Fukushima radiation identified off northern California

[avaistheone1]

Source: Statesman Journal

Massive amounts of contaminated water were released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant following a March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Radioactive water has continued to leak and be released from the complex.

The radioactive plume has traveled across the Pacific, propelled largely by ocean currents and being diluted along the way.

No state or federal agency is testing Pacific waters for radiation from the crippled plant, so earlier this year Buesseler launched a crowd-funded, citizen-science effort to collect surf samples to be tested at his lab in Massachusetts.

Buesseler is looking for cesium-134, the so-called "fingerprint" of Fukushima. Cesium-134 does not occur naturally in the environment and has a short two-year half-life, so any in the Pacific today had to come from Fukushima.

Read more: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/tech/science/environment/2014/11/09/fukushima-radiation-identified-northern-california/18752871/

[bhikkhu]

1. There's good current data on that here:

http://www.ourradioactiveocean.org/results.html

There's a bit of cesium 137 still in the oceans from old nuclear tests, but cesium 134 decays faster, so it is likely correct to say that any of that came from Fukushima. The amounts found on the west coast so far aren't far above the limits of detectability, and should be decreasing relatively quickly (it decomposes to barium).

[DeSwiss]

2. I'm sure there's nothing to worry over.

- Why we would've been warned, right?

K&R

[C Moon]

4. That looks like something from a reich wing site. Tea Bag-esque.

[avaistheone1]

10. History of the Statesman Journal

Many weekly newspapers were launched in pioneer times in Salem and other Western towns. Only two Salem newspapers survived to become modern dailies, the Oregon Statesman and the Capital Journal.

The Oregon Statesman, the state's second-oldest newspaper, began March 28, 1851, in Oregon City in opposition to the Whig newspaper, The Oregonian. The Oregon Statesman moved to Salem in 1853 when the territorial capital relocated here. Founder Asahel Bush II was active and influential in Democratic causes.

http://static.statesmanjournal.com/about/

The newspaper is now owned by Gannett which also owns more than 100 U.S. newspapers and TV stations and web sites.

[Brother Buzz]

5. The scientist from Woods Hole monitoring it agrees with you

The sample nearest to shore was taken about 100 miles off the coast of Eureka, in Northern California.

The levels are far below those that might pose a risk to human health or marine life, said Ken Buesseler, a WHOI marine chemist who is leading the monitoring effort.

"The levels are only detectable by sophisticated equipment able to discern minute quantities of radioactivity," Buesseler said.

And so far, no samples taken from beaches have tested positive for Fukushima radiation.

[DeSwiss]

6. See? Everything will be just fine.

- No worries.

[ReRe]

11. DeSwiss...

... that is downright scary.

[FBaggins]

18. Only if you're incapable of reading the legend in the corner

The reality behind the pretty pink color is not in the least bit scary.

[ReRe]

19. Tell me what it says...

.. I'm half blind with a cataract in my left eye, and print is too small for me to read.

[FBaggins]

21. A 100,000 to 1,000,000-fold reduction in radiation levels

The actual measurements to date have actually shown this simulation to overestimate contamination levels (perhaps due to an overestimation of the original release to the sea).

Either way... see my #20. The additional dose is in the neighborhood of 1/5,000th of the natural dose from seawater.

[ReRe]

22. I'll dance at your next wedding

Thank you!

[brentspeak]

23. Let's make you swim in the stuff

In your case, we'll let you use a kiddie pool. Since the water is so safe, not a problem, right?

[FBaggins]

24. Nope... not a problem.

Anyone who thinks that 12,000 Bq/m3 is safe but 12,002 Bq/m3 is somehow dangerous... is simply ignorant or more than half a bubble off plumb.

[nikto]

31. no worry...

Conflict-of-interest?
What conflict-of-interest?

[BeanMusical]

12. You mean I should stop to sprinkle thorium, tritium and cesium-134 on my Corn Flakes?

[Journeyman]

3. "Many a little makes a mickle." ~ Benjamin Franklin

[blkmusclmachine]

7. Destroying every ecosystem we've got. Is that the plan???

Who's running these Governments and Corporations? Psychopaths?

[nikto]

8. Never forget---Radiation is good for you!

1 banana contains 347 Chernobyls and I ate 5 last week.

Radiation is GOOD for you---Every paid employee of Nuclear Power Corporations knows that.



So when those inevitable, godly, pious nuke-defender-folks come on here and say, "stop worrying--no problem", we can be
certain they must be right.

And don't eat too many kumquats---Each one is equal to 29 Fukushimas and will break your Geiger-counter!

[FBaggins]

20. Time to check the facts and return to reality

Or just visit once and awhile if you don't qualify for permanent residency.

The natural radioactivity of seawater is above 10,000 Bq/m3.

The levels WHOI detected range from 0.2 - 2.0 Bq/m3

It would take a very special gift for creating your own reality to imagine any danger at all from that.

[nikto]

28. Just what I said--Thank you very much

[Man from Pickens]

9. Gulf is clean, too!

Corexit is full of essential minerals and nutrients.

[BeanMusical]

13. It's an essential part of a complete breakfast.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. All samples were at least 1,000 times lower than the EPA acceptable limit for drinking water

So far, about 20 of those samples have been analyzed, and 10 have been positive for cesium-134, the Fukushima fingerprint. All were relatively close to the surface.

The amount of cesium-134 in each sample was less than 2 becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3). That's about 1,000 times lower than the acceptable limit in drinking water set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"I don't want to be dismissive of concerns," Buesseler said. "But there's a big difference between ten million becquerels – and it was that high off Japan in 2011 – and a few of these becquerels like we're seeing off Eureka."

"It's not zero," he said. "But it's not some large, dangerous amount of cesium that might reach our shorelines."

[WhiteTara]

16. What if it takes years for it to stop burning?

Will we just have the same amount because half life is 2.5 years?

[NickB79]

25. What exactly do you think is still burning?

Fission reactions that generate Cs-134 haven't been occurring at Fukushima for years, so no new Cs-134 is being created.

[Android3.14]

15. Unsurprising. But hey, panic like sheep.

It's always fun to watch.

[Dopers_Greed]

17. Worrying

But probably not as big a threat to California as fracking wastewater is.

I would not want to be in Japan right now though.

[hunter]

26. These homeopathic levels of radiation will certainly protect me from much larger exposures.

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_{This is triple-edged sarcasm, it pains me to say.}

[Brother Buzz]

27. Duzy worthy

[nikto]

29. I can sense everyone in California...

Just getting healthier by the day.


















ps...
Eat more bananas.

[nikto]

30. No problemo...

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[nikto]

32. You'll take the radiation from my cold, dead hands...