zero.

And that's the difference between a useful educational tool and propaganda. (And I say this as somebody who is emphatically not against nuclear energy.) Bananas aren't really going to give anyone "a more realistic assessment of actual risk", they're just going to further distort the picture.

============ Difference between exterior and interior radiation sources

There was no "background radiation" that included cesium-137 before nuclear testing and nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl.

There are, of course, naturally occurring radioactive materials.

But lumping all types of radiation together is misleading like comparing apples to oranges.

As the National Research Council's Committee to Assess the Scientific Information for the Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program explains:

Radioactivity generates radiation by emitting particles. Radioactive materials outside the the body are called external emitters, and radioactive materials located within the body are called internal emitters.

Internal emitters are much more dangerous than external emitters. Specifically, one is only exposed to radiation as long as he or she is near the external emitter.

For example, when you get an x-ray, an external emitter is turned on for an instant, and then switched back off.

But internal emitters steadily and continuously emit radiation for as long as the particle remains radioactive and are much more dangerous.

http://www.counterpunch.org/takashi03222011.html

Hirose Takashi:

All of the information media are at fault here I think. They are saying stupid things like, why, we are exposed to radiation all the time in our daily life, we get radiation from outer space. But that’s one millisievert per year. A year has 365 days, a day has 24 hours; multiply 365 by 24, you get 8760. Multiply the 400 millisieverts by that, you get 3,500,000 the normal dose. You call that safe? And what media have reported this? None. They compare it to a CT scan, which is over in an instant; that has nothing to do with it. The reason radioactivity can be measured is that radioactive material is escaping. What is dangerous is when that material enters your body and irradiates it from inside. These industry-mouthpiece scholars come on TV and what to they say? They say as you move away the radiation is reduced in inverse ratio to the square of the distance. I want to say the reverse. Internal irradiation happens when radioactive material is ingested into the body. What happens? Say there is a nuclear particle one meter away from you. You breathe it in, it sticks inside your body; the distance between you and it is now at the micron level. One meter is 1000 millimeters, one micron is one thousandth of a millimeter. That’s a thousand times a thousand: a thousand squared. That’s the real meaning of “inverse ratio of the square of the distance.” Radiation exposure is increased by a factor of a trillion. Inhaling even the tiniest particle, that’s the danger.

[wtmusic]

20. This is truly awful.

"Radioactivity generates radiation by emitting particles." :rofl:

I should be grateful I was saved from reading further.

Who the hell is Hirose Takashi, and why does he insist on writing about something he's so ignorant about?

(Post a reference to something credible, or don't bother).

[flamingdem]

24. What are your credentials other than supporting your nuke buddies? nt

[wtmusic]

29. Anyone with an 8th grade science education could debunk that idiotic crap.

Now - since it's your post - it's your responsibility to provide credentials for "Hirose Takashi", and why you're relying on a source like counterpunch.org for scientific information.

If you can (I won't be holding my breath). :D

[ElsewheresDaughter]

34. oh and where pray tell are your "credentials?

[WheelWalker]

7. Recommend

:kick:

[wtmusic]

8. Radiation in L.A. has declined since earthquake

EPA RadNet radiation monitor

[Warpy]

9. In 20 years or so, there will be a small spike in thyroid cancers

that will only be there if you're looking for it, not really all that far above the usual cases they'd expect to see.

That's if they get this thing contained within weeks instead of years or (shudder) never.

[Sirveri]

10. Good thing it has a 96% survival rate then...

[flamingdem]

19. How about bone cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer from cesium-137? nt

[wtmusic]

21. Sorry to be such a wet blanket

but you've been exposed to Cs-137 hundreds of times higher than levels from Fukushima every minute of every day since you were born (then again, maybe it's a reason to be more hysterical. If so, you're welcome).

"How do people come in contact with cesium-137?

Everyone is exposed to very small amounts of cesium-137 in soil and water as a result of atmospheric fallout. In the Northern Hemisphere, the average annual dose from exposure to cesium-137 associated with atmospheric fallout is less than 1 mrem; this dose continues to diminish every year as cesium-137 decays.

People may also be exposed from contaminated sites:

* Walking on cesium-137 contaminated soil could result in external exposure to gamma radiation. Leaving the contaminated area would prevent additional exposure.
* Coming in contact with waste materials at contaminated sites could also result in external exposure to gamma radiation. Leaving the area would also end the exposure.
* If cesium-137 contaminated soil becomes air-borne as dust, breathing the dust would result in internal exposure. Because the radiation emitting material is then in the body, leaving the site would not end the exposure.
* Drinking cesium-137 contaminated water, would also place the cesium-137 inside the body, where it would expose living tissue to gamma and beta radiation.

People may also unknowingly handle a strong industrial source of cesium-137. For example, certain moisture gauges contain cesium-137 sources."

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/cesium.html

Wish I could help feed the frenzy, but it goes against my nature. :D

[flamingdem]

23. Another lie from the NUKE industry, cesium was JUST detected at UC Berkeley otherwise minimal nt

[wtmusic]

30. Ah, so Wikipedia and now the EPA are in bed with the nuke industry.

Doesn't that seem a bit farfetched? It should.

[Arcana]

According to this map, California has normally less fallout from nuclear testing than the midwest.

http://formontana.net/meagher.html

I know it's just Iodine-133 and not Cesium-137, but this shows where fallout from nuclear bomb testing went, which may have also had Cs-137 along with it.

[Arcana]

39. .

deletethis

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Pathwalker]

38. Not ALL thyroid cancers have that survival rate. n/t

[SpiralHawk]

12. This is but the beginning...

Take all your atomic poison power (R) away...

[ElsewheresDaughter]

14. Cherenobyl only had 180 tons of fuel rods...Fukushima has 1760 tons of fuel rods .this could be ....

the end unless they entomb/contain it soon

[flamingdem]

17. It's not just Iodine, it's also Cesium, lasts 30 years and was detected in UC Berkeley rainwater nt

[fascisthunter]

26. great

cancer is a shitty way to go

[crickets]

22. What about food crops?

Rainwater falls on them. Is anyone tracking plume dispersal, rain patterns and crop locations, then testing some of the potentially affected crops? The EPA seems awfully silent on that point.

[flamingdem]

28. I don't like the fact that we'll hear about it after a while perhaps

due to the economic reality of California

[crickets]

33. California, the Midwest, the Southeast

I fear you may be right. If there are problems, exported foods which don't pass inspection in other countries may be the first we hear of it at this rate. Japan by far bears the brunt of this, but the cesium isn't staying put.

[StarsInHerHair]

25. well we are going to be having 80F weather over the next few days in Norcal

& no rain, we're at 118% of regular rainfall, so I hope that with this sudden early warm-weather the rain will stall out over the Ocean.

[Zorra]

27. And I should trust them, exactly, why? nt

[Pathwalker]

37. The EPA? Why, they're the ones who said ground zero was safe.

Breathe deeply, nothing to see here. Move along, now.

:sarcasm:

[Raschel]

31. The levels seen in rainwater are expected to be relatively short in duration,” the agency states in

duration,” the agency states in a FAQ that accompanied yesterday’s brief news release.

I'd like to know how they can state that the duration will be short. Neither the Japanese gov't or TEPCO know how long it will take before they have any control over the radiation leaks.

[defendandprotect]

32. kr

[trof]

36. Raining now in coastal Alabama.

Wish I had a Geiger counter or whatever.
:-(

[Aerows]

41. I'm in coastal Mississippi

and I'm no happier, either. Between BP and now this mess, I'm convinced the powers that be are out to just destroy as much of the planet as they can. They can't see beyond their noses.

[Aerows]

40. You must be convinced...

...that nuclear power is SAFE, and rarely does it cause catastrophes. Despite the fact that it causes significant numbers of fatalities and generates radiation which causes cancer (usually a horrible way to die), you must TRUST industry "experts", because they only tell you the truth. What would it profit them to lie?

Oh wait...