# preparing for radiation



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

After Fukishima, we were trying to make sure we were protected from potential radiation poisoning. We bought some dried seaweed at Trader Joes. It is not too palatable, but it works. I have since bought some with wasabi, and you know that makes it a little more desirable. I have some packages in my preps, and saw some at Safeway today in the Asian section.

Sushi? Yes! Maybe some you make sushi. If you area sushi eater, you can store many of the makings of sushi in your preps, including seaweed, aka nori. I know people who make it, but I am not such a sushi fan. I have eaten it, and will eat it, but it is not what I suggest we go out to eat.

This would be a healthier option than the potassium iodide, which is not recommended for older people.

I have not considered taking it in capsules, but it would be a good protection to strengthen our thyroids against radiation poisoning.

http://healthyhealing.web13.hubspot.com/dr-lindas-blog/bid/173469/Seaweed-iodine-for-protection-against-radiation



> Seaweed iodine for protection against radiation
> 
> Posted by Sarah Abernathy on Wed, Nov 28, 2012 @ 06:36 PM
> 
> ...


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## walter (Jun 5, 2013)

I think I would rather die of radiation poisoning.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

When Fuku first happened I bought a 3 year supply of seaweed capsules, they have a 3 year expiration. Getting a bit low now and I’m afraid to buy any more now that the ocean is so polluted. I guess East coast seaweed would not be too badly radiated… yet.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

weedygarden thank you for this information. I don't know if I will use this particular info but all is important. I was totally unaware of this benefit of seaweed. Though having ate it once or twice I doubt I will seek out any of it now even with this knowledge about its benefits.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

If you are concerned about radiation think of your water supply as well as your thyroid...

If your water supply is contaminated the seaweed/iodine pills are not going to help much if you are constantly drinking radiated water.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

I've been watching this all unfold closely. Im a big fan of the news website called enenews and I believe the world is being largly left in the dark concerning the amount and danger that fukoshima poses. 

This is the last year I am consuming any fish from the pacific. I have a few jars of salmon I canned n when its gone thats it. Every year I'd go down to the dock and buy tuna right off the boat..im kicking myself for not canning more as Im out. I just dont believe it is safe to consume anymore when a independant study found 100 % were contaminated. Tuna migrates between the west coast n Japan..Salmon does not but some other studies found salmon contaminated as well. I read recently some Alaskan folks were demanding some more testing of the salmon but they are comming up against resistance with the gov. The damage to the ecomony, ocean environment, fishing industry of the whole pacific, all the housing and coastal towns economy not to mention the real estate markets will be devestated when this comes to a head. 

Its not like one can hide from radiation..we know its been released into the ocean...air etc. Just like Chornobal, (spell?) it will deposit isotopes all over the world for a long long time. The difference is the amount this one has put out there is unprescented (spell?). If fuel pool #4 goes it could be a ELE but regardless Im thinking life just got a but shorter for us all...uggh..

Be careful about consuming seaweed..try to find where it's sourced. Lots of seaweed is still being harvested from Japan dispite the leaks adn shipped all over the world for consumption. Seaweed was tested off our coast down southern Cali was contaminated and I believe that was spring of 2012. I can only imagine its worse now. Bioacculmation of radiation is harmful. There is no safe level of these isotopes...and our bodies do not discharge them. They hang out forever. 

Its not like we can hide from this..and its not realistic to move to the southern hemisphere. Eventually it will pollute the whole planet if it hasnt already. I think it is wise to assess living arrangements and food choices. That said im not willing to give up butter yet. I have been canning butter to try and get not only a nice store of it but I figure eariler in the game here the less contamination ?? Im not real sure about my logic but radioactivity likes to hang out in fats like butter n milk so...

I think living in close proximity to the Pacific will be unwise as well. It is part of the reason Im going to move. There are other reasons for my decision as well that are unrelated to this but it is a concern. I am a block from the cliffs..seaspray just today with our heavy seas we are having right now..waves up to 17 feet covers the town in what appears like a misty fog. It smells heavy of ocean life and its a normal thing. I cringe when I think of the pockets of radioactive junk headed our way n cant think it will be real healthy to be breathing the mist a block away. Close proximity cant be healthy now for anyone on the coast.

I greive for the Pacific and all its creatures who cant escape...


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*We haven't eaten any seafood since Fukishima*

Given that I trust my gut more than I trust the government and the news, we have not eaten any seafood since Fukishima. We used to eat fish at least once a week, especially Alaskan salmon. I am concerned about tuna, salmon, and almost any fish.

We used to go to a site often to view radiation levels that were being reported for our area, and at times they were downright high. Of course, we were not being told that. You can participate with a Geiger counter that is connected with software. It is a grassroots reporting monitoring system.

Just now the site is reporting that the highest level of radiation in the United States is in the far western edge of South Dakota. It said 62 and then went down to 59. After Fukishima, I understood it better than I do now. There is a link to vew what is going on in Japan and I believe that they are just not reporting, because there levels are low!

http://radiationnetwork.com/


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

This is most overlooked disaster in our history. Chernobyl was just 1 reactor in the middle of Russia. Chernobyl only irradiated an area within 100 miles of the reactor.

Fukushima is 4 reactors on the sea. Three of the reactors have melted down and fourth is about to. Fukushima is on an aquifer that flows from the mountains into the ocean. When the reactor cores melt down to the aquifer, all the under ground water will be high radiated and deadly to all life in the Pacific ocean. This will be a continuous stream into the ocean and will kill most if not all of the life.

Also, when the cores hit the water there will be a continuous steam expulsion that will pump irradiated particles into the high atmosphere. Within weeks it will be all over the earth.

At least when Chernobyl happened the Russian military was called in to stop it. Up till this week TEPCO is still trying to take care of this them selves. From what I read the original workers at Fukushima are all dead or dying and TEPCO is rotating workers from other reactors to work there.

Not one person on this planet will be able to escape.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

I just buy the pills for a few bucks and keep them with my family. When you live not far from a Nuke facility like folks in North Texas do you had best at least think about it. Comanche Peak at Glen Rose is a really old plant by today's standards. If it were to go the DFW Metroplex is right in the wind pattern to take a good dose of NUKE. 

If you have a few bottles of Iodine pills and some simple masks and eye covering you are in pretty good shape if you are not right on top of it. The best thing you can do is move as fast as you can. Simple Tyvek Suits like painter's suits with hoods can increase your protection as well. Paint respirators like 3M will be more than sufficient to cover you.


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## Jimthewagontraveler (Feb 8, 2012)

What is a good site to find out the radiation levels USA wide.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Did you try the link in my previous post?*



Jimthewagontraveler said:


> What is a good site to find out the radiation levels USA wide.


Do you want something more detailed than the map in this link?

http://radiationnetwork.com/


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I agree that this is the biggest event to be whitewashed from the MSM to date. It has a worldwide impact and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. TEPCO has admitted to not knowing where the melted cores are in 3 of the reactors. With all the spent fuel rods in #4 and the building being tilted and on unstable ground, it is the fat lady coming on the stage. All the debris and bent storage cases the rods are in it will make it an impossible task to get them all out safely. But, they plan on starting in November.

They have admitted that the levels of contamination going into the sea are much higher than they have been reporting. They also admit that it has been going on longer than they reported. It took two and a half YEARS for them to publically admit that there is really not anything they can do to stop the contamination. Well, there is the freezing the ground thing.

The US, our beloved government, reacts by raising the ‘acceptable levels of radiation’ higher to match ‘normal background radiation’. Which, of course is getting higher and higher all the time. I have accepted the fact that this will not end for several generations.

There is just no way to prepare for something this large and widespread.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Nuclear rant*

Since there is NO good way to deal with nuclear waste, why has it been allowed anywhere on earth?

As a very young and naïve person, I saw a billboard on one of my first travels that said, "No nukes is good nukes". It was sponsored by the John Birch Society. I still do not know who they are and what they really do, but this is absolutely the truth.

I think if anyone has campaigned for, promoted, or been in charge of nuclear happening, they should have to live with it. Let them go live at Fukishima. Make that a part of a bargaining chip when someone is all about it.

Is anyone building nuclear anywhere in the world?

God help us all, as it will f**k us all!


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

First off, I will not defend the nuclear industry. I did work for a local power company at a nuclear power plant for a short time.

Three mile island and Chernobyl were man made errors that lead to major accidents. I see the Fukushima as preventable and TEPCO knew that this could happen if they had a tsunami above a curtain height and that is criminal.

The original design for the reactors at Fukushima had Tsunami proof emergency generator buildings. During construction the plans were modified to save money. The original design engineers refused to sign off on the change but upper management approved it any way.

BTW the reason for the melt downs was because they couldn't run the cooling pumps because they lost all line power and the emergency generators could not be started because they were flooded.

If reactor 4's spent fuel is exposed the entire site will be a no mans land.

When I went through training at the nuclear plant they said that spent fuel was so radioactive that the industry has no way to measure it. They went on to say that if a *spent* fuel rod was laying in the middle of a field and you ran full speed toward it you would never survive to get there.

The Fukushima plant now has water that is so radioactive that it only takes 2 hours for a worker to get a life dose (50-50 chance of death ).

At this time, I do not see a way for them to fix this. It's just going to get worse. The ice dam they are going to do seems very desperate and not likely to work.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Desperate? You betcha. But, with this starting to make the MSM news they have to say they are doing something. I mean, they really can’t go on TV and say “There is nothing we can do in our lifetimes, maybe in the future someone will develop a way to get a molten pile of radioactive crap out of the earth.”


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## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

This thread (especially Tweto's opinion) is what I was talking about when I first joined.....if we get an EMP....we are all doomed.....


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but I was given to understand that water itself cannot become irradiated, that it is the solid matter floating in the water that is irradiated, and in small amounts, can be filtered out to make the water safe. 

Not that it makes much of a difference when you're talking about an entire ocean, but I just wanted to ask one of you if I had been mislead.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Scary post, we have two months*

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article42434.html

Since we know we really don't get accurate information, we have to use our own reasoning. This article is saying it as extremely as it can possibly be.



> Fukushima Radiation Leaks Totally Out of Control - Threatening Human Survival Politics / Environmental Issues Sep 25, 2013 - 06:07 PM GMT
> By: Global_Research Politics
> 
> Harvey Wasserman writes: We are now within two months of what may be humankind's most dangerous moment since the Cuban Missile Crisis.
> ...


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

Here is what the article doesn't say.

One spent fuel rod is actually made of hundreds of "pellets" that are about 3/4" round by 1/2" long. Too transport one of these requires a rail road tank car made of 1 foot thick lead shielding, and concrete. Let me say it again, that's one rail car for each spent fuel pellet. They said they have 400 tons of spent fuel rods to remove. I have seen one spent fuel pool for just one reactor and estimate it is 60 feet by 120 feet and 30 feet deep. For 4 reactors the spent fuel pool has to be 4 times that size. If I had to guess at how many rods that would be I would say 500 to 1000. And then to make a rough estimate that would require 50,000 to 100,000 rail cars.

As the article said that when these rods are exposed, the radiation is so bad that they will destroy and electronics, and motors, making robotic removal impossible. No humans will be able to enter the area. That makes this a dead zone for thousands of years and will continue to contaminate the whole earth.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Keeping in mind I know nothing about a lot of things.

Russia use a concrete cap. Why don't the Japanese use a lead cap and let the core burn its way to the earth's center?


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

TheLazyL said:


> Keeping in mind I know nothing about a lot of things.
> 
> Russia use a concrete cap. Why don't the Japanese use a lead cap and let the core burn its way to the earth's center?


The concrete cap at Chernobyl has begun to collapse (due to the high radiation levels) onto the center of the reactor and Russia is spending millions of dollars building a more permanent cap.

Fukushima is a different animal. Since the reactors are on the ocean the contamination can not be contained.


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## walter (Jun 5, 2013)

I seem that the Japanese are doing the impossible by creating an ice dam. Hmmm. How many people have been killed by the Fukushima incident so far?


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

Tepco just got the green light to begin removing the spent fuel rods from reactor #4. The work on this will begin this month. The article states that if another earthquake causes radiation to leak from the rods, it could reach the west coast within days. There's also a bunch of other things that could go wrong but there are too many of them to list here. I don't know how this could end well but it doesn't look like they have much of a choice. If they leave the rods in place they could be damaged and cause a nuclear meltdown, but the process of removing them could also damage them and cause a meltdown.

http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-11-08/we%E2%80%99re-most-dangerous-moment-cuban-missile-crisis


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

walter said:


> I seem that the Japanese are doing the impossible by creating an ice dam. Hmmm. How many people have been killed by the Fukushima incident so far?


I think many people are understandably reacting with fear and posting information from anti-nuke sources that isn't correct. People would not believe my information from training and experience so it's not worth an internet argument.

However... I would be surprised if there were not a few deaths and many more serious health issues that have come as a result of the disaster. I am sure that over time there will be many more, all of which will be to people exposed due to being near the accident. I would also be surprised if there's any increase in issues for those in other countries.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Fear? Yup!*



labotomi said:


> I think many people are understandably reacting with fear and posting information from anti-nuke sources that isn't correct. People would believe my information from training and experience so it's not worth an internet argument.
> 
> However... I would be surprised if there were not a few deaths and many more serious health issues that have come as a result of the disaster. I am sure that over time there will be many more, all of which will be to people exposed due to being near the accident. I would also be surprised if there's any increase in issues for those in other countries.


I don't believe that there has been enough information about what has gone on, but if they do tell us, we will get more afraid.

Maybe the information I have posted isn't correct, but it is information that is out there. By posting it, we get the collective wisdom of the people who belong to this group. I have found stuff and posted it, and get such good feedback, once in a while not nice responses, but usually kind. People know stuff that I don't. Sometimes there is crazy stuff, but who knows what is real? I often do, but sometimes, I have no idea what is being talked about. I like the feedback and appreciate it when people give it in a way that helps me to understand better.

How many people have died because of Fukishima? Google it and every story you see has a different answer.


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

weedygarden said:


> I don't believe that there has been enough information about what has gone on, but if they do tell us, we will get more afraid.
> 
> Maybe the information I have posted isn't correct, but it is information that is out there. By posting it, we get the collective wisdom of the people who belong to this group. I have found stuff and posted it, and get such good feedback, once in a while not nice responses, but usually kind. People know stuff that I don't. Sometimes there is crazy stuff, but who knows what is real? I often do, but sometimes, I have no idea what is being talked about. I like the feedback and appreciate it when people give it in a way that helps me to understand better.
> 
> How many people have died because of Fukishima? Google it and every story you see has a different answer.


I wasn't talking about you.

I agree that there's a lack of reliable information. That's not what I was talking about. I was referring to incorrect statements about fundamental things concerning radiation, the behavior of radioactive material and other things that are well established.

It's to be expected that people on this site tend to gravitate toward the anti nuke side. I have no problems with differing opinions. It would be more beneficial if statements from all sides were as accurate as possible.


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## Cast-Iron (Nov 8, 2013)

Since the events at the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Plant, I decided to invest some time into researching nuclear physics. I am neither an expert nor an authority on the subject, but I think I have a fairly good grasp on the basics that I will share here.

Radioactive isotopes usually decay by one of three processes: Alpha, Beta, or Gamma particle emission. This is important to understand, because each one poses different levels of threat.

*Alpha decay*: The largest particle emitted by the radioactive decay process and it consists of two protons and two neutrons. It is positively charged. Basically a Helium ion looking for electrons. Because of its relatively large size, an Alpha particle only radiates a few centimeters from its parent atom. It is effectively shielded by almost anything from paper to your own external layer of dead skin. As long as it is kept outside of your body it poses a very low health risk.

*Beta decay:* A Beta particle is the emission of an electron from within one of the nucleus' neutrons. It is negatively charged. It results in the formation of a new proton within the nucleus, thereby changing the underlying atomic element to the next higher element on the periodic table. An electron being considerably smaller (1/1876th) the size of a single proton or neutron, will radiate a much greater distance from the parent atom. This distance is estimated to be a few hundred meters. Beta emissions are effectively blocked with a few millimeters of aluminum foil.

*Gamma decay:* Gamma emissions are highly charged energy particles. They fall at the high end of the electromagnetic spectrum. These emissions can travel great distances (light year distances) from the parent atom. Gamma radiation poses the greatest risk and can be effectively shielded by a lead shield, thick concrete or earthen barriers.

How much radiation is safe? Truthfully, and IMHO, no level is safe but we are all surrounded by background levels of radiation everyday. Some of it from naturally occurring sources (like Uranium decay) others from celestial or man-made origins. Our bodies are equipped to handle low levels of background radiation without experiencing too many serious health issues. However, this natural background radiation was increased globally by the development and open air testing of nuclear weapons in the 1950's and 60's. This elevated background level of radiation is believed to be one of the principal reasons for the rise in the incident rates for many different types of cancers over the past few decades.

Now we have the catastrophe happening in Japan. First you must realize that not all radioactive isotopes are created equal. Some will undergo the decay process within seconds and become harmless stable elements. Others may require multiple decay processes (a decay chain), each with its own half-life, and the process can take from decades to millions of years to stabilize. So identifying each isotope is an important function to understanding how to best protect yourself from the threat. Here are a few of the more common ones from Fukushima.

Iodine-131: Half-Life 8 days. Byproduct of the nuclear fission of Uranium or Plutonium. Prolonged exposure can result in accumulation in the Thyroid glands. This is usually only a threat for the few weeks immediately following the melt-down event/containment failure of a nuclear reactor.

Cesium-137: Half-Life 30 years. Chemically similar to Potassium or Sodium. Since it is water soluble it is easily dispersed and easily becomes a ubiquitous contaminant. Cesium-137 is considered a soft tissue seeker and will bio-accumulate in the food chain. Foods at the top of the chain (like tuna) could possess dangerous concentrations.

Strontium-90: Half-Life about 29 years. Strontium is chemically similar to calcium and is usually accumulated in the bones of anything that ingests it. It leads to higher incidence rates for both bone cancer and Leukemia.

If another explosion occurs at Fukushima and radioactive matter is thrust into the jet stream, it will reach North America within days. There are many reports of the fallout from the March 2011 event with traceable isotopes detected all over the west coast and even inland areas like Idaho and Colorado.

How do we protect ourselves from this new threat? I wish I had a simple answer. I guess your safest course of action would be to invest in a Geiger counter with a Geiger-Mueller probe and start testing your environment, food and water. Keeping these isotopes outside your body is your best defense. Personally I won't eat any pacific sourced seafood anymore since I haven't yet invested in the testing equipment. The ocean currents circle the planet in a matter of months, so we should expect that some trace amounts of the radiation from Japan has already made its way into the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. Will this contamination eventually rise to unsafe levels? That remains to be seen, but trusting government officials to "level" with us is something I am not comfortable with.

Sorry for the length, but this is a complicated subject. I hope this helps to shed some better understanding for those who read it!


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

When I was a kid, I would always hear "don't eat the snow". The reason they told us this was the fallout from all the above ground nuclear testing going on in Nevada back in the late 40's and 50's. I live in Nebraska, about 1000 miles as the crow flies. 

What has been forgotten since then was the medical problems that had effected the people down wind. In just my family EVERYONE had thyroid problems even though there was no previous family history of this.

This did not cause any deaths and it was written off by the government as unavoidable.

Fukushima, I believe will be similar. There will be thousands if not hundred thousands of cancers over the next 10-50 years that will have there roots from Fukushima. None of this will be blamed on Fukushima because it would be impossible to make solid connections that would pass any legal requirement.

The Fukushima mess is not going away. The Japanese don't seam to be taking this as serious as the Russians did at Chernobyl (they brought in the military). From some of the news reports the Japanese have started hiring untrained hires to help because the other nuclear workers around their country have refused to go there.

From what I can understand from the ify reports coming what of the area, the situation will be getting worse (maybe much worse). From the average man on the street position, we are just the canary in the mine shaft.


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

Tweto said:


> When I was a kid, I would always hear "don't eat the snow". The reason they told us this was the fallout from all the above ground nuclear testing going on in Nevada back in the late 40's and 50's. I live in Nebraska, about 1000 miles as the crow flies.
> 
> What has been forgotten since then was the medical problems that had effected the people down wind. In just my family EVERYONE had thyroid problems even though there was no previous family history of this.
> 
> This did not cause any deaths and it was written off by the government as unavoidable.


First, I'm sorry for your families medical problems.

The only source of damage that concentrates on the thyroid is Iodine 131. It has a half life of 8 days. As such it cannot build up over time on the ground or in livestock, water, milk etc. The radiation decays whether inside your body or outside. What happened decades ago would not still cause an Iodine 131 concern.

There could have been other radioactive contamination concerns that led to the "don't eat the snow" advice, but that wouldn't have built up in people's thyroid.


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

Tweto said:


> Fukushima, I believe will be similar. There will be thousands if not hundred thousands of cancers over the next 10-50 years that will have there roots from Fukushima. None of this will be blamed on Fukushima because it would be impossible to make solid connections that would pass any legal requirement.
> 
> The Fukushima mess is not going away. The Japanese don't seam to be taking this as serious as the Russians did at Chernobyl (they brought in the military). From some of the news reports the Japanese have started hiring untrained hires to help because the other nuclear workers around their country have refused to go there.
> 
> From what I can understand from the ify reports coming what of the area, the situation will be getting worse (maybe much worse). From the average man on the street position, we are just the canary in the mine shaft.


This is guesswork and opinion.


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

Cast-Iron, 
Your post is well written. Are you the subject's author?


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## Cast-Iron (Nov 8, 2013)

@ labotomi-

Yes, for better or worse, I wrote it. Thanks!


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I think the typical understanding of radiation and radioactivity is the result of liberal propaganda against the nuclear power industry. I don't think the Pacific Ocean is going to die. I'm not concerned about radioactivity reaching the US. Even if seafood has 1,000 times the normal amount of radioactivity that doesn't mean it's unsafe to eat.

Having said that, taking a supplement that removes 80% of radioactive Iodine doesn't do any good if you're getting 100,000 times the safe amount.

But anyway, here's a link to the Nature program "Radioactive Wolves". It's a PBS program that shows just how well wildlife is doing in that area. I'm really surprised it was shown in the US. It really undercuts the liberal propaganda that PBS is known for. It should really change the way we look at radiation and radioactivity.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

labotomi said:


> First, I'm sorry for your families medical problems.
> 
> The only source of damage that concentrates on the thyroid is Iodine 131. It has a half life of 8 days. As such it cannot build up over time on the ground or in livestock, water, milk etc. The radiation decays whether inside your body or outside. What happened decades ago would not still cause an Iodine 131 concern.
> 
> There could have been other radioactive contamination concerns that led to the "don't eat the snow" advice, but that wouldn't have built up in people's thyroid.


You are making an assumption that it was one time event. The above ground testing continued for years and we were getting a continual dosage. BTW everyone in my family have all passed long ago. I have escaped the health problems but my wife has them and her whole family has them. Most of them have passed.

I need to add that Nebraska was almost directly down wind from these tests.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

labotomi said:


> This is guesswork and opinion.


I said in my post that "from what I can understand". I will never use the word "expert" next to my name when It comes to radiation.

I'm a supporter of nuclear power and see it as the only viable way to produce power in the future. What I'm against is the inept and incompetence that I see in the engineers, management, and plant workers in the industry.

Three mile Island never would have happened is the operators had not screwed up.

Chernobyl would never had happen if the operators had not screwed up.

Fukushima never would have happened if reactors 1,2,3,4 were built on the hill like 5 and 6. When they built 5 and 6 they were concerned about tsunamis, so why didn't they go back to 1,2,3,4 and harden the generators and control rooms for flooding. This was disgusted and TEPCO decided against spending the money to do it.

Sorry kinda got carried away Rant Off.


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## Cast-Iron (Nov 8, 2013)

I don't think there is any doubt that the radiation leaks from Fukushima will result in the premature deaths of an unknown number of people. Quantifying that number is in all likelihood just an exercise in futility. If you're one of those affected, it doesn't really matter if that total is one or one-million. 

Nuclear energy has a finite fuel supply just like coal or gas. Big difference is the long-term issues with the spent fuel rods. I can't endorse an industry which benefits us in the short-term, yet saddles many generations to come with a very dangerous waste product. Especially with all the options we have available to us for sustainable renewable energy.


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

Tweto said:


> You are making an assumption that it was one time event. The above ground testing continued for years and we were getting a continual dosage. BTW everyone in my family have all passed long ago. I have escaped the health problems but my wife has them and her whole family has them. Most of them have passed.
> 
> I need to add that Nebraska was almost directly down wind from these tests.


You're assumption that I made that assumption is incorrect. 

Most of the testing was airbursts which produce less fallout though some would still be some produced
Most fallout settles within a couple of days meaning a vast majority would not travel the 1000 miles
Any single area only receives fallout for about 2 hours so all that reached your area was not deposited in your area.

What was deposited in your area would quickly decay away to Xenon131 which is a gas and would be quickly expelled from the body. It has a half life of 12 days. If it happened to decay while still in the body it would be by a lower energy gamma emission which is far less damaging to body tissue than an alpha emission (the iodine 131 method of decay)

You stated "everyone" in your family had thyroid problems. Can you say the same thing or close to everyone in neighboring families had thyroid problems? Just curious.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

labotomi said:


> You're assumption that I made that assumption is incorrect.
> 
> Most of the testing was airbursts which produce *less* fallout though some would still be some produced
> Most fallout settles within a couple of days meaning a vast majority would not travel the 1000 miles
> ...


Air bursts do produce less fallout, but there is still fallout. If you what to do a history search you will find numerous technical reports from the era about thyroid issues for the whole area. If my memory is correct it included much of Colorado, Utah, all of Nebraska, South Dakota, and some of Wyoming.

The local papers would tell us when the next explosion would happen and when they expected the fallout to arrive in the area. The papers warned us to clean your shoes before coming into the house, don't allow the kids to play in the dirt, and we also had warnings about drinking any milk products. I will never forget any of this. At the time it was considered patriotic to accept the hazards and not to complain. Anti nuclear organization had not gotten started so we had to trust the government.

Thyroid issues were not the only medical issues of that time, there were other increases of other cancers. For some reason thyroid was the problem in my family.


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

Tweto said:


> Air bursts do produce less fallout, but there is still fallout.


You highlighted my statement then posted your own stating the same thing in a chastising manner. 

You're missing the point. Your family had thyroid issues which if caused by fallout would have came from exposure to I-135. If I-135 were the cause, others in the area would have almost certainly had similar issues.

Other issues could happen due to other fallout but would not have been limited to the thyroid. The warnings were for fallout (general). Just because fallout settled in your area does not mean that there was a damaging level of I-135 included.

I'm sorry if this goes against what you've decided to be the cause of your families thyroid problems.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

labotomi said:


> You highlighted my statement then posted your own stating the same thing in a chastising manner.
> 
> You're missing the point. Your family had thyroid issues which if caused by fallout would have came from exposure to I-135. If I-135 were the cause, others in the area would have almost certainly had similar issues.
> 
> ...


If I wasn't clear, I'm sorry, Yes there were other health issues blamed on the testing. It's just that the thyroid issues were my family and my wife's family problems. So that's what I have been talking about.

If you are trying to convince me that the Nevada testing was not the source of these problems it won't happen. Sometimes common sense is the very best way to determine whats going on. When there are huge numbers of people getting the same medical problem it has always been identified has coming from a source. If random occurrence is to blame then I should play the lottery.

I lived through it and all the years of one after another of my relatives coming down with the same thing it makes you convinced that what the "experts" say is not true.

I was just listening to "Coast to Coast" and they had a Fukushima forum with nuclear industry guests.

Some of the high points were.

There is a lawsuit by personal in the USS Ronald Reagan against the Japanese Government based on the Japanese saying that the radiation levels were much lower then the actual radiation. The entire ship had to be decontaminated.

The Government of Japan has ordered a back-out on connecting any health issues to Fukushima. There are thousands of people in Japan dying and dead from cancers that have just been discovered in the last few years. When you hear that there have been no deaths then start getting scared.

The US government is testing sea food from the Pacific but for some reason have decided not to release any of the findings.

In Seattle, air filtration devices were picking up contamination and the levels were increasing, then the US turned them off.

Fukushima unit 3 is so hot the no human can go near it, machines that have been sent in failed. The "experts" are out of ideas on how to fix it.

When I worked in the nuclear industry in 1980 I remember them telling all the new employees how safe it was and that in some ways it was healthy too. Yes I said healthy, all the books they gave us said it, so it must be true.

Back then they also were still saying that smoking was good for you and some doctors prescribed it for weight lose.


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

Having grown up in California I am very aware of the Japanese Pacific Ocean Currents.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Tweto said:


> When I was a kid, I would always hear "don't eat the snow". The reason they told us this was the fallout from all the above ground nuclear testing going on in Nevada back in the late 40's and 50's. I live in Nebraska, about 1000 miles as the crow flies.
> 
> What has been forgotten since then was the medical problems that had effected the people down wind. In just my family EVERYONE had thyroid problems even though there was no previous family history of this.
> 
> ...


Tweto, I am sorry that your family has experienced thyroid problems.

You grew up in Nebraska, and in another post you said that all of South Dakota was affected also. I grew up in S.D. and most of my family has always lived there. I was not alive in the 40s, but I was in the 50s. I too remember being told not to eat the snow, that it was dirty. It was always white, and I think the "dirty" snow was probably radiation. I may have been told that snow had radiation in it, but that I do not remember.

I do not know of anyone in S.D. that has experienced thyroid problems. That does not mean that it does not exist there. It means that I do not know anyone who has had problems. I have relatives in Tripp County, close to the Nebraska border and my grandparent's ranch was in Mellette County. When I get back there again, and sometimes it can be 5 years between visits, I am going to ask about this. Being farmers and ranchers, the men would have spent most of their days outdoors, working cattle, feeding and watering, haying, plowing, planting, harvesting, mending fence, slaughtering, etc. If your family had a farm or ranch, the same would have been true for them also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plumbbob took place in 1957 and consisted of 29 explosions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_Test_Site Evidently there were two historical time frames of testing, 1951 - 1992, and 1992 - 2007. The first era had 928 tests, 828 being underground. What happened after 1992 is not as clear. They had arrested hundreds of arrests due to protests from 1986 to 1992. Evidently vocal, liberal America forced them to go quiet about what they were doing, or to pretty much stop the testing. I'll bet someone can add some clarity to this.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Labotomi, if you have any info please share it and how you know it. If there is any controversy I want to know all sides of an issue. You, like most here, have given the best you have to give. Some have politely disagreed with me and I take no offense. Don't worry about starting an argument.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I just picked up some canned tuna with the idea that it was probably put up a year ago. I probably just got another years worth at our current consumption rate. I'm looking for some input. Am I overreacting? Should I buy more? Should I not worry about radiation but buy more due to inflation?


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## Cast-Iron (Nov 8, 2013)

Caribou said:


> I just picked up some canned tuna with the idea that it was probably put up a year ago. I probably just got another years worth at our current consumption rate. I'm looking for some input. Am I overreacting? Should I buy more? Should I not worry about radiation but buy more due to inflation?


I bought around 100 cans of tuna about a year ago. I told myself that would be it until I could independently verify the radiation level of the contents of any future purchases. For me, that will mean investing in a quality Geiger counter and learning how to perform the necessary tests. I know there are a lot of subsistence fishermen in Alaska. Maybe you and a few others could share the expense of the equipment and then you would have peace of mind? But remember most fish will have some background radiation, you just need to avoid the "hot" stuff. (Note: Alpha and Beta radiation may not register on the meter until the can is opened)


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