URGENT: Radiation 1,600 times normal level 20 km from Fukushima plant: IAEA

Kyodo News ^ | 3.21.2011 | Kyodo News

[Bronzy]

I read my research as 1941 not 1951 - my mistake.

[abigailsmybaby]

Look it up yourself. I quit watching all the hullabaloo. I posted Ann’s article just as another perspective opposite the “we’re all gonna die” view.

Why don’t you try looking up the references in Ann’s article for some other opinions?

[ransomnote]

About that ‘we’re all gonna die’ view you mentioned...it’s not in this thread. Concern, monitoring, tracking and sharing information is not ‘we’re all gonna die’. I can see by what you chose to post, I have looked up far more about this situation that you have already so I won’t be ‘researching’ the sunny view re Nagasaki etc that you posted.

[ex-Texan]

*BUMP* ! . . .

Finally words of caring and Christian charity and wisdom from a freeper. Amazing, simply amazing.

Most everyone else was following the typical FR agenda right down the line (i.e. 'Not to worry. I'm safe over here where I live.') and shouting down peoples' legitimate concerns with cat calls and malicious tin foil allegations. Even fish in the sea have more common sense than most freepers who commonly embrace RINO values today.

[Quix]

hmmmmmmmmmmmm

[philomath]

Ah, a radiation hormetic. Now it gets interesting....

[TXnMA]

"What work can the engineers do from 20Km away?"

~~~~~~~~~

That is the sort of frothy and irrelevant non sequitur thinking that occurs here all too frequently.

As a physical chemist, I try to keep my posts technical and factual, to help other folks see the data in perspective so they can arrive at their own conclusions.

I said nothing about levels within the plant.

Have you never heard of the concept of "calibration point"?

The 250 MILLIsievert dosage is a value that the Japanese have determined is survivable with minimum risk of (even temporary and reversible) physiological damage.

I merely used that "calibration point" value compared to the radiation rates measured (at one location) at 20 km from the plant -- to allow folks to understand that specific (160+-1 MICROsievert/hr) rate in terms of how long it would take that level of exposure to reach the cumulative dosage that is allowed for plant workers.

IOW, a plant worker's dosimeter badge would take 65 days exposed to 160 μsievert/hr to indicate the (cumulative) dosage level set as acceptable by the Japanese.

To use another "calibration point": At the posted (160 μsievert/hr) rate, in 15 (fifteen) hours you would receive the equivalent of what the average human receives from natural sources in a year (2.4 MILLIsieverts or 2,400 MICROsieverts).

No hyperbole; no "playing down" -- just number comparisons to put the situation in quantitative perspective.

[Justa]

Frothy and irrelevant non sequitur? Excuse me but you were the one comparing the 161 microsievert per hour readings taken from 20Km away to conditions at the plant:

“Their engineers are now allowed over two months (65 days) exposure at 160 microsieverts/hr...”

I don’t believe it is a calibration point as you say since “their engineers” are working at the plant rather than 20Km away. Readings at the plant would be substantially higher, likely a few orders of magnatude.

Many people do not trust the official readings from the plant which is why the IAEA readings are taken as a starting point for discussion.

“Data collected by an IAEA team show that radiation levels of 161 microsievert per hour have been detected in the town of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, the officials said.

[TXnMA]

Ah -- a matter of miscommunication!

You keep thinking of a spatial point (location on the ground).

I was referring to a data point -- a location or value on the Sievert exposure scale.

~~~~~~~~

TigerLikesRooster was kind enough to post the following graphical representation of (a portion of) the Sievert scale on this FR thread :

At the risk of being too pedantic, let me point out:

• The depicted scale is divided into two sections:
  1. The lower section is in MICRO (millionths, or 10^-6) Sievert or "μSv".

  2. The upper section is in MILLI (thousandths, or 10^-3) Sieverts or "mSv".

• The scale is logarithmic -- each line represents a 10X change (one decimal point)

• The left side of the graphic is used to depict exposure rates -- as in the discussed 161 μSv"/hr [Analogy: "The snow fell at a rate of 2 inches per hour."]

• The right side of the graphic is used to depict accumulated dosage -- as in the discussed "emergency" 250 mSv accumulated dosage limit allowed for plant workers (beyond which they are no longer allowed to work). [Analogy: "The storm dumped 11 inches of snow -- on top of 29 inches already on the ground."]

• The "Unit value" -- 1 Sievert (1Sv or 1,000 mSv or 1,000,000 μSv) is indicated by "1000 mSv" on the upper scale. 1Sv is the accumulated exposure (over a short period of time) at which the average human would receive damage beyond that which the body can self-repair. At 1 Sv all victims would be expected to show symptoms (nausea, etc.)

• Anything above 8 Sv (8,000,000 μSv) is considered a "guaranteed lethal" (beyond treatable) dose.

  ~~~~~~~~~

  An hour at the discussed 161 μSv/hr rate would supply a dose less than the transoceanic flight listed at the bottom of the μSv section of the graphic.

  The 250mSv "emergency allowed dose" for workers is 1/2 the 500mSv "blood cell production weakens" accumulated dose on the upper chart. I would avoid such a dose if humanly possible -- unless taking that exposure would guarantee saving human lives.

  ---

  Hope that "puts us on the same page" for discussion.

  The picture, in reality, is much more complex. I don't normally cite Wikipedia, but this Wikipedia page appears to be solidly factual -- and contains enough detail to make most folks' eyes glaze over... '-)

[M. Espinola]

The sheeple only react when news directly effects them.

[ex-Texan]

Before Fukushima Daiichi -- there was a long period of readings in where normal levels for the U.S. were about 25 - 28 CPM range.

When I first posted a link to that radiation meter near Santa Monica, CA a week ago, local readings were averaging about 42 with occasional readings above 65. Readings have increased to about 14 CPM points higher than levels before Japan's nuke went critical average.

Today that meter hit highs of well over 75 with an average reading today of about 47.6 CPM a few minutes ago.

In short, local radiation levels in West Los Angeles are steadily going up every day.

But readings still below 100 CPM -- which is considered high by the federal government.

[ex-Texan]

The sheeple are a bit restive now but not really awake . . . Yet.

[FreedomPoster]

What is three orders of magnitude among friends . . . ?

On a related note, I’ve said several times that if the Chicken Little-ism gets much worse, I’ll have to print up some “I Survived Tsar Bomba and All I Got Was This T-Shirt” t-shirts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_Bomba

It is a serious situation. And the lack of rationality in dealing with it by many is more than a bit frightening, as you note.

[Quix]

THX THX.

[ex-Texan]

Radiation Scare Sparks Run On Bottled Water in Tokyo !

Excerpt:

TOKYO, March 24 (Reuters) - Many shops in Tokyo ran out of bottled water on Thursday after radiation from a damaged nuclear plant made tap water unsafe for babies, while more countries imposed curbs on imports of Japanese food.

* * * Tokyo's 13 million people have been told not to give infants tap water because of contamination twice the safety level. * * *

'Everything is OK, folks. Nothing to see here. Time to move on. Radiation is, in fact, very good for you . . .' So says Japanese government.

[M. Espinola]

We our daily dosage of radiation and the various chemicals being sprayed from above to the tune of 85 billion per day, worldwide. Did somebody say expanding national debt?

[M. Espinola]

Some of the sheeple may slip out of their self induced slumber when gas climbs over $5 clams a gallon, and even more when gas leaps over the $5 mark. Others will remain sound asleep.