Iodine-131

Results Of ACRO’s Radiation Monitoring In Japan (05/17/2011 Update): ‘The Contamination Is Very Large And Comparable To The Environment Of Chernobyl’

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ACRO is a NPO that was created just after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and has been monitoring radioactivity in the environment for 25 years together with the concerned populations. It runs a laboratory with the highest scientific standards that is accredited by the French authorities. Its activity is complementary to the official monitoring because it is aimed to answer to the questions of the population.

ACRO was involved during several years in a project in the contaminated areas of Byelorussia to implement radioactivity measurement stations in villages and develop a culture of radioprotection. The European Union and the Swiss ministry of foreign affairs supported our contribution.

– Results of ACRO’s monitoring in Japan (05/17/2011 update):


Afficher Environnement Japon sur une carte plus grande

After the nuclear disaster of Fukushima, ACRO has extended its Citizen Watch of Radioactivity in the Environment to Japan.
We have received samples from the Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures that show an alarming contamination.

• Soil and water were collected by Japanese citizens on the 31st of March 2011.

• Vegetables and mushrooms taken on the 2nd of April in the Sendai area by French journalists.

• Vegetables bought on the 22st of April in a supermarket in Osaka.

• Analysis of the soil in various locations in Japan (12-18th april 2011)

• Seawater collected on the 16th of april in Soma (Fukushima prefecture)

Comments :

The contamination is very large and comparable to the environment of Chernobyl.
The Maeda field of Iitate-mura is the most contaminated place.
Iodine contamination is the largest and it is better to evacuate the population.
On the long time range, cesium 137 is the most worrying element because it has a half-life of 30 years.

Regarding the results expressed in Bq/kg of soil, most of them are higher than the limit fixed by the Japanese authorities at 5 000 Bq/kg for agriculture. Rice cannot be cultivated.

The data expressed in Bq/m² can be compared to the definition of the zones in Byelorussia after the Chernobyl disaster (law of 1991) :
185 000 – 555 000 Bq/m²: migration allowed
555 000 – 1 480 000 Bq/m²: right to rehousing

Most of the results are higher than one of these limits.

– Read the press release in French (11th of April 2011)

– Download the analysis report for the first samples

(Click on images to enlarge.)

FOOD PRODUCTS : ACRO’s RESULTS

Comments :

The results show that the four samples collected in the Sendai area (80 km from Fukushima dai-ichi) are tainted with artificial radionuclides released from the crippled NPP.

Densities of cesium 137 measured in the vegetables (Chinese cabbage, komatsuna and tsubomina) are above the limits set by Japanese authorities (500 Bq/kg). These vegetables should not be eaten.

VEGETABLES BOUGHT IN A SUPERMARKET IN OSAKA: ACRO’s RESULTS


ND: Not Detected

ANALYSIS OF THE SOIL IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN JAPAN (12-18th APRIL 2011) : ACRO’s RESULTS

Comments :

ACRO has analyzed samples collected in various locations in Japan by Japanese citizens. Except for Kobe, all these samples are contaminated by numerous radioelements coming from the fallouts of Fukushima.
The large densities in the straw are due to the fact that straw is light: the same amount of pollution falling on a square meter gives a contamination per kilogram far larger with straw than with soil.
The previous analysis that we did on soil samples coming from Fukushima prefecture showed that iodine 131 was dominating. But this element has a quite short half-life (8 days) and disappears relatively quickly: the densities measured this time are lower than the ones for caesium.
The tellurium 129m decays into iodine 129 that has a very long half-life: 16 millions years. This element should be carefully monitored in the surrounding the nuclear power plant.
A mid-term, caesium 137 will be the most problematic element: the densities measured are all below the limit of 5 000 becquerels per kilogram fixed by the Japanese authorities for the culture of rice.
If we calculated the contamination of the caesium 137 in becquerels per square meters, all the values in Fukushima prefecture are higher that the limit of 185 000 becquerels per square meter that gives right to migration in Byelorussia.
The contamination in the Miyagi prefecture is also quite large, confirming the large contaminations of the vegetables that we measured in this prefecture.

Read moreResults Of ACRO’s Radiation Monitoring In Japan (05/17/2011 Update): ‘The Contamination Is Very Large And Comparable To The Environment Of Chernobyl’

Urgent: Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) Ends Public Radiation Forecasts Just As Map Shows Large Radiation Clouds (Videos) Over The US And Canada

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Just a coincidence, right?

– Watchdog criticizes Feds: ‘With the Japanese nuclear situation still out of control and expected to continue that way for months and with elevated radioactivity continuing to show up in the U.S., it is inexplicable that EPA would shut down its Fukushima radiation monitoring effort’

– Canada Joins US In Cutting Back Radiation Reporting, Testing Of Milk

– Nuclear Expert Horrified That Feds Abandon Extra Radiation Monitoring of Milk And Water

– Radiation Forecast Overview And Update: Cesium-137 Buildup, Xenon In The Air On West Coast

– Fairewinds’ Founder Maggie Gundersen Interviews Environmental Scientist Marco Kaltofen: Radiation In Food Is Going To Be A Nationwide Problem In The US!

– Fukushima (NILU):

Thank you for your interest in the FLEXPART products for Fukushima. The Forecast system is no longer running.

Xenon-133

Iodine-131

Food Chain Sampling Results (Department of Nuclear Engineering University of California, Berkeley)

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– UCB Food Chain Sampling Results:

Radionuclides, once deposited by rainwater or air onto the ground, will find their way through the ecosystem. We are already tracking its path from rainwater to creek runoff to tap water, but we would also like to monitor how much these isotopes that make their way into our food. For example, how much gets taken up by the grass and eventually winds up in our milk?

We have been collecting produce that is as local as possible to test for the radioactive isotopes. We might expect different kinds of plants to take up different quantities of cesium and iodine, so we are trying to measure as many different plants and fruits as we are able to. So far, we have measured grass, wild mushrooms, spinach, strawberries, cilantro, kale, and arugula. We have also measured local topsoil. As of 5/2, we will begin reporting on seaweed from the Northern California coast.

Read moreFood Chain Sampling Results (Department of Nuclear Engineering University of California, Berkeley)

Dr. Helen Caldicott On The Japan Nuclear Disaster – The Truth MSM Won’t Tell You! (Video)

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Dr. Helen Caldicott is co-founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Added: 18.04.2011

Related info:

– Dr. Steven Wing And Chief Nuclear Engineer Arnie Gundersen Discuss Global Radiation Exposure and Consequences: There Is No Safe Dose of Radiation

– UC Santa Cruz Nuclear Expert Daniel Hirsch: ‘Every Amount of Radiation Exposure Increases Your Risk of Cancer.’ ‘There Is No Safe Level of Radiation.’

– Dr. Helen Caldicott: How Nuclear Apologists Mislead The World Over Radiation

– Dr. Brian Moench: There Is No ‘Safe’ Exposure To Radiation

– Dr. Peter Karamoskos: Don’t Be Fooled By A Never-Ending Cabal Of Paid Industry Scientific ”Consultants’ – Radiation Is Bad And Causes Cancer

– Are There Safe Levels of Radiation? How Much Radiation Is Safe? (Must-read!!!!!)

– The Propaganda From The Government And The Nuclear Industry About Low-Level Radiation Is Absolute Rubbish

TEPCO Data Points To Out-Of-Control Fission Going On: After 5 Halflives, I-131 Higher Than Cs-134/137 Suggests Ongoing Criticalities

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Summary

During full-power operation, numerous “fission products” are in approximate steady-state equilibrium, meaning roughly equal becquerel of I-131 and Cs-134, with a slow buildup of Cs-137. But they all cease to be created when the reactors are scrammed. Japanese regulators NISA and MEXT seem oblivious of the mysterious fact that I-131 Bq “reactor density” is still often reported double the Cs-134/137 Bq. The TEPCO data suggest that fission is ongoing despite the reactor shutdowns. This is bad news.

Analysis

It seemed very bad taste for April Fool’s jokes, but a few weeks ago there were some very bizarre indications of ongoing criticalities suggested by TEPCO’s own reporting of Cl-38 in “stagnant water” of a drywell, plus, a “neutron beam” again implausibly claimed by Kyodo news to be observed at 2-km distance. All those things seemed to defy the laws of physics and were highly suspect, but they led Arnie Gunderson, Arjun Makhijani, and Chris Martenson all to conclude that the evidence pointed to ongoing fission in the Units 1-4 scrammed reactors and their SNF pools in warm shutdown. Maybe so.

Everyone with just a very basic understanding of reactor safety should know that once a reactor is scrammed, U-235 is no longer fissioning, and I-131 has no parent which can be decaying to create it in an ongoing process. SNF pools contain the million-year halflife I-129 which is difficult to measure, but the water circulating in intact SNF pools should have absolutely no detectable I-131 in them.

Read moreTEPCO Data Points To Out-Of-Control Fission Going On: After 5 Halflives, I-131 Higher Than Cs-134/137 Suggests Ongoing Criticalities

Fukushima: Robot Detects 270 Millisieverts Per Hour In No. 1 Reactor Building

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High levels of radiation discovered at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant could disrupt Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s timeline for a cold shutdown of the crippled facility, TEPCO officials acknowledged.

On April 18 unexpectedly high levels of radiation were detected in water in the storage pool containing spent fuel rods in the No. 2 reactor, the officials said.

TEPCO officials believe the radiation may have been triggered by damage to the spent fuel rods. One possibility being looked at is the damage was caused by debris falling into the pool when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck on March 11.

An analysis of water samples taken from the storage pool on April 16 found cesium-134 at 160,000 becquerels per cubic centimeter, cesium-137 at 150,000 becquerels and iodine-131 at 4,100 becquerels.

Ordinarily, the level of radioactivity in the pools is much lower.

Another problem area is the building housing the No. 1 reactor. TEPCO officials used a U.S.-made robot on April 16 to measure radiation levels and detected radiation of 270 millisieverts per hour in the No. 1 reactor building.

That level of radiation means a worker could spend less than an hour in the area before exceeding the allowable dosage.

Read moreFukushima: Robot Detects 270 Millisieverts Per Hour In No. 1 Reactor Building

Fukushima Iodine-131 Dispersion Cloud: Inland Blowing Winds To Affect Tokyo (04/18/2011)

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See also:

– Morgan Stanley Property Fund fails to Make $3.3 Billion In Debt Payments On Tokyo Property, Largest Repayment Failure Of Its Kind In Japan

It has been a while since we looked at the ZAMG radioactive fallout dispersion forecast: considering that the radioactive fallout from Fukushima continues to be released without much abatement this projection is actually quite relevant, as once again the various Geiger reading across the region continue to be very dependant on wind direction.

And as the latest ZAMG data indicate, there could well be a spike in radiation of proximal cities, since the wind over the next 24 hours is blowing from the Ocean, as well as radioactivity over Russia, which will likely be rather frowned upon: after all Russia is now the energetic white knight providing the marginal energy that Japan needs.

From ZAMG: forecast I-131 dispersion April 18-21

http://www.zamg.ac.at/pict/wetter/sonderwetter/fuku/20110418_I-131_FUKU.gif

Read moreFukushima Iodine-131 Dispersion Cloud: Inland Blowing Winds To Affect Tokyo (04/18/2011)

Chief Nuclear Engineer Arnie Gundersen: Fukushima Could Kill 200,000 – In Reactor No. 1 Is So Much Mud That It’s Preventing Water From Getting Into Core

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See also:

– Dr. Chris Busby on RT: 400,000 To Develop Cancer In 200 Km Radius Of Fukushima

In the days after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear accident began, GlobalPost turned to Arnold Gundersen for an independent view of whether the reactors might melt down. A 39-year veteran of the nuclear industry, Gundersen has worked as a nuclear plant operator and served as an expert witness on the Three Mile Island accident. He is now chief engineer at Fairwinds Associates.

Back then, Gundersen said that the evidence suggested the accident was worse than authorities were revealing. This week, his assessment was shown to be accurate when Japan upgraded Fukushima to a 7, the worst possible rating for a nuclear accident.

So we contacted Gundersen again to get an update on Fukushima. In the following edited and condensed interview, Gundersen gives his expert view of what might happen, how authorities are handling the accident, and how Fukushima will affect health and the environment.

GlobalPost: Last month, officials said that the possibility of a large scale radiation release from Fukushima was “small.” You disagreed. You told GlobalPost that there was a “50-50 chance of a catastrophic release.” Now, nearly every day we hear about new releases. Has this added up to a catastrophic release?

Arnold Gundersen: Yes, Fukushima has released catastrophic levels of radiation. There hasn’t been a single Chernobyl size blast, but there have been three explosions, as well as radioactive venting that will continue into the future. And there are still potential bumps in the road. It’s not over yet.

This week the Japanese authorities elevated the crisis from 5 to 7. That suggests it’s on a par with Chernobyl. Is this accident as bad as Chernobyl?

It’s worse than Chernobyl. That accident involved a single reactor. Fukushima involves three reactors. Additionally, there are several years worth of fuel in the spent fuel pools of units 1 through 4. Added together, that’s roughly the equivalent of eight reactor cores.

Read moreChief Nuclear Engineer Arnie Gundersen: Fukushima Could Kill 200,000 – In Reactor No. 1 Is So Much Mud That It’s Preventing Water From Getting Into Core

Japan Government: Radioactivity Levels Rise Sharply In Sea Off Nuclear Plant, Increase in Iodine-131 Could Signal Possibility Of A New Leak

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TOKYO (AP) — Levels of radioactivity have risen sharply in seawater near a tsunami-crippled nuclear plant in northern Japan, signaling the possibility of new leaks at the facility, the government said Saturday.

The announcement came after a magnitude-5.9 earthquake jolted Japan on Saturday morning, hours after the country’s nuclear safety agency ordered plant operators to beef up their quake preparedness systems to prevent a recurrence of the nuclear crisis.

There were no reports of damage from the earthquake, and there was no risk of a tsunami similar to the one that struck the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant March 11 after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake, causing Japan’s worst-ever nuclear plant disaster.

Since the tsunami knocked out the plant’s cooling systems, workers have been spraying massive amounts of water on the overheated reactors. Some of that water, contaminated with radiation, leaked into the Pacific. Plant officials said they plugged that leak on April 5 and radiation levels in the sea dropped.

But the government said Saturday that radioactivity in the seawater has risen again in recent days. The level of radioactive iodine-131 spiked to 6,500 times the legal limit, according to samples taken Friday, up from 1,100 times the limit in samples taken the day before. Levels of cesium-134 and cesium-137 rose nearly fourfold. The increased levels are still far below those recorded earlier this month before the initial leak was plugged.

The new rise in radioactivity could have been caused by the installation Friday of steel panels intended to contain radiation that may have temporarily stirred up stagnant waste in the area, Hidehiko Nishiyama of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told reporters. However, the increase in iodine-131, which has a relatively short eight-day half life, could signal the possibility of a new leak, he said.

“We want to determine the origin and contain the leak, but I must admit that tracking it down is difficult,” he said.

Read moreJapan Government: Radioactivity Levels Rise Sharply In Sea Off Nuclear Plant, Increase in Iodine-131 Could Signal Possibility Of A New Leak

Japan: Radioactive Iodine-131 In Reactor No. 4 Spent Fuel Pool At 22,000 Times Normal

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– Japan to Assess Its Dumping of Toxic Water (Wall Street Journal):

According to Tepco, nearly 27,000 tons of water in total was pumped into the most heavily damaged reactors, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Each reactor facility is designed to hold about 300 tons of water.

“We wanted to avoid releasing radioactive water into the ocean. But that was an unavoidable operation,” Mr. Nishiyama said. “We also failed to provide proper notice to neighboring countries.”
…
A new concern arose late Wednesday with the discovery that water in reactor No. 4’s spent fuel pool was vastly more radioactive than normal. A water sample taken Tuesday contained 220 becquerels of iodine-131 per cubic centimeter. That compares with a level of just 0.01 becquerels or less for normal spent-fuel pools. Such pools allow used nuclear fuel to slowly cool down over a matter of years.

See also:

– TEPCO Admits Damage To Part Of Fukushima Reactor No. 4 Spent Nuclear Fuel Pool – Japan Government: ‘We Must Devise Some Ways’ To Reinforce The Quake Resistance Of The Buildings, Where Radiation Levels Are High

– Chief Nuclear Engineer Arnie Gundersen: ‘Worst-Case Is the Unit 4 Fuel Pool, Which Has Enormous Amounts of Plutonium And Depleted Uranium’ ‘If That Catches Fire It Could Devastate A Large Area’

Japan Nuclear Safety Commissioner Admits Cover-Up: ‘If we immediately decided to label the situation as Level 7, we could have triggered a panicked reaction.’

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From the New York Times:

– Japanese Officials on Defensive as Nuclear Alert Level Rises:

Seiji Shiroya, a commissioner of Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission, an independent government panel that oversees the country’s nuclear industry, said that the government had delayed issuing data on the extent of the radiation releases because of concern that the margins of error had been large in initial computer models. But he also suggested a public policy reason for having kept quiet.

“Some foreigners fled the country even when there appeared to be little risk,” he said. “If we immediately decided to label the situation as Level 7, we could have triggered a panicked reaction.”

Infinite Unknown readers knew that the Japan government has been informed that a (partial) meltdown was a going on from day one of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and I posted these videos on March 15:

Listen to the editor of the Japan Times if you haven’t done so (!!!):

– Japan: Full Core Meltdown Will Send Radiation Over United States

– Japan And US Try To Coverup Nuclear Catastrophe

Europe: Radiation Risks From Fukushima ‘No Longer Negligible’

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Background

After the radioactive cloud emanating from Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant reached Europe in late March, CRIIRAD, a French research body on radioactivity, an NGO, said it had detected radioactive iodine-131 in rainwater in south-eastern France.

In parallel testing, the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), the national public institution monitoring nuclear and radiological risks, found iodine 131 in milk.

In normal times, no trace of iodine-131 should be detectable in rainwater or milk.

The Euratom Directive of 13 May 1996 establishes the general principles and safety standards on radiation protection in Europe.

The risks associated with iodine-131 contamination in Europe are no longer “negligible,” according to CRIIRAD, a French research body on radioactivity. The NGO is advising pregnant women and infants against “risky behaviour,” such as consuming fresh milk or vegetables with large leaves.

In response to thousands of inquiries from citizens concerned about fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Europe, CRIIRAD has compiled an information package on the risks of radioactive iodine-131 contamination in Europe.

The document, published on 7 April, advises against consuming rainwater and says vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid consuming vegetables with large leaves, fresh milk and creamy cheese.

The risks related to prolonged contamination among vulnerable groups of the population can no longer be considered “negligible” and it is now necessary to avoid “risky behaviour,” CRIIRAD claimed.

However, the institute underlines that there is absolutely no need to lock oneself indoors or take iodine tablets.

CRIIRAD says its information note is not limited to the situation in France and is applicable to other European countries, as the level of air contamination is currently the same in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, for instance.

Read moreEurope: Radiation Risks From Fukushima ‘No Longer Negligible’

Fukushima Radiation Taints US Milk Supplies At Levels 300% Higher Than EPA Maximums, Indicates Radioactive Contamination Of The Entire Food Supply

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Comments from article author Jeff McMahon:

-EPA: New Radiation Highs in Little Rock Milk, Philadelphia Drinking Water (Forbes):

Yes, David, I know. Very complicated to explain. EPA lumps these gamma and beta emitters together under one collective MCL, so if you’re seeing cesium-137 in your milk or water, the MCL is 3.0 picocuries per liter; if you’re seeing iodine-131, the MCL is 3.0; if you’re seeing cesium-137 and iodine-131, the MCL is still 3.0.

Here’s a somewhat historic EPA document that speaks directly to that issue:

Although not having a 4 mrem per year equivalent level specified in the current drinking water regulations as do tritium and strontium-90, the compliance monitoring scheme indicates that an iodine-131 level of 3 pCi/L is the MCL compliance level (presumably derived from the NBS Handbook); the ANPRM indicates that 700 pCi/L is the 4 mrem/year equivalent.

via Drinking Water Criteria Document for Beta and Gamma Emitting Radionuclides

Be advised that document won’t open in older browsers.

And here’s a current EPA faq that repeats the same 3 pCi/L MCL for iodine-131:

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/japan-faqs.html#rainwater

If we lump together the three radionuclides in that Hilo, Hawaii reading, we get 61 pCi/L. Alarming? How about that recent Boise rainfall sample: 468 pCi/L.

The reason we shouldn’t be alarmed, EPA says, is that these are short-term, temporary exposures and the MCL assumes long-term exposure.

The EPA has another MCL that it takes more seriously, and that is, that people should not be exposed to more than 4 millirem per year. To make sense of that number we need to be able to express picocuries as millirems, but that’s what that legacy document does that I quoted above:“the compliance monitoring scheme indicates that an iodine-131 level of 3 pCi/L is the MCL compliance level; the ANPRM indicates that 700 pCi/L is the 4 mrem/year equivalent.”

What this all means to me is that if you’re a water company, EPA will insist you keep the gamma/beta emitters in your water below 3 pCi/L in pursuit of another aim, which is to keep your customers’ annual radiation exposure below 700, or, put another way, below 4mrem, over the course of a year.

If we should not be exposed to more than 700 pCi/L per year, then anyone who drinks two liters of Boise rainwater or 13 liters of Hilo milk is in trouble. Both those scenarios may be unlikely, but they’re beginning to get closer to likely than the reassurances we’ve been receiving would seem to indicate.

Fukushima radiation taints US milk supplies at levels 300% higher than EPA maximums


(NaturalNews) The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to release new data showing that various milk and water supply samples from across the US are testing increasingly high for radioactive elements such as Iodine-131, Cesium-134, and Cesium-137, all of which are being emitted from the ongoing Fukushima Daiichia nuclear fallout. As of April 10, 2011, 23 US water supplies have tested positive for radioactive Iodine-131 (http://opendata.socrata.com/w/4ig7-…), and worst of all, milk samples from at least three US locations have tested positive for Iodine-131 at levels exceeding EPA maximum containment levels (MCL) (http://opendata.socrata.com/w/pkfj-…).

As far as the water supplies are concerned, it is important to note that the EPA is only testing for radioactive Iodine-131. There are no readings or data available for cesium, uranium, or plutonium — all of which are being continuously emitted from Fukushima, as far as we know — even though these elements are all much more deadly than Iodine-131. Even so, the following water supplies have thus far tested positive for Iodine-131, with the dates they were collected in parenthesis to the right:

Los Angeles, Calif. – 0.39 pCi/l (4/4/11)
Philadelphia (Baxter), Penn. – 0.46 pCi/l (4/4/11)
Philadelphia (Belmont), Penn. – 1.3 pCi/l (4/4/11)
Philadelphia (Queen), Penn. – 2.2 pCi/l (4/4/11)
Muscle Shoals, Al. – 0.16 pCi/l (3/31/11)
Niagara Falls, NY – 0.14 pCi/l (3/31/11)
Denver, Colo. – 0.17 pCi/l (3/31/11)
Detroit, Mich. – 0.28 pCi/l (3/31/11)
East Liverpool, Oh. – 0.42 pCi/l (3/30/11)
Trenton, NJ – 0.38 pCi/l (3/29/11)
Painesville, Oh. – 0.43 pCi/l (3/29/11)
Columbia, Penn. – 0.20 pCi/l (3/29/11)
Oak Ridge (4442), Tenn. – 0.28 pCi/l (3/29/11)
Oak Ridge (772), Tenn. – 0.20 pCi/l (3/29/11)
Oak Ridge (360), Tenn. – 0.18 pCi/l (3/29/11)
Helena, Mont. – 0.18 pCi/l (3/28/11)
Waretown, NJ – 0.38 pCi/l (3/28/11)
Cincinnati, Oh. – 0.13 pCi/l (3/28/11)
Pittsburgh, Penn. – 0.36 pCi/l (3/28/11)
Oak Ridge (371), Tenn. – 0.63 pCi/l (3/28/11)
Chattanooga, Tenn. – 1.6 pCi/l (3/28/11)
Boise, Id. – 0.2 pCi/l (3/28/11)
Richland, Wash. – 0.23 pCi/l (3/28/11)

Again, these figures do not include the other radioactive elements being spread by Fukushima, so there is no telling what the actual cumulative radiation levels really were in these samples. The figures were also taken two weeks ago, and were only just recently reported. If current samples were taken at even more cities, and if the tests conducted included the many other radioactive elements besides Iodine-131, actual contamination levels would likely be frighteningly higher.

But in typical government fashion, the EPA still insists that everything is just fine, even though an increasing amount of US water supplies are turning up positive for even just the radioactive elements for which the agency is testing — and these levels seem to be increasing as a direct result of the situation at the Fukushima plant, which continues to worsen with no end in sight (http://www.naturalnews.com/032035_F…).

Water may be the least of our problems, however. New EPA data just released on Sunday shows that at least three different milk samples — all from different parts of the US — have tested positive for radioactive Iodine-131 at levels that exceed the EPA maximum thresholds for safety, which is currently set at 3.0 pico Curies per Liter (pCi/l).

In Phoenix, Ariz., a milk sample taken on March 28, 2011, tested at 3.2 pCi/l. In Little Rock, Ark., a milk sample taken on March 30, 2011, tested at 8.9 pCi/l, which is almost three times the EPA limit. And in Hilo, Hawaii, a milk sample collected on April 4, 2011, tested at 18 pCi/l, a level six times the EPA maximum safety threshold. The same Hawaii sample also tested at 19 pCi/l for Cesium-137, which has a half life of 30 years (http://www.naturalnews.com/031992_r…), and a shocking 24 pCi/l for Cesium-134, which has a half life of just over two years (http://opendata.socrata.com/w/pkfj-…).

Why is this milk contamination significant? Milk, of course, typically represents the overall condition of the food chain because cows consume grass and are exposed to the same elements as food crops and water supplies. In other words, when cows’ milk starts testing positive for high levels of radioactive elements, this is indicative of radioactive contamination of the entire food supply.

Read moreFukushima Radiation Taints US Milk Supplies At Levels 300% Higher Than EPA Maximums, Indicates Radioactive Contamination Of The Entire Food Supply

Strongest Radioactive Cloud Covers Vietnam, Uranium-238, Cesium-137, Cesium-134 Found In Pine Needles Among Other Isotopes

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A radioactive cloud from the quake-damaged Fukushima reactor explosions in Japan was said to have reached Vietnam in late April 9.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), the cloud may exist in Southeast Asia within several days with radionuclide concentrations decreasing with every passing day.

The most powerful radioactive cloud, however, dispersed rapidly on April 9 and 10.

Earlier, MoST said even if the cloud covered Vietnam, the radiation level would increase by only 100 times from the previously-detected level.

By 15:00, April 9, apart from the recognition of the natural radioactive isotopes, the observation stations in Da Lat and Ninh Thuan also discovered radioactive I-131.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the radioactive isotopes I-131, Cs-134 and Cs-137 were recorded.

“The radioactive isotopes recorded at the three above-mentioned locations are at low level, and do not pose a threat to human health and the environment,” scientists said.

Cs-134 was found in the pine needle samples (which are often used to indicate radioactive pollution in the atmosphere and vegetation) in addition to the isotopes Be-7, K -40, U-238, Th-232 and Cs-137 but the level of Cs-134 was very low and does not affect human health.

Updated : 9:18 AM, 11/04/2011

Source: VOV NEWS

There is no safe level of radiation:

– Dr. Peter Karamoskos: Don’t Be Fooled By A Never-Ending Cabal Of Paid Industry Scientific ”Consultants’ – Radiation Is Bad And Causes Cancer

– Are There Safe Levels of Radiation? How Much Radiation Is Safe?

– The Propaganda From The Government And The Nuclear Industry About Low-Level Radiation Is Absolute Rubbish


EPA Data: Arkansas Milk Sample 300 Percent Above Maximum Contaminant Level For Iodine-131 (Milk Sample Was Collected On March 30!)

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Milk from Little Rock and drinking water from Philadelphia contained the highest levels of Iodine-131 from Japan yet detected by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to data released by EPA Saturday.

The Philadelphia sample is below the EPA’s maximum contaminant level (MCL) for iodine-131, but the Little Rock sample is almost three times higher.

Nonetheless, the EPA does not consider the milk dangerous because the MCL is set for long-term exposure, and the iodine-131 from Japan’s Fukushima-Daichi nuclear accident is expected to be temporary and deteriorate rapidly.

The EPA’s MCL for iodine-131 is 3 picoCuries per liter.

The Little Rock milk sample contained 8.9 picoCuries per liter. It was collected on March 30.

Read moreEPA Data: Arkansas Milk Sample 300 Percent Above Maximum Contaminant Level For Iodine-131 (Milk Sample Was Collected On March 30!)

The Propaganda From The Government And The Nuclear Industry About Low-Level Radiation Is Absolute Rubbish

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Dr. Helen Caldicott (Co-founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility):

“Up to a million people have already died from Chernobyl, and people will continue to die from cancer for virtually the rest of time. What we should know is that a millionth of a gram of plutonium, or less, can induce cancer, or will induce cancer. Each reactor has 250 kilos, or 500 pounds, of plutonium in it. You know, there’s enough plutonium in these reactors to kill everyone on earth.
…..
You don’t understand internal emitters. I was commissioned to write an article for the New England Journal of Medicine about the dangers of nuclear power. I spent a year researching it. You’ve bought the propaganda from the nuclear industry. They say it’s low-level radiation. That’s absolute rubbish. If you inhale a millionth of a gram of plutonium, the surrounding cells receive a very, very high dose. Most die within that area, because it’s an alpha emitter. The cells on the periphery remain viable. They mutate, and the regulatory genes are damaged. Years later, that person develops cancer. Now, that’s true for radioactive iodine, that goes to the thyroid; cesium-137, that goes to the brain and muscles; strontium-90 goes to bone, causing bone cancer and leukemia. It’s imperative … that you understand internal emitters and radiation, and it’s not low level to the cells that are exposed. Radiobiology is imperative to understand these days.”

Source

More information here:

– Are There Safe Levels of Radiation? How Much Radiation Is Safe?

Economic Development Officer Defies Canadian Government Warns Citizens Of Radiation

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See also:

– Just In Time: Canada Suspends Mobile Radiation Measurements

– Canada Refuses To Test Milk For Radiation

Old Massett Posts Rainwater Advisory

The Acting Band Manager for Old Massett has advised area residents not to drink rainwater because of concern about radiation from Japan.

John Disney says the village has been conducting its own tests for radiation in water sources since late March.

While the March 24th sample showed only background radiation levels, later tests showed increased levels of iodine 131 prompting the advisory.

Disney says his own experience with a home rainwater system during the Chernobyl meltdown 25 years ago has taught him that it is much better to err on the side of caution adding Haida Gwaii does stick out farther than the rest of the country toward Japan.

He says he has experienced pressure from government authorities to stop the testing, but he says he can’t do that when the health of the community is at stake.

Disney adds that many elders in the community like to make their tea with rainwater and others have rainwater systems that supply their homes.

He says he will continue to submit water for independent testing.

April 7, 2011

Source:  CFNR

The US Radiation Models Now Revealed

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Added: 06.04.2011

The revealed US site:

http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~tcanty/hysplit/

The known European sites forecasting basically the same data:

http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/fukushima?LANG=us&VAR=niluhemis131&…

http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/fukushima?LANG=us&VAR=niluhemis133&…

http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/fukushima?LANG=us&VAR=niluhemis137&…

http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/fukushima?LANG=us&VAR=eurad5000&amp…

Read moreThe US Radiation Models Now Revealed

Radioactive Iodine Now 7.5 MILLION Times Legal Limit In Water Around Fukushima

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– High level of iodine-131 detected in Fukushima (NHK):

The operator of the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has detected 5 million times higher than the legal limit of radioactive iodine in seawater around the plant.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it detected 300,000 bequerels of iodine-131 per 1 cubic centimeter, or 7.5 million times higher than the legal limit in samples taken around the water intake of the No. 2 reactor at 11:50 AM on Saturday.

It also found 200,000 bequerels or 5 million times higher than the limit in samples taken at 9AM on Monday.

Monday’s sample also shows 1.1 million times higher than the national limit of cesium-137 whose half-life is 30 years. (!!!)

updated at 15:40 UTC, Apr. 05

Executive Director Of Nuclear Information And Resource Service ‘Furious At The Government For Misleading Information’

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And again:

– Updating Japan’s Nuclear Disaster

Jeff Patterson, former Physicians for Social Responsibility president said, “There is no safe level of radionuclide exposure, whether from food, water or other sources. Period.” In 1953, Nobel laureate George Wald agreed saying “no amount of radiation is safe. Every dose is an overdose.”

– What They’re Covering Up at Fukushima: ‘You Get 3,500,000 The Normal Dose. You Call That Safe? And What Media Have Reported This? None!’:

Radiation exposure is increased by a factor of a trillion.  Inhaling even the tiniest particle, that’s the danger.

– Threat posed by radioactive milk tough to measure (California Watch):

….

Not surprisingly, there was instant speculation about whether that milk posed a threat to human health. Government officials were quick to say the levels were low and posed no risk.

“Radiation is all around us in our daily lives, and these findings are a miniscule amount compared to what people experience every day,” wrote Patricia Hansen, a Food and Drug Administration scientist, in response to the milk findings.

…..

A coalition of scientists and environmentalists insisted ingesting radiation is not the same as background exposures from airplane flights.

“The FDA spokesperson should have informed the public that radioiodine provides a unique form of exposure in that it concentrates rapidly in dairy products and in the human thyroid,” wrote Robert Alvarez, a former senior policy adviser to President Clinton’s U.S. Secretary of Energy.

 “The dose received, based on official measurements, may be quite small, and pose an equally small risk,” Alvarez said in a statement. “However, making a conclusion on the basis of one measurement is fragmentary at best and unscientific at worst. As the accident in Fukushima continues to unfold, the public should be provided with all measurements made of radioactive fallout from the Fukushima reactors to allow for independent analyses.”

Indeed, just how radioactive particles – particularly iodine 131 and the more dangerous cesium 137 – move through the food chain remains unclear.

……

What about mothers who are breast-feeding? Presumably, if cows, sheep and goats can pass radiation along in their milk, so can humans.

It was this concern that enraged Michael Mariotte, the executive director of Nuclear Information and Resource Service, when the federal government released its statement downplaying the milk situation.

“No mother should ever have to wonder if the milk she feeds her child might be harmful,” he wrote in a statement. “Having worked on nuclear issues for 25 years, I know the difference between internal exposures and background radiation. But lots of people don’t. As the father of an 11-month old daughter, I’m personally furious at the government for this misleading information.”

Read moreExecutive Director Of Nuclear Information And Resource Service ‘Furious At The Government For Misleading Information’

Background Radiation Of The Entire Planet Is Rising – Radiation And Jet Stream Forecast UPDATE: Cesium-137, Xenon-133 And Iodine-131 (4/5/2011)

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Make sure you watch from 4:00 minutes into the video.

The Background Radiation of the Entire Planet Is Rising

The levels are “mid” and “low” range at surface, 2500m, and 5000m … for gasses NOT detectable by radiation detectors.

Here are the links… you decide for yourself.

Surface levels and high level clouds of Cesium 137, Iodine 131, and Xenon 133, have reached the United States .. showing up in 13 different states rain water according to MSM reports..

Read moreBackground Radiation Of The Entire Planet Is Rising – Radiation And Jet Stream Forecast UPDATE: Cesium-137, Xenon-133 And Iodine-131 (4/5/2011)