Fukushima radiation identified off northern California
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
(10,718 posts)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
(27,137 posts)K&R
C Moon
(12,213 posts)avaistheone1
(14,626 posts)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
(36,444 posts)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
(27,137 posts)... that is downright scary.
FBaggins
(26,748 posts)The reality behind the pretty pink color is not in the least bit scary.
ReRe
(10,597 posts).. I'm half blind with a cataract in my left eye, and print is too small for me to read.
FBaggins
(26,748 posts)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
(10,597 posts)Thank you!
brentspeak
(18,290 posts)In your case, we'll let you use a kiddie pool. Since the water is so safe, not a problem, right?
FBaggins
(26,748 posts)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.
Conflict-of-interest?
What conflict-of-interest?
BeanMusical
(4,389 posts)Journeyman
(15,036 posts)blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)Who's running these Governments and Corporations? Psychopaths?
nikto
(3,284 posts)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
(26,748 posts)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
(3,284 posts)Man from Pickens
(1,713 posts)Corexit is full of essential minerals and nutrients.
BeanMusical
(4,389 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,322 posts)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
(29,718 posts)Will we just have the same amount because half life is 2.5 years?
NickB79
(19,253 posts)Fission reactions that generate Cs-134 haven't been occurring at Fukushima for years, so no new Cs-134 is being created.
Android3.14
(5,402 posts)It's always fun to watch.
Dopers_Greed
(2,640 posts)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
(38,318 posts).
.
.
.
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This is triple-edged sarcasm, it pains me to say.
Brother Buzz
(36,444 posts)nikto
(3,284 posts)Just getting healthier by the day.
ps...
Eat more bananas.
nikto
(3,284 posts).............................................................................................................................................................................