Fallout and rain? California storms.

[salinen]

Again I ask the mainframe known as DU, how has the rainy weather effected the radioactive fallout in California. I never assume anything, but I like to speculate. I speculate that the rain is better than no rain because it will take the particles underground faster, and therefore, the ground becomes a sort of buffer against direct radiation.

Don't worry, unlike most humans, I love being wrong.

[MineralMan]

1. Here are a series of readings, from a photographer in

La Jolla, CA. He shows you the counter he's using and gives CPM readings every day. Not very high, it seems.

I don't think there's all that much fallout in CA. Not enough to be alarmed about, anyhow.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/california-radiation-levels/index.htm

[salinen]

2. thanks Man

.

[MineralMan]

4. No problem. Really, the radiation levels in California aren't

of much concern. That's why we're not seeing daily readings. They're about normal background levels, with normal fluctuations. Now, that site is just readings in one place, but those readings are typical for California.

I imagine that the air quality agencies in Los Angeles and other California areas are measuring levels. They're probably posted somewhere on their sites, but I don't have time to go hunt them down. They'll be the same, right around normal background levels. So far, there's nothing much to report.

[truedelphi]

13. If you live in an area of Calif. with higher readings

Say double this reading, and your area has higher elevation, there still is nothing to worry about. It is when the readings go over 100 that you need to be concerned.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. If your rain is coming offshore, the particles get rained into the ocean first,

I think that is what I read here during a discussion.

[MineralMan]

5. Here's the AQMD site for the whole L.A. Area.

They're posting daily radiation readings. You can also get an email alert, if you're interested, from them.

http://www.aqmd.gov/

AQMD = Air Quality Management District

Bookmark the site and you can look up those readings every day, and see readings from past days.

[MineralMan]

6. For EPA radiation level readings for many places in the USA,

The EPA has an interactive map with links to actual readings and interpretations.

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/rert/radnet-data-map.html

Just click the dots for the monitors, and you can see charts of radiation levels over time, along with analysis of those charts.

The information is available, and nobody's hiding anything.

Have fun!

[Le Taz Hot]

7. My understanding is that

what reaches California will not be anywhere near contamination levels. Others will disagree with me, I know, but that's my understanding and we desperately need the rain since farmlands have been cut to 55% of their water allotment.

[BrookBrew]

8. Here is a great grahic showing how radiation is dosed..

[uppityperson]

10. Have you even read the disclaimer @ bottom of that chart you keep posting? good grief

Chart by..with help from...who suggest the idea and provided a lot of the sources. I'm sure I've added in mistakes; it's for general education only. If you're basing radiation safety procedures on an internet PNG image and things go wrong, you have no one to blame but yourself.

[Yo_Mama]

9. It will have no effect because CA is getting no fallout

Not detectable, anyway. Radiation levels have and will remain at normal background levels.

When people are talking about detection, they are talking about being able to detect absolutely tiny quantities of short-lived radioactive isotopes in the atmosphere. They know that they are seeing the Daiichi emissions because those isotopes are only around for a very brief time.

As to why radiation that does not change normal radiation levels would be monitored and reported, the answer is that this type of monitoring allows detection of countries doing what they shouldn't (nuclear bomb tests, etc). And no one wants to be caught flatfooted by a Chernobyl type incident.

What is NOT true is that detection of these isotopes implies higher radiation exposures.

[Mojeoux]

11. What will it be like if the reactors go to #7 or an unheard of, #8?

Millions of Japanese and Asian people will be immediately poisoned. The Pacific Ocean will be poisoned and then how will this affect this side of the Pacific?

I'm scared to really know the answer to this, but I have to ask.

[truedelphi]

12. Ssh. I am sure we will be told it is all okay.

Nothing to see here, nothing to think about.