Comments on: Japan finds radiation contamination of milk, spinach; water in Fukushima contaminated, Tokyo water shows trace http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sat, 25 May 2013 14:06:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060870 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060870 <blockquote>Tonight at dinner I found myself asking where the fish we were eating came from. </blockquote> For what it's worth, that's always a good question to ask, radiation or no...

Tonight at dinner I found myself asking where the fish we were eating came from.

For what it’s worth, that’s always a good question to ask, radiation or no…

]]> By: JayByrd http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060617 JayByrd Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060617 Food and water contamination opens up a whole new psychological ball game, particularly when "officials" have proven themselves untrustworthy. Food and water contamination opens up a whole new psychological ball game, particularly when “officials” have proven themselves untrustworthy.

]]> By: Orky http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061388 Orky Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061388 Irradiated food is food that has been exposed to radiation, which can kill bacteria in it, allowing the food to last longer. Not food that contains radiation-emitting particles. Those particles are dangerous, and that's why the guy in the photo has his mouth covered. Irradiated food is food that has been exposed to radiation, which can kill bacteria in it, allowing the food to last longer. Not food that contains radiation-emitting particles. Those particles are dangerous, and that’s why the guy in the photo has his mouth covered.

]]> By: emmdeeaych http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060621 emmdeeaych Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060621 Carbon Filters will remove Iodine (and Cesium, etc..) from drinking water. And you can make your own. Low tech accessible renewable solution. Carbon Filters will remove Iodine (and Cesium, etc..) from drinking water.

And you can make your own. Low tech accessible renewable solution.

]]> By: Bigol http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061389 Bigol Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061389 I've been thinking about how much the world is in a panic over the low doses to date (thank goodness they're low, knock on wood and pray they stay low) and decided that a blog should be created on the hype and hysteria generated by much of the news today... and what would some of it look like if taken to its logical conclusion. First post: http://herbegerenews.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/sunday-20-march-2011/ World News: In shocking news today the general public discover... For a great review on why I would not worry TOO much read this - http://wormme.com/2011/03/20/airborne-contamination-aka-the-plume-aka-fallout/ I plan on starting some other headlines taking some of the current news taken to its most hyperbolic. B I’ve been thinking about how much the world is in a panic over the low doses to date (thank goodness they’re low, knock on wood and pray they stay low) and decided that a blog should be created on the hype and hysteria generated by much of the news today… and what would some of it look like if taken to its logical conclusion.

First post: http://herbegerenews.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/sunday-20-march-2011/

World News: In shocking news today the general public discover…

For a great review on why I would not worry TOO much read this – http://wormme.com/2011/03/20/airborne-contamination-aka-the-plume-aka-fallout/

I plan on starting some other headlines taking some of the current news taken to its most hyperbolic.

B

]]> By: a_user http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060622 a_user Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060622 which officials would those be? which officials would those be?

]]> By: pmark http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060887 pmark Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060887 My counter shows higher readings of radiation (in Southern Ontario -- .3 microSv/hr). Showing readings is useless without knowing the natural background radiation levels. Radiation is everywhere. Get used to it. My counter shows higher readings of radiation (in Southern Ontario — .3 microSv/hr). Showing readings is useless without knowing the natural background radiation levels.

Radiation is everywhere. Get used to it.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061154 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061154 a_user ref #26 laughter is the best medicine a_user ref #26 laughter is the best medicine

]]> By: sworm http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060907 sworm Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060907 In some areas of the UK it is impossible to build a nuclear power plant due to background radiation. The plant would exceed radiation limits before it was even built. Strictly speaking you'd have to remove the topsoil as radioactive waste. In some areas of the UK it is impossible to build a nuclear power plant due to background radiation.

The plant would exceed radiation limits before it was even built. Strictly speaking you’d have to remove the topsoil as radioactive waste.

]]> By: cratermoon http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060661 cratermoon Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060661 In related news, homeopaths report that the radiation now reaching California is so dilute it cures itself. In related news, homeopaths report that the radiation now reaching California is so dilute it cures itself.

]]> By: a_user http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060917 a_user Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060917 hmmm frying pan or fire? hmmm frying pan or fire?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061443 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061443 You win a homeopathic dose of internet. Be careful though - you don't want to start a new health craze... You win a homeopathic dose of internet. Be careful though – you don’t want to start a new health craze…

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061452 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061452 "Small traces of new radioactivity have also been measured in tapwater in Tokyo and surrounding areas, but consensus at this time is that the levels do not pose an immediate public health threat." How much "old" traces of radioactivity are currently in the drinking water of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and lets say Reno, Nevada? I'd like to see a map of all the different amounts of "old" radioactive material before I get worried about the "New" stuff. “Small traces of new radioactivity have also been measured in tapwater in Tokyo and surrounding areas, but consensus at this time is that the levels do not pose an immediate public health threat.”

How much “old” traces of radioactivity are currently in the drinking water of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and lets say Reno, Nevada?

I’d like to see a map of all the different amounts of “old” radioactive material before I get worried about the “New” stuff.

]]> By: a_user http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061455 a_user Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061455 are you saying I made a bon mot or that you think I misread phylace's media mocking as genuine panic? Either way I agree with you. are you saying I made a bon mot or that you think I misread phylace’s media mocking as genuine panic?

Either way I agree with you.

]]> By: Jardine http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060946 Jardine Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060946 <i>My counter shows higher readings of radiation (in Southern Ontario -- .3 microSv/hr).</i> OMG! I'm in Southern Ontario! We're gonna die! My counter shows higher readings of radiation (in Southern Ontario — .3 microSv/hr).

OMG! I’m in Southern Ontario! We’re gonna die!

]]> By: Lynne http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060703 Lynne Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060703 We should be sure to tell all the homeless and the people in shelters to start making filters immediately - and maybe stop breathing for a while. We should be sure to tell all the homeless and the people in shelters to start making filters immediately – and maybe stop breathing for a while.

]]> By: emmdeeaych http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060713 emmdeeaych Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060713 fwiw, I would hold my breath before I would wield the moral authority of a group I wasn't a member of. fwiw, I would hold my breath before I would wield the moral authority of a group I wasn’t a member of.

]]> By: Thebes http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061233 Thebes Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061233 You can't compare Bananas with Spinach or Milk. The problem is not only the amount of radiation but also the kind. In the case of radioactive iodine, for example, that gets taken up by the thyroid and stays there, posing perhaps the largest health risk from these meltdowns. Bananas don't have the radioactive isotopes that are causing concern here. You can’t compare Bananas with Spinach or Milk.

The problem is not only the amount of radiation but also the kind. In the case of radioactive iodine, for example, that gets taken up by the thyroid and stays there, posing perhaps the largest health risk from these meltdowns. Bananas don’t have the radioactive isotopes that are causing concern here.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060493 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060493 finally some good news? XD .... kids dont have to eat spinach!!!! finally some good news? XD

…. kids dont have to eat spinach!!!!

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060500 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060500 Any amount of ingested radiation is potentially dangerous, even if the effect may not manifest for years or decades. There is no safe dose. Taking reasonable steps to limit exposure to radiation is prudent for all people. Isotopes known to have been distributed from the plant - iodine, strontium, cesium, etc. - bioaccumulate in internal organ and bones. People using Tokyo's water supply should now drink bottled water, if possible. It is unclear whether the radiation detected on the spinach was topical or internal. If it is surficial, then washing/brushing might be able to remove some/most of the radioactive particles. If the radiation was taken up by the roots, then it cannot be removed. Public authorities, TEPCO and media outlets are downplaying the risks and incorrectly saying that the radiation is harmless or safe. Risks may be low or minimal, but not zero. Any amount of ingested radiation is potentially dangerous, even if the effect may not manifest for years or decades. There is no safe dose. Taking reasonable steps to limit exposure to radiation is prudent for all people. Isotopes known to have been distributed from the plant – iodine, strontium, cesium, etc. – bioaccumulate in internal organ and bones.

People using Tokyo’s water supply should now drink bottled water, if possible.

It is unclear whether the radiation detected on the spinach was topical or internal. If it is surficial, then washing/brushing might be able to remove some/most of the radioactive particles. If the radiation was taken up by the roots, then it cannot be removed.

Public authorities, TEPCO and media outlets are downplaying the risks and incorrectly saying that the radiation is harmless or safe. Risks may be low or minimal, but not zero.

]]> By: tp1024 http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060505 tp1024 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060505 To put those numbers into perspective: Southern Germany had to deal with over 100.000 bq of Cs per square meter(*) after Chernobyl. Areas several hundred kilometers away from that reactor received almost a million bq. (*)That's 10.000 bq per square foot. Just in case somebody from Liberia, Myanmar or that third country that's still using those archaic units is reading this. To put those numbers into perspective: Southern Germany had to deal with over 100.000 bq of Cs per square meter(*) after Chernobyl. Areas several hundred kilometers away from that reactor received almost a million bq.

(*)That’s 10.000 bq per square foot. Just in case somebody from Liberia, Myanmar or that third country that’s still using those archaic units is reading this.

]]> By: phylace http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061285 phylace Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061285 Hasn't the food industry been trying to convince us that irradiated food is harmless and that we must accept it as a viable process?? Hasn’t the food industry been trying to convince us that irradiated food is harmless and that we must accept it as a viable process??

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060536 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060536 "2.5 becquerels of iodine per kilogram of water" is one half of a billionth of a billionth of a kilogram (one femtogram) of I-131 per kilogram of water. http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2.5Bq%2Fkg+%2F+specific+radioactivity+iodine-131 "0.38 becquerel of cesium per kilogram of water" is one tenth of a millionth of a billionth of a kilogram (0.1 picogram) of Cs-137 per kilogram of water. http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=0.38Bq%2Fkg+%2F+specific+radioactivity+caesium-137 “2.5 becquerels of iodine per kilogram of water” is one half of a billionth of a billionth of a kilogram (one femtogram) of I-131 per kilogram of water.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2.5Bq%2Fkg+%2F+specific+radioactivity+iodine-131

“0.38 becquerel of cesium per kilogram of water” is one tenth of a millionth of a billionth of a kilogram (0.1 picogram) of Cs-137 per kilogram of water.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=0.38Bq%2Fkg+%2F+specific+radioactivity+caesium-137

]]> By: Grumblefish http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061049 Grumblefish Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061049 Topsoil? You'd have to remove the *bedrock* as radioactive waste, because it's the granite that's causing it. Topsoil? You’d have to remove the *bedrock* as radioactive waste, because it’s the granite that’s causing it.

]]> By: a_user http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060538 a_user Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060538 <blockquote> Iodine-131 is rapidly absorbed by the thyroid gland and increases the risk of childhood thyroid cancer. Cesium-137 mimics potassium inside the body, seeking out muscle. Strontium-90 acts like calcium, attracted to bone. Plutonium-239 and other isotopes can stay in the body indefinitely, irradiating organs. http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/15/charles-chois-dispat.html </blockquote> As far as I can tell here it's both external and internal, though given it's only been a week, this may be attempting to give advice with an eye to the long term: <blockquote> Gakushuin University Professor Yasuyuki Muramatsu says it was predicted that high levels of iodine and other radioactive substances would be detected in spinach and other leafy vegetables, as well as grass. He says washing vegetables thoroughly will help to remove the radioactivity to some extent. <a href="http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/19_30.html">more</a> </blockquote>

Iodine-131 is rapidly absorbed by the thyroid gland and increases the risk of childhood thyroid cancer. Cesium-137 mimics potassium inside the body, seeking out muscle. Strontium-90 acts like calcium, attracted to bone. Plutonium-239 and other isotopes can stay in the body indefinitely, irradiating organs.

http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/15/charles-chois-dispat.html

As far as I can tell here it’s both external and internal, though given it’s only been a week, this may be attempting to give advice with an eye to the long term:

Gakushuin University Professor Yasuyuki Muramatsu says it was predicted that high levels of iodine and other radioactive substances would be detected in spinach and other leafy vegetables, as well as grass.
He says washing vegetables thoroughly will help to remove the radioactivity to some extent.

more

]]> By: Textuality http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060540 Textuality Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060540 How do those numbers compare to those seen in Bananas or Brazil nuts? How do those numbers compare to those seen in Bananas or Brazil nuts?

]]> By: taj http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060798 taj Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060798 a_user, could you have imagined a month ago, that we'd be going to the store and purposely choosing Chinese produce over Japanese, for safety reasons? (I'm not actually at that point yet,.. but the thought of it is giving me the willies.) a_user, could you have imagined a month ago, that we’d be going to the store and purposely choosing Chinese produce over Japanese, for safety reasons? (I’m not actually at that point yet,.. but the thought of it is giving me the willies.)

]]> By: Kerov http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1060544 Kerov Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1060544 Yeah, numbers do provide useful perspective here. WSJ is reporting that the legal limit is 200 bq per liter of dairy product, and 500 bq per kg of other products. The contaminated products were found to be "five times" the legal limit. The water in Tokyo was around 2-3 bq per kilogram. For reference, bananas have always been on the order of 20 bq each (about 160 bq per kg). Yeah, numbers do provide useful perspective here. WSJ is reporting that the legal limit is 200 bq per liter of dairy product, and 500 bq per kg of other products. The contaminated products were found to be “five times” the legal limit.

The water in Tokyo was around 2-3 bq per kilogram.

For reference, bananas have always been on the order of 20 bq each (about 160 bq per kg).

]]> By: pmhparis http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061079 pmhparis Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061079 EVACUATE, THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO EVACUATE THE ENTIRE PLANET. I CAN NO LONGER SLEEP KNOWING THAT THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT THERE IS A INFINITESIMAL RISK OF MY CANCER RISK GOING UP BY 0.0001%. WE _MUST_ EVACUATE! EVACUATE, THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO EVACUATE THE ENTIRE PLANET. I CAN NO LONGER SLEEP KNOWING THAT THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT THERE IS A INFINITESIMAL RISK OF MY CANCER RISK GOING UP BY 0.0001%. WE _MUST_ EVACUATE!

]]> By: a_user http://boingboing.net/2011/03/19/japan-finds-radiatio.html#comment-1061084 a_user Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1061084 you don't write copy for the NYT do you? you don’t write copy for the NYT do you?

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