Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

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Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Michael on Sat Apr 09, 2011 9:32 am

internalenthusiast wrote:yes, thanks michael, for your updates.

You're welcome -thx-
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Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Steve James on Sat Apr 09, 2011 9:50 am

so we have to force the truth into the public domain in order to prevent future problems.


"We" can't do that because "we" don't know the "truth". In this specific case, we do not know the extent of the problem. We can't know that until someone actually puts eyes on the core or source of the problem. Job one is fixing the problem, not fixing the blame. It is even more critical if there are other potential problem areas.

We've got to pressure on the government to reveal actual radiation detection of all types related to the Fukushima catastrophe and prevent them from: turning off the detectors, changing safe levels in order to obscure health hazards, failing to report radiation, etc.


That tends to invalidate your argument, since you already seem to assume that the truth is known (and that they and you know it). I.e., it seems you'd like the government to fess up and say, as Iskendar puts it, "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIEEE!" That might not be a satisfactory long term solution for the people affected.

We also need to specifically be aware of which food products and water are dangerous to consume, whether they're from Japan, the Pacific, or from areas of the USA or other places contaminated by the Fukushima problem.


However, if radiation (increases) can be detected worldwide, and they go up in your area, what will happen if everyone simply stops using products from the Pacific? In fact, it might cause even greater health risks and economic costs. Hawaii is totally fracked; they gotta be getting 2x as much as Cali. Only pineapples from Mexico now, I guess.
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Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby I-mon on Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:43 pm

Steve James wrote:So, apart from being frightened, what should we do (or be done) today and in the future?


Steve there is no pressure to be frightened and no need to do anything. In fact you can completely ignore the news if you'd prefer that seems to be a popular choice as well.

Michael and others thanks for the updates. "Natural News" is part of my daily feed as well but I must say a lot of what they post appears to be sensationalist and under-researched. In the case of the Fukushima nuclear stuff they've consistently put up stories giving only the very worst-case perspective. I keep it in my news feed for this reason, it's an insight into a particular worldview - I should probably sign up for some hard-core right-wing anti-environmentalist daily news as well, so's I know what's going on...
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Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Steve James on Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:56 pm

I only responded because of this:
Michael wrote:Image


True, there's no need to be frightened. Afa the popular opinion goes, I've got no clue. I do subscribe to a Japanese news feed, fwiw.
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Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Interloper on Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:42 pm

Michael, in regards to the contaminated drinking water -- In Tokyo, tap water was declared safe for adults and older children but not for infants. A few days later, it was "cleared" to be safe for infants as well. I wonder whether it was just government "fact-revision," or whether the tap water in Tokyo was filtered to remove radioactive particles.
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Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Michael on Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:31 am

Interloper wrote:Michael, in regards to the contaminated drinking water -- In Tokyo, tap water was declared safe for adults and older children but not for infants. A few days later, it was "cleared" to be safe for infants as well. I wonder whether it was just government "fact-revision," or whether the tap water in Tokyo was filtered to remove radioactive particles.

The initial report was the water was unsafe for all, then it changed to unsafe for babies, then it was safe for everyone. In any case, they didn't claim to have installed radiation filters and I don't think they could have. I would think you'd need at least a couple of days to be certain all the water in the Tokyo system was safe, multiple testing over 2-3 days, etc., in order to know it wasn't contaminated before people drank it.

The "It's safe now" report coincided with all the bottled water in Tokyo being bought up and probably some realizations by the authorities they have no way to supply enough water for 37 million people for even 24 hours if the normal supply is unavailable.
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Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Michael on Sun Apr 10, 2011 3:40 am

Steve James wrote:"We" can't do that because "we" don't know the "truth". In this specific case, we do not know the extent of the problem. We can't know that until someone actually puts eyes on the core or source of the problem. Job one is fixing the problem, not fixing the blame. It is even more critical if there are other potential problem areas.

One of the engineers who helped cover up a faulty containment vessel in order to save TEPCO money in the early 70's when the plant was built has come forward and repeated his accusation from the 80's when he tried to come forward before and was ignored when TEPCO did not admit to the accusation. The New York Times has written stories about TEPCO's emergency plan (posted in this thread) for Fukushima Daichi power plant and how completely inadequate it is. They really made no provisions for a cooling system failure, such as fresh water storage tanks, decontamination equipment for emergency workers, sleeping areas, communications, etc. On top of this, the severity of the radiation leakages are being covered up. TEPCO and the Japanese government did not release radiation readings for Fukushima and another adjoining prefectures; radiation monitors are being turned off in Canada and the USA, etc.

I was also speaking about the nuclear industry as a whole, both in the military and in their supporting companies like GE, who designed this unsafe reactor, and their history of accidents, cover-ups, testing on unwitting human guinea pigs, etc. The dangers of nuclear power are typified by the Fukushima catastrophe and this particular accident can be used to bring facts about other problems into public discussion. In fact, Fukushima is just another example of inadequate planning by an industry that puts us at tremendous risk in order to maximize profits, and it's necessary to publicize what we do know about the safety failures in this industry, including a long history of accidents and cover-ups.

- Three Mile Island radiation was covered up afterward

- Chernobyl radiation and related sicknesses were covered up

- Depleted uranium munitions are a convenient way to take waste material left from the process of making fuel for nuke power plants and converting it to weapons that aerosolize into the atmosphere, as well as permanently contaminating the area where they are used. They are illegal nuclear weapons and have been and are being used extensively by the USA, and also given to Israel for its use. They were ready for action in 1968 and first used in the 1973 war between Egypt and Israel in the Sinai peninsula; in Kuwait and Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War; in Serbia in 1999 when the USA and NATO bombed it; since 2003 in Iraq during the second Gulf War, most notably in the city of Fallujah where the effects of uranium munitions are comparable to the after effects in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; and the use of uranium munitions is increasing with wide-spreading effects.

Image
Iraqi baby, a victim of DU, born with no nose, mouth, eyes, anus or genitals and with flipper limbs, a common result of radiation exposure in utero. Photo by Karen Robinson

The nuclear industry needs to sell its waste as illegal weapons that have a 4 billion year half life because otherwise they would have to store about 99% of the mined uranium ore that is not usable in reactors.

- One of the links posted in this thread spoke about the fact they can't determine if general plutonium radiation from above ground testing conducted mainly by the USA from the 50's - 80's contaminated the dirt around Fukushima or if the recent explosions of spent nuclear fuel rods did it. The nuclear industry and its research and development wing, the military, has already contaminated the entire globe, so perhaps we should examine the risks again. Germany has declared that it will shut many of its nuke power plants and will probably close all of them in the future because the risks outweigh the benefits.

- The Department of Energy conducted secret tests on unwitting people, injecting them with various doses of plutonium. This story by PBS.

- The same story reported by Amy Goodman:
Plutonium Files: How the U.S. Secretly Fed Radioactivity to Thousands of Americans
Denver-based journalist Eileen Welsome reveals how as a reporter for the tiny Albuquerque Tribune (circulation 35,000) she uncovered one of the country’s great Cold War secrets: the U.S. government had knowingly exposed thousands of human Guinea pigs with radiation poisoning including 18 Americans who had plutonium injected directly into their bloodstream.

AMY GOODMAN: After a six-year investigation, reporter Eileen Welsome uncovered the identities of eighteen people injected with plutonium in the 1940’s without their knowledge by federal government scientists. Eileen Welsome published her findings in a series in the "Albuquerque Tribune" and received the Pulitzer Prize for her work. It took another six years for her to complete her book called "The Plutonium Files, America’s Secret Medical Experiments in the Cold War." She joins us now in Boulder, Colorado. Eileen Welsome, thanks for joining us.



- There have been extensive tests on unwitting humans using radiation for the benefit of the military and the nuclear industry.

- Count of Subjects in Radiation Experiments Is Raised to 16,000

- From the Department of Energy, who has conducted so many radiation experiments on unwitting humans, they can't even document all of them properly.
The Office of Human Radiation Experiments, established in March 1994, leads the Department of Energy's efforts to tell the agency's Cold War story of radiation research using human subjects. We have undertaken an intensive effort to identify and catalog relevant historical documents from DOE's 3.2 million cubic feet of records scattered across the country. Internet access to these resources is a key part of making DOE more open and responsive to the American public.

Steve James wrote:However, if radiation (increases) can be detected worldwide, and they go up in your area, what will happen if everyone simply stops using products from the Pacific? In fact, it might cause even greater health risks and economic costs. Hawaii is totally fracked; they gotta be getting 2x as much as Cali. Only pineapples from Mexico now, I guess.

Are you suggesting people should eat unsafe food because the costs to the economy or their health of not eating it are too great? Can you clarify this?
Michael

 

Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Michael on Sun Apr 10, 2011 4:39 am

internalenthusiast wrote:interloper, speaking to your point above. other than the red cross, are there ways we can help?

i think someone posted something where we could, a while ago. but, i looked for it and couldn't find it. i wanted to re-post it, but couldn't find it.

best...

Red Cross aid hasn't reached Japan quake victims
The relief organization has distributed none of the $1 billion it has collected. The chief Cabinet secretary says the process must be streamlined.

Japan's Red Cross has collected more than $1 billion in the first three weeks after the massive earthquake and tsunami but has yet to distribute any funds directly to victims, prompting Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano to urge Sunday that the process be accelerated.
Michael

 

Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Michael on Sun Apr 10, 2011 5:37 am

Japan Times
Thursday April 7, 2011
By JUN HONGO, Staff writer

Ex-governor blasts Tepco's cozy ties

Earthquakes and tsunami are unavoidable natural events, but the ongoing disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant was induced by "human errors" stemming from cozy ties between bureaucrats and Tokyo Electric Power Co., former Fukushima Gov. Eisaku Sato told The Japan Times on Wednesday.

Sato, who served five terms from 1988 to 2006, said the inappropriate relationship between government bureaus and the utility often resulted in them burying major troubles, including cracks in reactors and safety shortcomings at Tepco's two nuclear plants in the prefecture.

"Their improper bond means that no one was keeping an eye on Tepco," Sato, 71, said, adding it ultimately led to the inadequate preparations for the March 11 disaster.

The first hint Sato had of inept supervision at the nuclear plants was in January 1989. Tepco, despite being aware for weeks that one of the reactor coolant pumps at the Fukushima No. 2 nuclear plant was malfunctioning, did not report the trouble to prefectural authorities.

Sato said he quickly filed a complaint with the old Ministry of International Trade and Industry over a development he felt endangered the public. But Tepco only received a slap on the wrist and the power plant was back up and running after a temporary shutdown.

Sato was prompted to take further action in 2002, when a whistle-blower claimed Tepco was hiding malfunctions and cracks in reactors at both Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2.

"It turned out that the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency had received the same insider information — but in 2000, two years before we did," Sato said. And yet the nuclear safety watchdog, under the wing of MITI's successor, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, not only overlooked the accusation and failed to inform prefectural authorities, it even gave Tepco a heads up.

A NISA official told The Japan Times that at the time, such tips were handled by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. "There were some mistakes in how to handle the matter, and I've heard that the tip was actually passed on to Tepco," he acknowledged.

The incident resulted in the resignation of some Tepco executives and a temporary shutdown of all 17 of its nuclear reactors. But no one from METI took responsibility.

"That's when I learned that METI, NISA and Tepco were all part of the same gang," Sato said, adding this prompted him to set up an office in the prefectural government to handle tips from insiders regarding the nuclear plants.

From 2002 until Sato's resignation as governor, the team received 21 anonymous tips. "It was mostly a cry for help," Sato said. Some whistle-blowers complained about a wrecked turbine that went unreported. Others warned of the lack of safety on-site measures.

"The tsunami danger was obviously an issue on the table," Sato said, stressing seismologists were pointing to past evidence of mega-earthquakes that could prove catastrophic. "But you have to ask how serious NISA was doing its job, considering the way that backup electricity was easily knocked out by the waves."

Following March 11, there is finally talk of separating NISA from METI to keep Tepco on a short leash. But Sato said an overhaul of the system and new safety measures will be required before evacuees can safely return home.

"There is a nightmare going on in the evacuation camps," Sato said. "Separating NISA and METI is just the first step — overhauling Tepco's operations and supervision is necessary."

Sato resigned in 2006 and was handed a suspended prison term in 2008 by the Tokyo District Court in connection with a bribery case involving a public works project. That verdict was upheld in 2009 and he has appealed with the Supreme Court.
Michael

 

Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Steve James on Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:01 am

Are you suggesting people should eat unsafe food because the costs to the economy or their health of not eating it are too great? Can you clarify this?


Nope. I was saying that higher radiation readings doesn't mean that food is unsafe to eat. But, put it like this. Say, the acceptable level for radiation in food or location X is 1 unit of Y. When that figure was decided, it wasn't because people got ill or died when it got to 1.1 or 2. It means that 1 was considered acceptable. It wouldn't mean that 1.1 was Hiroshima or Chernobyl levels. In fact, the acceptable level will be way lower than the known danger level. That's why when the reports come in that radiation levels are 1,000 times the acceptable level, or even 1,000,000 times, there are not reports of massive fish die offs or human casualties, or reports of mutated babies in Japan.

But, say that the acceptable level (meaning the "legal" level) remains the same, but the food and location level are above it? Okay, so who goes into those locations to make them safer or to rebuild them? Similarly with food, once the canned food runs out, what do the people eat? Otoh, the radiation levels can also decline with time, and along with them the acceptable radiation levels. For example, the Japan Times reports:
Sunday, April 10, 2011

U.S. mulls rethink of 80-km evac zone
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) U.S. nuclear regulators may revise the evacuation advisory for Americans living within an 80-km radius of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant as radioactive substances in areas beyond 40 km of the stricken facility have subsided to levels that require no flight, officials said Friday.

The U.S. Energy Department compiled the evaluation report based on radiation data jointly observed by Japan and the United States near the plant in the quake-hit northeast.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued an evacuation advisory for Americans living within an 80-km radius of the troubled plant on March 16. The decision was based on the assumption that fuel at the No. 2 reactor at the plant was completely damaged, not on observational data.

Based on the limited data it had at the time, the NRC may have overestimated the levels of radioactive substances that would leak from the nuclear plant.

NRC officials also attributed the review of the evacuation advisory to improvements in the situation surrounding the crippled nuclear plant.

The Japanese government set up a 20-km evacuation zone while at the same time asking people living between 20-30 km from the plant to stay indoors.

The NRC has said the Japanese evacuation advisory is also appropriate.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ ... Stories%29

Now, if I don't believe the Japanese gov't, the American gov't, Tepco, the NRC and the IEA, then what? "They" will never tell the "truth," so ...
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Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Michael on Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:08 am

Steve James wrote:Nope. I was saying that higher radiation readings doesn't mean that food is unsafe to eat. But, put it like this. Say, the acceptable level for radiation in food or location X is 1 unit of Y. When that figure was decided, it wasn't because people got ill or died when it got to 1.1 or 2. It means that 1 was considered acceptable. It wouldn't mean that 1.1 was Hiroshima or Chernobyl levels. In fact, the acceptable level will be way lower than the known danger level.


There is no safe level of radiation exposure, according to the:

According to the National Academy of Sciences, there are no safe doses of radiation. Decades of research show clearly that any dose of radiation increases an individual’s risk for the development of cancer.

“There is no safe level of radionuclide exposure, whether from food, water or other sources. Period,” said Jeff Patterson, DO, immediate past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility. “Exposure to radionuclides, such as iodine-131 and cesium-137, increases the incidence of cancer. For this reason, every effort must be taken to minimize the radionuclide content in food and water.”

“Consuming food containing radionuclides is particularly dangerous. If an individual ingests or inhales a radioactive particle, it continues to irradiate the body as long as it remains radioactive and stays in the body,”said Alan H. Lockwood, MD, a member of the Board of Physicians for Social Responsibility.




Steve James wrote: That's why when the reports come in that radiation levels are 1,000 times the acceptable level, or even 1,000,000 times, there are not reports of massive fish die offs or human casualties, or reports of mutated babies in Japan.

All radiation exposure increases risk of cancer and at higher doses the negative effects on health are seen at shorter and shorter intervals that are inversely proportional to the size of the dose. This means that the time it takes to show symptoms is less when the dose is higher. In other words, it takes time for the effects of radiation exposure to become apparent, so just because there are not massive fish die offs that we know about, it doesn't mean there won't be any that are caused by Fukushima.

There have already been reports of people with radiation sickness being turned away from hospitals because the doctors and nurses were afraid of treating them for fear of exposure. Considering they're getting turned away from hospitals, there may not be accurate statistics on how many have already shown symptoms. Why do I have to explain this to someone who posted such good information on potassium iodide?



Steve James wrote:But, say that the acceptable level (meaning the "legal" level) remains the same, but the food and location level are above it? Okay, so who goes into those locations to make them safer or to rebuild them? Similarly with food, once the canned food runs out, what do the people eat? Otoh, the radiation levels can also decline with time, and along with them the acceptable radiation levels.

Ann Coulter says radiation is good for you, so she can rebuild those areas with her team of supporters. LOL. So, are you suggesting people just have to deal with dangerous food because there are no alternatives? Or dangerous food is better than starving? As long as the radiation data is covered up then people don't even get to the point where they can make a choice. My point is that right now the risks of nuclear power and the nuclear industry should be exposed in order to prevent these problems in the future.



Steve James wrote:Now, if I don't believe the Japanese gov't, the American gov't, Tepco, the NRC and the IEA, then what? "They" will never tell the "truth," so ...

You have to discern which information is accurate, incomplete, misleading, etc., and draw your own conclusions. They do not lie 100% of the time about 100% of the information, so you compare and contrast with various sources, such as government weather reporting NOAA and semi-private universities, as well as multiple governments in different parts of the world who have monitoring facilities.
Michael

 

Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Michael on Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:17 am

University of Maryland, Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
Up to Date info. on Radiation over USA and Canada with Projected Wind flows and Radiation Types and Levels(Which are going up daily)


Video of 4/6/2011 -- USA RADIATION CHARTS -- MODELS -- now revealed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GsBsat5c1g
10 min 55 sec
Uploaded by dutchsinse on Apr 6, 2011



the revealed US site:
http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~tcanty/hysplit/

the known European sites forecasting basically the same data:
http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/f ... H=0&LOOP=1
http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/f ... H=0&LOOP=1
http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/f ... H=0&LOOP=1
http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/f ... d5000&HH=0

Here is a list of the radioactive particles in the air.
Taken from the 3-16-11 on ZAMG site.

Nuclide
CS-134
BA-136M
CS-136
CS 137
I-131
I-132
I-133
TE-132

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_ur ... GMT10%3A57

Higher plumes, reaching 5000 meters (15,000 feet) are forecast to reach Portugal, Spain, and central europe.

All animations are from professional forecasting services. Links are below.
http://www.woweather.com/
http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/f ... plitheight

The radiation flow, forecast and shown by these several models... tells the tale of the isotopes coming our way... .. it will be up to you to decide if you should go outside during the time these clouds are over the USA, Canada, and Mexico...

Finland radiation:
http://www.stuk.fi/fi_FI/

radiation forecasting links:
http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/f ... ebcam&SA...
http://eurdeppub.jrc.it/eurdeppub/home.aspx#

spain radiation link:
http://www.csn.es/index.php?option=com_ ... &Itemid=32

http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/

http://www.rivm.nl/milieuportaal/dossie ... esultaten/

http://www.radiationnetwork.com/

http://www.blackcatsystems.com/RadMap/map.html

http://www.epa.gov (click on radiation update)

http://www.irsn.fr/EN/Pages/home.aspx

http://www.nucleartourist.com/

http://www.stuk.fi/index_en.html

http://www.mext.go.jp/english/radioacti ... 303962.htm

http://www.nisa.meti.go.jp/english/index.html

http://www.rivm.nl/milieuportaal/dossie ... esultaten/

http://www.yle.fi/tekstitv/html/P867_02.html

http://www.mapion.co.jp/topics/genpatu/

http://strahlenbelastung.wo-wann-wer.de/

dutch radiation monitoring:
http://www.rivm.nl/milieuportaal/dossie ... esultaten/

swiss radiation monitoring:
https://www.naz.ch/en/aktuell/zeitverlaeufe.html

Finland radiation monitoring:
http://www.yle.fi/tekstitv/html/P160_01.html
http://www.yle.fi/tekstitv/html/P867_02.html

French radiation monitoring: (thanks to youtube user: RehKurts ! )
http://sws.irsn.fr/sws/mesure/index
http://www.irsn.fr/FR/Documents/france.htm

jet stream forecasting:
http://squall.sfsu.edu/crws/jetstream.html
http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/CT/animate ... lor.0.html
http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/tropicalwx/ ... 4_loop.php
http://www.stormsurfing.com/cgi/display ... a=glob_250
http://www.woweather.com/weather/news/f ... emis131&...
Michael

 

Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Steve James on Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:51 am

Jeez, Mike, now you're really confusing things. You start with this quote:
Decades of research show clearly that any dose of radiation increases an individual’s risk for the development of cancer.


You do realize that light and heat are radiation. But, of course, your reply might be "not that" type of radiation. Okay, assuming that we're not saying that "all" forms of radiation cause cancer. We all have had x-rays, cat scans, mris; not to mention that we are bombarded by atomic radiation every single moment of the day. Then there's the irradiated food and vegetables that most of us eat; but, we're not talking about them either. We're talking about Fukushima, and you're saying that all of the people who eat the food, drink the water or breathe the air will get cancer because of the radiation. You're also suggesting that the "increased" (meaning more than already present) radiation being measured will give all those affected cancer. That's the inevitable conclusion of the original statement. I don't buy it; and it's because of statements like that.

No one has argued that certain types of radiation aren't life-threatening or cancer-causing.
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Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Interloper on Sun Apr 10, 2011 8:41 am

Life on earth is a couple billion years old. The life forms that exist now represent those that evolved around radiation and can tolerate variouis kinds and amounts in varying degrees.

Every day, humans are bombarded by radiation that has existed since the birth of the solar system. We wouldn't be here if our ancestral species, right back to the simplest prions and proto-life, had been unable to tolerate it.

What -is- different in our modern times, is the creation and/or release of types of radiation that either never would have existed or never would have been mined and released to the world, without wilful or accidental human activity. Now, humans and other species are exposed to kinds and levels of radioactivity that our forebears never would have. That's the price we pay for big brains and human drive to probe and experiment.
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Re: Japan Nuclear Meltdown Thread

Postby Michael on Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:36 pm

Steve James wrote:You do realize that light and heat are radiation. But, of course, your reply might be "not that" type of radiation. Okay, assuming that we're not saying that "all" forms of radiation cause cancer.

I think you already answered your own question and Interloper also clarified. I'll offer some clear definitions from the Low Level Radiation Campaign website:

Radionuclide: Unstable nuclide capable of spontaneous transformation into an other nuclide by emitting photons or particles, thus changing its nuclear configuration or energy level.

Ionisation: An ion is an atom or group of atoms that has lost or gained one or more electrons. An atom which has lost electrons acquires a positive charge and is known as a cation; an atom which has gained electrons has a negative charge and is called an anion. The process is called ionisation.

Ionising radiation is a radiation of sufficient energy to cause the ionisation of matter through which it passes.

Dose: Dose is conventionally understood as energy transfer from ionising radiation into substantial volumes of body tissue, expressed as Joules per kilogramme, revealing the pivotal role physicists have played in this area.

The concept is useless at low dose. Radiation damage is caused by discrete events - single particles passing through tissue. Cells are either hit or they are missed. If they are hit the energy transfer (dose) can be high, if not, then the dose is zero. Cells that are hit may be damaged; the damage may or may not be repairable. If it is not repairable then the cell dies and causes no further problems, but if the damage is repaired it may be misrepaired, passing defects on to daughter cells. There are newly discovered field effects (or epigenetic effects which mean that cells near a cell that is hit may get the same symptoms as if they themselves had been hit (the bystander effect), and they may acquire genomic instability which shows up many cell generations after the exposure. These amplify the error in the conventional view since there are even more effects at low dose.

The notion of "dose" is virtually meaningless; every single radiation track may cause a mutation which may turn out to be deleterious or fatal to the individual person or to his/her descendants. Until you get into the realm where the exposure is so great / acute that you can predict the results with fair certainty (so-called deterministic effects) every exposure is a lottery- Harm may or may not happen, and those that do happen may not be detectable. These are known as stochastic effects (see stochastic effects).

By analogy the nuclear industry is forcing lottery tickets on us; the more tickets you get the greater are your chances of winning the deadly prize, but essentially one ticket is enough. True, some people and some cell types are more susceptible and some stages of development (e.g. foetus) are more sensitive; for these subpopulations each ticket will be more likely to pay off.

For more on the nonsense of "dose", see this link


Steve James wrote:and you're saying that all of the people who eat the food, drink the water or breathe the air will get cancer because of the radiation. You're also suggesting that the "increased" (meaning more than already present) radiation being measured will give all those affected cancer. That's the inevitable conclusion of the original statement. I don't buy it; and it's because of statements like that.

I never said they will all get cancer. I said their risk of cancer is increased by any exposure to radiation. There are lots of variables, some of them are explained in the definition above for the word dose.

Steve James wrote:We all have had x-rays, cat scans, mris; not to mention that we are bombarded by atomic radiation every single moment of the day. Then there's the irradiated food and vegetables that most of us eat; but, we're not talking about them either. We're talking about Fukushima,

I'm glad you brought this up because x-rays, cat scans, MRI's, mammograms, etc., do increase our risk for cancer, but people generally have a choice and can weigh the increased risk of cancer of varying degrees against the benefit of an x-ray or whatever radiation method will reveal a more serious and immediate problem, perhaps even one that is life threatening.

It's not wise to trust nuclear industry spokesmen or doctors who receive a monetary benefit from the system to be your only source of information. This has happened before with the tobacco industry, but their own studies showed the dangers from the beginning, which is also true in the nuclear industry. However, the nuclear industry has its research and development conducted by the military in top secret conditions.

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The nuclear industry has conducted some of the most heinous human experiments ever, and I already posted several examples, but here's another:
The Ringworm Children: How the Israeli Government Irradiated 100,000 Israeli Kids
In 1951, the director general of the Israeli Health Ministry, Dr. Chaim Sheba, flew to America and returned with seven x-ray machines, supplied to him by the American army.

They were to be used in a mass atomic experiment with an entire generation of Sephardi youths to be used as guinea pigs. Every Sephardi child was to be given 35,000 times the maximum dose of x-rays through his head. For doing so, the American government paid the Israeli government 300 million Israeli liras a year. The entire Health budget was 60 million liras. The money paid by the Americans is equivalent to billions of dollars today.

To fool the parents of the victims, the children were taken away on "school trips" and their parents were later told the x-rays were a treatment for the scourge of scalpal ringworm. 6,000 of the children died shortly after their doses were given, while many of the rest developed cancers that killed thousands over time and are still killing them now. While living, the victims suffered from disorders such as epilepsy, amnesia, Alzheimer's disease, chronic headaches and psychosis.


From its very inception in the USA in the late 30's, the nuclear industry has used psychologically designed propaganda, just as the tobacco industry did, in order to resell its radioactive waste and also sold otherwise toxic products, whose cost if properly disposed of would probably have put an end to the nuclear industry. It has always conducted secret tests on unwitting humans, and has always caused severe ecological damage around the USA and the world. Big events like Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and now Fukushima are clear indicators of how irresponsible this industry is and bring into the spotlight the massive risks they trade for increased short-term profits, which always cost everyone more in the long run.

The US government just announced that putting mercury and other toxic metals into holes in your teeth is a bad idea, but the industry who made those metals (mercury and silver amalgams), as well as their lobbying group the A.D.A., fought against the obvious truth for a century because of profits. It happens over, and over, and over. Wise up.
Michael

 

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