Japan - Fallout

[Babar]

Or sleep with too many people simultaneously.

[TomatoesInTheHead]

Can anybody who speaks Japanese tell me whether it's pronounced fookashima or fuckashima?

Here they say "Fukushima" pretty often (at least twice): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN4_OseM4lA

[Anian]

Or sleep with too many people simultaneously.

...or too many bananas...if you're into that stuff. 

[Dualnames]

I still haven't met m0ds!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Moresco]

Can anybody who speaks Japanese tell me whether it's pronounced fookashima or fuckashima?

Neither.  It's:
fu (give a light who-fu sound on fu, not a hard F)
KU (koo, as in the name, COOper)
SHI-ma (shi as in "she" and ma as in "mama")
Emphasis is important, you should put emphasis on the uppercase letters by raising your pitch slightly for those and lowering it on the other sounds.

So it's fuKUSHIma.

[zabnat]

Here is an article from a site that would seem trustworthy at the first sight. The only problem is, that none of the radiation levels mentioned in the article are not found in the source that author claims to be using. The source doesn't even have any readings using the same units that are mentioned in the article.

This is pretty much the quality of all the news I have read about the incident. Today I saw a headline saying "Fukushimas water radiation level is 4385 times above the limit." Nowhere in that article are any real figures or units mentioned, or even if that 4385 times above the limit is dangerous. Which I believe is not, because the limits are really low.

[Moresco]

Here is an article from a site that would seem trustworthy at the first sight. The only problem is, that none of the radiation levels mentioned in the article are not found in the source that author claims to be using. The source doesn't even have any readings using the same units that are mentioned in the article.

I believe the article is referring to the readings in this pdf:
http://www.mext.go.jp/component/english/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2011/03/31/1304097_0331.pdf

I cannot interpret them, but give it a go if you want.

We've had radiation in our rain here in the US, and milk in WA has now shown radiation as well.  Very minor levels, or so they say.  Comparable to levels from using a TV.   I know sitting too close to the TV is supposed to be bad for your eyes, I never attempted to drink my TV....

[zabnat]

Well that is the exact pdf(source) that I was referring to. In the pdf values are in Bq/m³ and Bq/kg. Maybe she had some fancy formula to convert cubic meters to square meters and kilograms to square meters...

[TomatoesInTheHead]

In the pdf values are in Bq/m³ and Bq/kg. Maybe she had some fancy formula to convert cubic meters to square meters and kilograms to square meters...

Oh, how I like it when journalists try to derive meaningful values on their own from the available statistics without knowing what they're doing...

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Sadly, you can't really trust any 'official' channels on this as the Japan energy commission and president have obfuscated and minimized the severity of the situation since it began.  This includes the EPA, who has actually shut off 8 of their coastal radiation detectors without giving any real comment in spite of radioactive iodine being detected in Southern California and in the milk in Washington (one of the first things to show radiation is milk).

I've been going by the detections from radiation network, an Arizona-based network that allows people from states (and other countries) to tie into their visual system to display current ambient radiation levels.  It's also updated constantly so for Americans in particular I recommend it highly.

http://www.radiationnetwork.com/index.htm

All of my information and advice has come from physicist and nuclear expert Dr. Doug Rokke and british nuclear physicist Dr. Christopher Busby, who both agree that as long as the reactors remain open there remains a significant risk of dangerous radiation levels building up in the US and areas hit by the jet stream.


Bear in mind, geiger counters aren't going to detect plutonium or uranium and a single particle absorbed into your system will kill you; fortunately, both are comparatively heavy and do not carry well in the wind.  The primary concern for people 1000 miles or more away is radioactive iodine, and since the reactors have continued to spew out radiation for two weeks, both Busby and Rokke recommend you take whatever measures you consider are appropriate considering they may not seal them for some time (buying some potassium iodide, staying indoors especially when it rains).  Your best defense, other than to get out of the jet stream which isn't realistic for most people, is to stay indoors as often as possible, especially if radiation levels start climbing incrementally.

I've bought enough potassium iodide to provide for my family and friends in an emergency, so there's nothing wrong with preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

[Stupot]

http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=146&contentid=8100

Wow... just... wow...

This is either an example of some very, very dangerously stupid people making wild accusations, or a very poor attempt at an April Fool's joke.

(Mar 27, 2011) Independent scientist Leuren Moret in an exclusive March 27, 2011 interview with Alfred Lambremont Webre has stated that the west coasts of the United States and Canada, Mexico, and Hawaii are being intentionally targeted by dangerous radiation from the March 11, 2011 tectonic warfare earthquake and nuclear meltdown events at Fukushima, Japan.

The west coasts of the United States and Canada, and Mexico, Ms. Moret indicated, are the major food producing areas for North America.

Radiation from the Japan quake/nuclear meltdown events at Fukushima is intentionally being steered into these areas in order to dose the land and the food with radiation.

The ultimate purpose of this nuclear war is to attack the health and genome of the North American the population is attacked with radiation, to depopulate North America, and to make future humans less healthy and less resistant to takeover by a global new world order.

There's also an hour-long video, which I had to stop wacthing after about the first 3 minutes...

[Matti]

It's a website dedicated to conspiracies - do you expect much more than bullshit? 

[zabnat]

Sadly, you can't really trust any 'official' channels on this as the Japan energy commission and president have obfuscated and minimized the severity of the situation since it began.  This includes the EPA, who has actually shut off 8 of their coastal radiation detectors without giving any real comment in spite of radioactive iodine being detected in Southern California and in the milk in Washington (one of the first things to show radiation is milk).

True. It's extremely difficult to find neutral information as all parties seem to be coloring the information according their own agenda.

I found a site with geiger meter readings from Tokyo. Mirror

So, Japan detonated a large (>100 megaton) thermonuclear device deep beneath the sea floor, to create an earthquake and tsunami. Then they use explosives to crack the reactor containments so that they would release radioactive material to air, hoping the winds would carry most of it to the North America. Sounds entirely plausible!

[m0ds]

Albeit fairly undetectable levels, see here just how over the last month we've gone from no radiation to the entire globe covered in radiation: http://www.irsn.fr/FR/popup/Pages/irsn-meteo-france_30mars.aspx

Also, I read somewhere it only takes one particle of plutonium to kill you, woohoo! Though I believe there is little chance of that, and also that it doesn't carry too well in winds.

[Calin Leafshade]

ProgZ what are you talking about?

Bear in mind, geiger counters aren't going to detect plutonium or uranium

Huh?

Technically geiger-muller tubes do not detect elements at all. They detect ionising radiation. But I assume you are implying that they don't detect the kind of radiation given off by plutonium or uranium. Why? Both are radioactive sources and, as such, their decay can be detected with geiger counters.

and a single particle absorbed into your system will kill you;

Really? A single particle of an element can kill me?

Although you may define 'particle' however you like there is naturally occuring uranium in your food, your drinking water and pretty much everything else. It is a pretty abudant element (more so than tin for instance)

Plutonium is not as abundant as uranium but there are still traces of plutonium in pretty much human being on earth.

So saying that a single particle of uranium or plutonium WILL KILL US ALL! is pretty absurd.

EDIT: I think you are probably referring to this:

The Los Angeles Times [2] says that one ten-thousandth of a gram (0.1 milligram) inhaled can cause cancer. This is correct: we have already estimated that 0.08 milligrams inhaled will have 100% probability of causing a fatal cancer.

However I offer this rebuttal:

To inhale 0.1 milligram of plutonium, however, a person would have to inhale more than seven hundred thousand particles. (A single 0.1-milligram particle would have a diameter of over 260 micrometers, about 90 times too big to be readily inhaled.) Although a single respirable particle is unlikely to harm an individual,[13] there is still cause for concern if plutonium were to be dispersed in the atmosphere.

[hedgefield]

On a related note, it seems the EU quietly passed a new regulation last weekend that allows for a sharp increase of the maximum radiation level in Japanese food imported to Europe. The values differ across the different food categories, but the biggest increase was in the fish oils and spices where the limit was raised from 600 Becquerels (whatever those might be) to 12500 Bq.

Read more at http://bit.ly/fd6NWk (sorry for linking through Google Translate, but the news is only just breaking and most sources are in German).

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Geiger counters only detect gamma particles- particles that emit gamma rays, like cesium and iodine.  Plutonium and uranium emit massive amounts of alpha and beta rays which are not detectable by Geiger counters and insignificant, background radiation levels of gamma rays.  However, if you begin detecting massive amounts of iodine or cesium (a spike on the geiger counter makes this a strong likelihood) chances are pretty good plutonium and/or uranium has made it to where you are due to the sheer concentration of radiation.

Now, on to the plutonium/uranium amounts that are lethal:

So saying that a single particle of uranium or plutonium WILL KILL US ALL! is pretty absurd.

Nice way to take the reasonable explanation I gave and put the old media troll spin on it to make it look like a big conspiracy.

I never said a single particle will kill everyone; I said a single particle absorbed into your system (primarily through inhalation, as ingestion is a less effective means for radiation to reach your blood stream, though it is entirely possible) is enough to kill you as research has shown that the smaller the particle the more easily it can be absorbed by your body.  As little as a microgram inhaled can result in radiation sickness and death, though like anything else the science isn't perfect as most research has been conducted on rats or exposed plant workers.  Even less than a microgram can amplify your risk of cancer by TEN TIMES, so yes, a single particle of plutonium or uranium-238 will likely kill you.  I've added likely as you have this tendency to be incredibly anal retentive and desperate to pick apart my posts.

Everything I have written here is supported and derived from repeated statements by nuclear chemists and physicists, so go off and argue with Busby, Rokke, et al about it on their message boards.

[zabnat]

Based on your previous post, I would like to ask about this.

All of my information and advice has come from physicist and nuclear expert Dr. Doug Rokke and british nuclear physicist Dr. Christopher Busby, who both agree that as long as the reactors remain open there remains a significant risk of dangerous radiation levels building up in the US and areas hit by the jet stream.

Can you clarify what is meant by reactors being open? I haven't stumbled upon any information about this, so I would like to know more about this.

[Calin Leafshade]

Geiger counters only detect gamma particles- particles that emit gamma rays, like cesium and iodine.

No, not true. In fact geiger counters are *less* effective at detecting high energy gamma rays since they just pass through it without an interaction. Geiger counters are better at detecting beta particles and some tubes can detect alpha emissions (if close enough since alpha particles will only get a few inches through air).

Plutonium and uranium emit massive amounts of alpha and beta rays which are not detectable by Geiger counters and insignificant, background radiation levels of gamma rays.

Alpha and beta radiation are emitted as particles not rays. (Alpha being a Helium 4 nucleus and beta being a high velocity electron). Gamma radiation is emitted as rays.

I never said a single particle will kill everyone; I said a single particle absorbed into your system (primarily through inhalation, as ingestion is a less effective means for radiation to reach your blood stream, though it is entirely possible) is enough to kill you as research has shown that the smaller the particle the more easily it can be absorbed by your body.  As little as a microgram inhaled can result in radiation sickness and death, though like anything else the science isn't perfect as most research has been conducted on rats or exposed plant workers.  Even less than a microgram can amplify your risk of cancer by TEN TIMES, so yes, a single particle of plutonium or uranium-238 will likely kill you.  I've added likely as you have this tendency to be incredibly anal retentive and desperate to pick apart my posts.

Everything I have written here is supported and derived from repeated statements by nuclear chemists and physicists, so go off and argue with Busby, Rokke, et al about it on their message boards.

Fair enough. Although as I said it's unlikely that a person could inhale a 'single particle' large enough to kill them since they just dont stay airbourne at that size.

Although I should point out that no deaths have been attributed to the inhalation of plutonium despite several examples of exposure.

source: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf15.html

Of course I'm not saying the plutonium is all sweetness and light but perspective and alternative viewpoints are always useful to those who read threads like this.

[Dualnames]

What's going on? I'm scared!