Japan's thin, white security blanket

[AsahinaKimi]

Some pedestrians wearing masks in Tokyo (Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg)
By John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times

May 15, 2011
Reporting from Tokyo— Leaning against a wall in the busy Akihabara electronics district here, Tomomitsu Funayama was enjoying a do-nothing day off from his architectural job. Yet he looked less like a slacker than a surgeon late for a big operation.

For years, the 26-year-old Tokyo native had resisted the urge to follow the millions in this city who don face masks during the "wheeze and sneeze" hay fever and flu seasons to protect against allergens and help stop the spread of germs.

This year, Funayama joined the pack. But it wasn't pollen that concerned him; it was radioactive isotopes.

"I'm worried about the air in Tokyo," he said. "The radioactivity is all around us. Who knows what we're breathing in?"

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-japan-surgical-masks-20110515,0,7481474.story

[Shagbark Hickory]

1. If you google "why do people in japan wear masks" the overwhelming number of answers are that its ..

because of air pollution, not germs etc.

Now I dont know who to believe.

[aquart]

2. Where is the contradiction?

They wear the masks because of stuff in the air.

[Shagbark Hickory]

3. You can make a very general true statement for just about anything.

But if you want to know the precise reason its because theres bad air pollution there, particularly in tokyo.

[robdogbucky]

4. Asahini-Kimi, are you bi-lingual?

May I ask a favor of you if appropriate.

Is the following translation correct to you?



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plutonium detected in rice paddy by a food manufacturer more than 50 kms away from Fukushima power plant:

http://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/7890?page=2

また、ある食品メーカーが独自に調査した結果では、福島第一原発から50キロ以上離れた水田の土から、政府 が発表している数値よりケタ違いに高い放射線が検出されたという。

Additionally, a certain food manufacturing company conducted a survey by themselves. In a rice field is more than 50kms away from the Fukushima power plant, it was found that there was very high radiation that is very different to what the government released.

(heading)
原発から50キロ以上離れた田んぼの土から高濃度のプルトニウム

High density plutonium is in the rice field that was mentioned previously.

この食品メーカーによると、現時点でその結果を公表するのは影響が大きすぎるため発表は控えているとのこと だが、その田んぼの土からは高い濃度のプルトニウムも検出されたそうだ。

According to this food manufacturing company, they currently don't announce these results due to the large influence* that this rice field has high concentration of plutonium.

* Note: It is not mentioned what the influence is but it implies they do not currently release the information as it may have an impact on the media/public.


http://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=3302504&postcount=126



Thank you in advance for any verification in this regard.


Just a humble request from an Extreme Enviroweenie Biased Claptrap spewing fellow Californian.


rdb