Up to 160 may have radiation exposure in Japan nuclear accident

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/us-japan-quake-radiation-idUSTRE72B3IY20110312 ^

[chessplayer]

"TOKYO (Reuters) - The number of individuals exposed to radiation from the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan could reach as high as 160, an official of Japan's nuclear safety agency said on Sunday.

[samtheman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V09AANnaGks

[janetjanet998]

from CNN

Of the 100 people evacuated by bus, nine had been tested and one had been shown initially with a radiation count of 100,000cpm — a level at which experts say a person needs to be decontaminated. The other eight people showed counts ranging between 18,000cpm and 40,000cpm.

[janetjanet998]

regarding to the people in the bus I just posted:

something just doesn’t add up to what Japan is saying

assuming no one lives right by the plant, (and that looks to be the case judeing by google earth) then how did these people get all that radiation?

[Vaduz]

Maybe it was the radioactive steam that was released? when the pressure got to high.

[Nuc 1.1]

In your mind you need to separate radiation and contamination. Radiation is energy given off by radioactive decay. A radioactive material has atoms in it that are emitting energy. That is radiation. Contamination is radioactive material somewhere you don't want it. During a nuclear accident small amounts of radioactive material may be released into the air. This usually settles out close to the plant and is relatively short lived. That is it decays away quickly into nonradioactive material. That is why sheltering in place is a good way to deal with the situation. After a few days the radioactive material is gone. Further the the type of radiation and the energy level of that radiation is important. All this is taken into consideration in emergency plans. Contamination can be washed off usually with soap and water. Our standards for contamination is 100 cpm above background. That is if you have 100 counts above background (usually 200-400 counts) then you are considered contaminated. So by American standards all those folks are contaminated. They may have internal contamination. This may or may not be serious depending upon the isotope (type of radioactive material) involved. I suspect those folks will be just fine and live long lives. Remember “Radiation” is very sensationalized by the media because they don't understand it and fear drives ratings. Hope this helps.

[bgill]

something just doesn’t add up to what Japan is saying assuming no one lives right by the plant, (and that looks to be the case judeing by google earth) then how did these people get all that radiation?

I was up in the wee hours this morning and heard the MP's spokesman, Tokyo Bob or whatever is name is (the new Baghdad Bob), go on and on about nothing to see, move along, everything is under control, we are working at normal daily routines, blah, blah, blah. Excuse me, but normal is not having 150 people with radiation sickness. Normal is not evacuating for miles around and handing out iodine. Normal is not pumping in sea water that will kill the facility. So, yeah, I agree and have been saying so for a couple days that someone is not telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

[kickstart]

I have worked with chemical cleaning agents at nuclear power facilities. I have talked to HPs (Health Physics personnel) who were wary of the chemicals in our process much more than any radiation or radioactive contamination. You can easily quantify radiation exposure and contamination, both short and long term, with the right equipment. Exposure to many chemicals is not as easy to measure.

[Nuc 1.1]

With you on that account. Humans are pretty cavilier with chemicals. But not with radiation. I guess folks don’t worry about chemicals as much. Ignorance is bliss.