Japan Times: ‘Records shattered’ at Fukushima — Radiation levels surge after typhoon

a reply to: Asynchrony

I hate to be the one to dispute your math since I didn't even get mine right in on the first page.

But here goes.

The bomb in Hiroshima released approximately 8 YOTTA Becquerels of radiation, or 8 YBq. or 8×10(24) Bq of radiation (8,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)

400 Trillion divided by 8 Yotta is... well, it's a very small number.

Still a very concerning number, but not nearly the apocalyptic scope you mention.

If my math is wrong PLEASE tell me! It's not exactly my strong suit.

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
Long, LONG time lurker. First time poster, actually I just created an account today. So, hurray for my inaugural post?

Greetings:

Hurray! … and Welcome to ATS.

Just wanted to dispel some fears about the spike in activity in Fukushima due to the Typhoon.

Intrptr has it right in why these spikes occur, but it seems the original post contains some standard fear tactics, namely in the numbers. 150,000 becquerels of radiation really isn't much at all. For reference, the natural levels of Potassium-40 in the average human body emits (roughly) 250,000 Bq per minute. So, your own body is delivering more radiation to you than the levels listed here.

However, before you get wrapped up in "dispelling some fears about…Fukushima,"
let's take a look at your Potassium-40 hareng saur.

So yes, this is a spike in activity, but not one people should be worried about. Honestly, if you're going to be wearing a hat next rain because you fear Fukushima radiation, I suggest you never fly in a commercial airliner again.

Good suggestion.

Regarding your timely 'tip of the hat', we suggest you take a look at
FukuFlu/Fallout Fluenza/Radiation Rainouts Target North America and the following from our friend Christina Conosolo (Radchick).

Christina “RadChick” Consolo

Radiation Research and Mitigation

Founder & Host of Nuked Radio

Climate Viewer News

Fukushima triggers unprecedented increase in airline pilot & passenger heart attacks, cancers, radiation illness symptoms.

Airline Anomalies Post Fukushima: The Interview - Climate Viewer News

Now, what's with this obsfucation bringing the tired, old banana into the fray?

As you well know, Potassium-40 in bananas and radionuclides spewed from three melted-through nuclear reactors have nothing in common, unless one believes Forbes Mag's Tom Worstall.




One more thing.

Have you familiarized yourself with the previous info contained in Part One of the original Japan mega-thread?

No offense, but are you confused or just pretending that you believe that people are exposed to more radiation from bananas than from Fukushima?




Who knows, you just might be both - who to believe with all this 'information?'

Please help us sort this out and thank you for your time, interest and, most importantly, your participation.

From Forbes Magazine:

The Fukushima Radiation Leak Is Equal To 76 Million Bananas


And this is interesting. lol



Good grief, Charlie Brown!
The only logical thing to do is ban bananas.



Japan Bans Bananas

Under the new rules, the limit for general foodstuffs such as fruit, vegetables, rice, seafood and meat is 100 becquerels of radiation per kilogram, down from 500 prior to April 1. The limit for milk, baby food and infant formula is 50 becquerels per kilogram. For drinking water and tea leaves, it is 10 becquerels per kilogram.

The ministry said local municipalities will be responsible for carrying out testing and that any item measuring above the set standard will not be permitted to be sold…

Not to worry.
Nothing to see here.
The Environmental Protection Agency will give you citizens the information you need to know.
Go back to your homes (those of you that still have one).




The EPA explains:

The human body is born with potassium-40 [the type of radiation found in bananas] in its tissues and it is the most common radionuclide in human tissues and in food. We evolved in the presence of potassium-40 and our bodies have well-developed repair mechanisms to respond to its effects. The concentration of potassium-40 in the human body is constant and not affected by concentrations in the environment.

Wikipedia notes:

The amount of potassium (and therefore of 40K) in the human body is fairly constant because of homeostatsis, so that any excess absorbed from food is quickly compensated by the elimination of an equal amount.

It follows that the additional radiation exposure due to eating a banana lasts only for a few hours after ingestion, namely the time it takes for the normal potassium contents of the body to be restored by the kidneys.

Geoff Meggitt—a retired health physicist, and former editor of the Journal of Radiological Protection, says, "there’s an enormous variation in the risks associated with swallowing the same amount of different radioactive materials—and even some difference between the same dose, of the same material, but in different chemical forms.

It all depends on two factors:

1) The physical characteristics of the radioactivity—i.e, What’s its half-life?

Is the radiation emitted alpha, beta or gamma?

2) The way the the radioactivity travels around and is taken up by the body—i.e., How much is absorbed by the blood stream? What tissues does this specific isotope tend to accumulate in?

The Potassium-40 in bananas is a particularly poor model isotope to use, Meggitt says, because the potassium content of our bodies seems to be under homeostatic control. When you eat a banana, your body’s level of Potassium-40 doesn’t increase. You just get rid of some excess Potassium-40.

The net dose of a banana is zero.

And that’s the difference between a useful educational tool and propaganda. (And I say this as somebody who is emphatically not against nuclear energy.)

Bananas aren’t really going to give anyone “a more realistic assessment of actual risk”, they’re just going to further distort the picture."

Peace Love Light
tfw Liberty & Equality or Revolution

edit on 15/10/2014 by thorfourwinds because: pic missing

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
a reply to: DexterRiley[…]
The disaster won't turn Japan into radioactive wasteland, nor will it turn the U.S. West Coast into a wasteland either...

Greetings again:

Please define "radioactive wasteland."

Are you saying (and have links, something, anything), that Japan is not/has not been affected?

Are you saying (and have links, something, anything), that the Pacific Ocean is not/has not been affected?

Are you saying (and have links, something, anything), that the West Coast is not/has not been affected?

Do you have a shred of PROOF or are you just making this stuff up without any background on this subject?

We were saving the math error for later, but we notice other concerned citizens attempting to keep you close to the centerline of truth brought the glaring error to your attention.

That's three comments requiring some sort of credibility other that your word, if you please.

Thanking you in advance for your reply.

Peace Love Light
tfw Liberty & Equality or Revolution

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: ScientificRailgun[…]
We won't "fear" though, we have you to derail the train before it even leaves the station.
Human, is that you?

Greetings:
What an astute comment!
And what a good time we wuz having petting the fish.

This year's 'Must have' toy received glowing reviews...

a reply to: thorfourwinds

Such a scathing retort. I have to point out that it has been established that my math in my first post was in fact, incorrect. I have acknowledged this MULTIPLE times. But you go ahead and beat that dead horse, fella. Beat it to your heart's content. If you had read the entirety of thread before launching into your diatribe on bananas and brazil nuts you would have known that.

Have you familiarized yourself with the previous info contained in Part One of the original Japan mega-thread?

No offense, but are you confused or just pretending that you believe that people are exposed to more radiation from bananas than from Fukushima?

I have not read the mega thread, I will have to do that. However; again if you had read the entirety of the thread before posting you would have seen that I have made no such claim, and in fact support that this is one of the greatest disasters of the century and it's entirely likely hundreds, if not thousands will die from cancers due to this radiation.

Please define "radioactive wasteland."

Are you saying (and have links, something, anything), that Japan is not/has not been affected?

Are you saying (and have links, something, anything), that the Pacific Ocean is not/has not been affected?

Are you saying (and have links, something, anything), that the West Coast is not/has not been affected?

Do you have a shred of PROOF or are you just making this stuff up without any background on this subject?

I like your pictures, they're cute and certainly add an aura of credibility to your posts. I will again point out your flaw in either not reading the thread in it's entirety or reading comprehension. I never made such claims, never suggested anything of sort, and in fact, (again) point out that in previous posts that this certainly is an event of concern. There is, however, nothing at all wrong with trying turn down the fear knob a little. You know, dial it back a bit and look at the situation with a unbiased eye.

Thank you for the warm welcome, and double thank you for the thoughtful, insightful posts you have contributed to the thread.

a reply to: thorfourwinds

Hi, thorfourwinds! Good to hear from you…

The net dose of a banana is zero.

Unless its a banana in melt down. Then you better watch out. Regular banana are okay. The ones below the reactors are lethal. Can't get within 4 feet of them.

Who wants to?

Btween you an me, thats Human. I feel it like the cesium slowly creeping into my bones.

ROFL: Mattel Hazmat suits. Don't be the last kid on your block to have one.

Good of you to drop by. Missing you.

regards,

intrptr

a reply to: intrptr

Who is this Human you keep referring to? I'll make no attempt to hide my identity. I also go by the alias "Lucavex" in other forums and on facebook if you'd like to verify for yourself.

I mean, I hate to disappoint you again and again, but I'm not who you think I am.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

"Such a scathing retort. I have to point out that it has been established that my math in my first post was in fact, incorrect. I have acknowledged this MULTIPLE times. But you go ahead and beat that dead horse, fella. Beat it to your heart's content. If you had read the entirety of thread before launching into your diatribe on bananas and brazil nuts you would have known that."

Greetings:

Whoa there, fella… never meant to be 'scathing.'

You are somewhat right.

I do not wait until I have read all the way to the end of a thread to address issues that need addressing as the immediate thought processes are inspired by what one perceives - in this case, your written WORD.

At the moment I wrote the reply, it was not a dead horse, fella.

You launched yourself into a heated subject that many, many of us have been involved in from Day One, and, quite frankly, you have made some unsubstantiated comments that we, who have labored in the trenches and suspect all newcomers (we know who the house trolls and shills are), have a right to call you on.

If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen, please, and leave your apron near the popcorn, friend. (wink)

Stepping back a moment so you can check the timing of my posts
With great respect,
thorfourwinds

a reply to: thorfourwinds

I understand your need to rebuke everything I say as you read it, but next time please do me the courtesy of reading the whole thread before making judgments of my character and intentions. I understand you are fearful, that much is clear from the constant flow of what I can best describe as a mixture of informational and propaganda pictures that you spill into the thread.

Yes I am a newcomer, and I fully expect my posts to be put under the microscope of more established members. I welcome that critical eye when posting, and will respond honestly and thoughtfully to any RESPECTFUL rebuke of my claims, math, or science.

I'm sorry if I was a little sarcastic in my previous post. I tend to respond in kind when faced with a belittling response that doesn't take into account the most current information.

And I'm sorry if I have offended you in any way with my original post, and my responses herein.

Happy posting.

Fukushima has spewed much more radioactive cesium and iodine than Chernobyl, which was only 10 days.



We are at Day 1,314.

The amount of radioactive cesium released by Fukushima was some 20-30 times higher than initially admitted. Japanese experts say that Fukushima is currently releasing up to 93 billion becquerels of radioactive cesium into the ocean each day.

And the cesium levels hitting the West Coast of North America will keep increasing for several years. Fukushima is still spewing radiation into the environment, and the amount of radioactive fuel at Fukushima dwarfs Chernobyl.



Science Insider noted:
"The Daiichi complex in Fukushima, Japan … had a total of 1760 metric tons of fresh and used nuclear fuel on site last year, according to a presentation by its owners, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco).

The most damaged Daiichi reactor, number 3, contains about 90 tons of fuel, and the storage pool above reactor 4, which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) Gregory Jaczko reported had lost its cooling water, contains 135 tons of spent fuel."

Reactor #3 vaporized that 90 tons of MOX fuel, if one might recall.

"The amount of fuel lost in the core melt at Three Mile Island in 1979 was about 30 tons; the Chernobyl reactors had about 180 tons when the accident occurred in 1986."
[…]
Specifically, Tepco recently transferred many more radioactive spent fuel rods into the storage pools. According to Associated Press, there were – at the time of the earthquake and tsunami – 3,400 tons of fuel in seven spent fuel pools plus 877 tons of active fuel in the cores of the reactors.

That totals 4,277 tons of nuclear fuel at Fukushima.

Which means that there is almost 24 times more nuclear fuel at Fukushima than Chernobyl.

Jiji Press, Oct. 14, 2014: Cesium Level Rises in TEPCO Plant Well — [TEPCO] on Tuesday reported a sharp rise in cesium levels in water collected from an observation well near the sea [on] Monday [with] a record 251,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium per liter, 3.7 times the cesium level…

[last] Thursday… Monday’s reading was the highest level… from any of these wells…

The samples in question also contained 7.8 million becquerels of beta particle-emitting radioactive substances, such as strontium-90, per liter, also a 3.7-fold increase.



ITAR-TASS (Russian News Agency), Oct. 14, 2014 (emphasis added): Highest radiation in ground water at Japan’s NPP after nuclear disaster…

The highest radiation level was registered in subsoil water taken from a technical well at 1st and 2nd power units at Fukushima-1.., [TEPCO] said on Tuesday. The underground water sample was taken on October 13…

Company’s experts said that a surge in radiation was linked with the impact of a typhoon raging in the locality, when heavy rain triggered spread of radiation-contaminated particles in underground water. Now nuclear plant’s specialists are pumping out ground water urgently to prevent it from leaking into the ocean.




Kyodo News, Oct 14, 2014 (Google translation): … record high values of cesium, the influence of the typhoon in Fukushima first nuclear power plant… from the water of the well in the seawall of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant Units 1 and 2 [cesium is 251,000] becquerels per liter… manganese 54 is… 700… cobalt 60 [is 3,600]… [TEPCO] found under the influence of typhoon No. 18 earlier this month, contaminated water that has accumulated in the piping has been spreading. Both record high values in groundwater…



Note that the most recent stontium-90 test results for well No. 1-6 published by Tepco on Oct. 1 show that levels of Sr-90 are virtually equal to Gross Beta. This means the Oct. 13 Sr-90 levels are near 7,800,000 Bq/L — 26,000,000 times the EPA limit for Sr-90 in water (0.3 Bq/L).

Related Posts

Strontium reaches 500 Billion Bq/m³ in basements at Fukushima — Record levels reported at 5 locations near ocean — U.S. Senior Scientist: “We see strontium becoming more of concern… food chain will have to be studied more carefully” June 3, 2014

Asahi: Radiation levels spike to record high in Fukushima groundwater well nearby ocean — Trench failures to blame, says Tepco — Million times more strontium/beta-ray source than cesium December 14, 2013

Record-high 10 Million Bq/liter of strontium-90 & beta emitters finally revealed in Fukushima plant groundwater — 1,000% more than Tepco has claimed for last 6 months February 6, 2014

Kyodo: ‘Massive’ amount of Fukushima data wrong? “Figures can’t be trusted” — NHK: Strontium-90 by ocean at 160,000 times limit — Tepco: Actual levels “exceeded the upper limit of measurement… We are very sorry” February 7, 2014

TV: It’s a “record-high” leak at Fukushima, extraordinarily radioactive — Almost 8,000,000 times limit — Even more toxic since it was from early in disaster — Alarm went off 9 hours before, but disregarded — Now checking for other leaks — “News came as a shock” (VIDEO) February 20, 2014




a reply to: thorfourwinds

Good post. I like the banana graphics.

On a side note, I need to pop some more popcorn... running low.

I love ATS...sometimes it's better than watching TV for entertainment.

Don't allow yourselves to be suckered in to debating the same ole stuff again and again, we have been through this numerous times in this forum.

For someone who says they are a long LONG time lurker, I am not sure where they have been lurking but it obviously has not been the Japan forum or they would already know whats been discussed and what hasn't and wouldn't bother posting things like airplane flights and potassium-40.

They should start selling Potassium Iodide doses over the counter and in convenience stores.