Radiation detected off-shore from Fukushima

[Bucky]

Computer graphic of speculated plume flow

Japanese scientists have found measurable concentrations of radioactive iodine-131 and caesium-137 in seawater samples taken 30 km (18 miles) from land, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Thursday. "The iodine concentrations were at or above Japanese regulatory limits, and the caesium levels were well below those limits," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.

Japanese authorities had given the Vienna-based agency data on samples collected on March 22-23, after detecting iodine and caesium in the water near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, it said in a statement.

"The IAEA's Marine Environmental Laboratory in Monaco has received the data for review," the IAEA said.

In a desperate attempt to cool the reactors and their spent fuel ponds, workers have sprayed or dumped seawater into the plant. Officials have acknowledged that some of the water spilled back to sea.

Japanese authorities tested seawater off the plant's site for radiation earlier this week but stressed that elevated levels already detected were no cause for concern.

The IAEA said a vessel from Japan's Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology had "collected water samples at several points 30 km from the coastline and found measurable concentrations of iodine-131 and caesium-137".

I may have to use twice as many hooks to go fishing soon. If we start getting more two-headed salmon like this one, it would give new meaning to the term "double header" when yer out trolling for them salmons.

Read more. . .

[Typhoon]

And the Pacific Ocean is how big?

Lovely bogus map, btw.

[Greji]

And the Pacific Ocean is how big?

Lovely bogus map, btw.

I love it. All the radiation is not going into Japan, it's headed to Bucky's front porch.

[Bucky]

I love it. All the radiation is not going into Japan, it's headed to Bucky's front porch.

Already wearing my hazmat suit. I be ready!

[Greji]

Already wearing my hazmat suit. I be ready!

I was given a bunch of Potassium Iodide tablets for the family yesterday and the Doc told me to forget about taking them because I was to old. Asshole.

[Pearse]

I was given a bunch of Potassium Iodide tablets for the family yesterday and the Doc told me to forget about taking them because I was to old. Asshole.

I have to admit laughing about that.

I take thyroid medicine and have also been told maybe it's better not to take Potassium Iodide.

[cstaylor]

I was given a bunch of Potassium Iodide tablets for the family yesterday and the Doc told me to forget about taking them because I was to old. Asshole.

But the doctor is right: most likely whatever traces of I-131 you ingest will pass right through you.

[Coligny]

I was given a bunch of Potassium Iodide tablets for the family yesterday and the Doc told me to forget about taking them because I was to old. Asshole.

You wants a hug ?

[Greji]

You wants a hug ?

Long as I don't have to bend over (Mama always said to beware of Frenchmen bearing chocolate....)

[Greji]

I have to admit laughing about that.

I take thyroid medicine and have also been told maybe it's better not to take Potassium Iodide.

My wife had thyroid cancer and had half of her thyroid removed many years agp. She has to take Synthyroid daily to suppress the remaining half. Yesterday, the same doc (AKA Asshole) that called me a geezer said she can take KI if needed, but she would just need to check in with the hospital for exam a month or two later, since the Synthyroid would cause her thyroid to function different than a normal gland. But, otherwise there would be no problems.

[cstaylor]

My wife had thyroid cancer and had half of her thyroid removed many years agp. She has to take Synthyroid daily to suppress the remaining half. Yesterday, the same doc (AKA Asshole) that called me a geezer said she can take KI if needed, but she would just need to check in with the hospital for exam a month or two later, since the Synthyroid would cause her thyroid to function different than a normal gland. But, otherwise there would be no problems.

Unless you married someone far younger than yourself, the same realistic advice applies to her too.

[Greji]

Unless you married someone far younger than yourself, the same realistic advice applies to her too.

Naaa, that's my girl friend, the wife is geezer class.....

[cstaylor]

Naaa, that's my girl friend, the wife is geezer class.....

Better save some pills for her too then.

[Pearse]

My wife had thyroid cancer and had half of her thyroid removed many years agp. She has to take Synthyroid daily to suppress the remaining half. Yesterday, the same doc (AKA Asshole) that called me a geezer said she can take KI if needed, but she would just need to check in with the hospital for exam a month or two later, since the Synthyroid would cause her thyroid to function different than a normal gland. But, otherwise there would be no problems.

I take Thyradin (katakanized to chirajin) myself. I'll ask my doctor if I can take KI.

Edit: Just looked at the American Thyroid Association websiteand it said:

Adults over age 40 do not need KI at all unless they are exposed to extremely high levels of radioactive iodine.

Greji, for all we know, you are just over 40...

[Greji]

I take Thyradin (katakanized to chirajin) myself. I'll ask my doctor if I can take KI.

Again, It apparently depends on your age as to the necessity, or funtionality of taking KI. Your doc also should be able to clarify that for you as well. At any rate, it don't hurt to ask.

[Typhoon]

Apparently potassium iodide pills are sold out in the USA.

People are acting as though this was a Chernobyl type event in central Kansas.

[Greji]

Apparently potassium iodide pills are sold out in the USA.

If they don't give you a buzz, nobody will buy them in my home town. They're all tweakers back there....

[Taro Toporific]

Apparently potassium iodide pills are sold out in the USA.

U.S. Embassy Warden Message to U.S. Citizens: March 26, 2011
Citizens: March 26, 2011 | 11:25 AM

Availability of Potassium Iodide Tablets
As a precautionary measure, the U.S. Embassy is continuing to make potassium iodide (KI) tablets available to private U.S. citizens who have not been able to obtain it from their physician, employer, or other sources. We do not a recommend that anyone should take KI at this time. There are risks associated with taking KI. It should only be taken on the advice of emergency management officials, public health officials or your doctor. For more information about KI, see this fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control, http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp, or contact your doctor.

At this time, the tablets are available Monday through Friday (until further notice) at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo at 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 from 10:00 a.m. –]http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_5378.html[/url] for the most updated information. Should you need further assistance, contact the Department of State by emailing JapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov or calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

Safety of Tap Water
The United States Government advises American citizens that, in accordance with guidelines that apply to water in the United States and based on analysis of tap water samples for radioactive iodine on March 24, 2011, the water in Tokyo is safe for drinking. U.S. Government officials are consulting with health experts and radiation experts, in both the United States and Japan, and are continuously monitoring the situation. If more information becomes available, we will share it with you on the Embassy Web site

[cstaylor]

I wonder how many pills in an allotment? The 24-hour dose for an adult is 130mg (usually 2 pills if they are the standard 65mg tablets). One $10 package of pills is usually 20 doses (10 days for one adult).

[CrankyBastard]

I wonder how many pills in an allotment? The 24-hour dose for an adult is 130mg (usually 2 pills if they are the standard 65mg tablets). One $10 package of pills is usually 20 doses (10 days for one adult).

I was given four 85mg potassium iodate equivalent to 50 mg of iodine tablets to be taken only when advised.
A single adult dose being two tablets.
I was also told that the second dose shouldn't be unnecessary because by the time it would be necessary to take, I should have hauled my arse out of the contaminated area!

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Radiation from Fukushima exceeds Three Mile Island

Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, crippled by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, has discharged more radiation than the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear plant in the United States, according to calculations by the central government. It has already reached a level 6 serious accident on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). Separately, calculations made by experts place the level of soil contamination in some locations at levels comparable to those found after the Chernobyl accident in 1986. With the Fukushima plant continuing to release radiation, there is the danger that the contaminated land will be unusable for many years.

To calculate the spread of radiation using the System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information, the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan estimates the discharge rate for radioactive iodine per hour from the Fukushima plant based on radiation measurements taken at various locations. Using those figures to make a simple calculation of the amount of discharge between 6 a.m. March 12 and midnight Wednesday results in figures between 30,000 and 110,000 terabecquerels. Tera is a prefix meaning 1 trillion. The INES defines a level 7 major accident such as Chernobyl as one in which radiation of more than several tens of thousands of terabecquerels is released. The Fukushima accident is already at a level 6, which is defined as having a radiation discharge of several thousands to several tens of thousands of terabecquerels.

The discharge of radioactive iodine at the Chernobyl accident was said to be about 1.8 million terabecquerels. The Three Mile Island accident, which was considered the second-worst accident until now, had only a limited discharge of radioactive iodine into the outside atmosphere, but was classified as a level 5 accident because of the considerable damage done to the core. In a provisional assessment made March 18 by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, the situation at the No. 1 to No. 3 reactors at Fukushima was classified as a level 5 accident, but if estimates of the radiation discharged should progress, there could be the possibility of a revision in that assessment.

Meanwhile, calculations of soil contamination by experts have already produced results that are at the same level as for Chernobyl. Cesium-137 levels of 163,000 becquerels per kilogram of soil was detected in Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, about 40 kilometers northwest of the Fukushima plant, on March 20. That was the highest figure in the prefecture. According to Tetsuji Imanaka, an associate professor of nuclear engineering at the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, if the Iitate figure was converted to one square meter, the figure would be 3.26 million becquerels. After the Chernobyl accident, residents who lived in regions with cesium levels of 550,000 becquerels ore more per square meter were forcibly moved elsewhere. "Iitate has reached a contamination level in which evacuation is necessary," Imanaka said. "Radiation is still being released from the Fukushima plant. The areas of high contamination can be considered to be on par with Chernobyl."

Residents who were forced to move after the Chernobyl accident were believed to have been exposed to an average of about 50 millisieverts of radiation. However, a study of the health of residents who lived for many years on contaminated land found that the incidence of leukemia among adults did not increase. The increase in thyroid gland cancer was believed due to internal radiation exposure among children who drank milk contaminated by radioactive iodine when they lived in areas close to Chernobyl. The accumulated radiation level at Iitate as of Thursday afternoon was 3.7 millisieverts.

Shigenobu Nagataki, professor emeritus at Nagasaki University, who specializes in radiation medicine, said, "Because there were no other health problems after the Chernobyl accident besides thyroid gland cancer among children, it is unlikely (that the situation in Fukushima) would lead immediately to health problems. In areas where high levels of contamination were detected, measures should be considered after holding sufficient discussions with residents based on the data that is available."

Meanwhile, in Vienna, Yukiya Amano, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told The Asahi Shimbun that while the situation at the Fukushima No. 1 plant was still serious, it was too early to compare it to Chernobyl. Asked about radiation found in agricultural produce and drinking water, Amano said, "The circumstances are serious based on the standards used in Japan." However, touching upon analyses and predictions about radiation contamination that have related the Fukushima incident to Chernobyl, Amano said, "The studies are being conducted based on very limited data and are very extreme."

Amano also referred to debate in other nations about their own nuclear energy policy. "There is no change to the fact that nuclear power is a stable and clean form of energy," he said, indicating his hope that other nations would respond in a calm manner.

[Mulboyne]

Link to larger image here

[matsuki]

...and the fun continues

[omae mona]

Link to larger image here

Mulb, the problem with that graph is that the vast majority of us have a hard enough time reading graphs and interpreting quantitative data in the first place. Combine that with getting spooked by the word "radiation", and I think you will see 50% of viewers using that graph as evidence they need to move to Antarctica by next Wednesday to avoid dying of cancer by the end of April.

[Mulboyne]

Mulb, the problem with that graph is that the vast majority of us have a hard enough time reading graphs and interpreting quantitative data in the first place. Combine that with getting spooked by the word "radiation", and I think you will see 50% of viewers using that graph as evidence they need to move to Antarctica by next Wednesday to avoid dying of cancer by the end of April.

I would reply in more detail but I'm trying to work out how to cook this penguin.

[Yokohammer]

I would reply in more detail but I'm trying to work out how to cook this penguin.

Watch out for the ozone hole down there Mulby!
The UV radiation will give you skin cancer!

[omae mona]

I would reply in more detail but I'm trying to work out how to cook this penguin.

Thank god for the Internet!



Now will you tell me how you got your hands on that damn plane ticket? I need 4 in the next 48 hours!! (myself, Mrs. Omae Mona, Omae Mona Jr., and my girlfriend).

[Mulboyne]

TEPCO is saying they mistook cobalt 56 for iodine 134. The earlier radiation readings estimates were therefore incorrect. Probably it was 100,000 times higher than normal, not ten million times.

On Sunday night, though, plant operators said that while the water was contaminated with radiation, the extremely high reading was a mistake. "The number is not credible," said Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Takashi Kurita. "We are very sorry."

Here

[cstaylor]

TEPCO is saying they mistook cobalt 56 for iodine 134. The earlier radiation readings estimates were therefore incorrect. Probably it was 100,000 times higher than normal, not ten million times.

Here

Things to keep in mind:
- The concentration within a particular area
- When in contact to the human body, what happens
- The half-life of the element

For example, Sr-90 mimics Calcium, so it is easily absorbed into the bones. Once concentrated there, the beta emissions are focused on one of our weak-points: bone marrow.

I think TEPCO is still pursuing this against their will, and that they were perfectly willing to throw up their hands and let the Daiichi NPS "China Syndrome" on the 14th.

Spineless bastards.

[omae mona]

TEPCO is saying they mistook cobalt 56 for iodine 134. The earlier radiation readings estimates were therefore incorrect. Probably it was 100,000 times higher than normal, not ten million times.

Here

I saw a similar but unrelated item today in this blog entry. This guy thinks the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has confused "per cubic centimeter" with "per liter" when releasing readings about radiation in the water at the plant (specifically for Chloride-38, but maybe he's referring to other things too). As a result he thinks they've been accidentally exaggerating by a factor of 1,000. It's not just because he says the numbers are hard to believe, but he actually does a lot of math (which is way beyond me) based on other information that's been published. And he says the guys who stepped in those puddles should have been dead instantly if the radiation was as high as in the readings that NISA published.