Japanese nuke problem may be getting worse

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by casstony

Alex, fear could be considered rational at the moment given that we know the authorities can't be trusted to tell us the truth.

Carl, my extended family in California shops for 'organic' produce which I imagine is not purposefully irradiated and ironically may be at greatest risk of accumulating fallout (if there is any). I wouldn't put my faith in shops having properly functioning fire detectors of the correct type to detect excessive ratiation levels in milk or vegetables.

It's a shame the Chaser team aren't doing shows at the moment.

Tony I can't disagree..I have been pricing geiger counters and make one at home utube vidios for a while because I trust no one. Japan has a culture of don't tell the boss how bad it is so Government has that additional truth filter.
And we must learn from this. ..
Going thru Coles in a radiation suit with a black box going click would produce fear rational and irrational.
I have to build this phone app not for the money but to make all fear rational.

I use tank water and I sure would like to chech it.
alex

[jeff65 (Jeff)]

Carl,

Even if all you say is true, it can only be a good thing to have all of the information and thus the ability to make an informed choice. Even if that choice is between eating contaminated food and starving.

Leaving it to the experts does not assure that you are getting complete and correct information. The experts all get a paycheck from somewhere.

FYI - I did a quick internet search for DIY geiger counters. Pretty sure I could build one and learn how to use it.

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by jeff65

Carl,

Even if all you say is true, it can only be a good thing to have all of the information and thus the ability to make an informed choice. Even if that choice is between eating contaminated food and starving.

Leaving it to the experts does not assure that you are getting complete and correct information. The experts all get a paycheck from somewhere.

FYI - I did a quick internet search for DIY geiger counters. Pretty sure I could build one and learn how to use it.

Of course, leaving it to the experts doesn't assure you of totally unbiased info. But are we going to do, issue everyone with a geiger counter??? And as I said, even if you had one, "joe public" is in even less a position to be making considered and objective decisions about this. Most wouldn't have a clue at what they were doing.

Yes, you may learn how to build and use one, but do you know how to convert the clicks into meaningful information and be able to understand it??. You may do so, but a great majority wouldn't.

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by casstony

Alex, fear could be considered rational at the moment given that we know the authorities can't be trusted to tell us the truth.

Carl, my extended family in California shops for 'organic' produce which I imagine is not purposefully irradiated and ironically may be at greatest risk of accumulating fallout (if there is any). I wouldn't put my faith in shops having properly functioning fire detectors of the correct type to detect excessive ratiation levels in milk or vegetables.

It's a shame the Chaser team aren't doing shows at the moment.

Anyone would be at similar levels of risk, whether they eat "organic" foods or "normal" foods, if there were fallout. It all comes from the same paddock, so to speak. I wouldn't put my faith in them either, but if there was one in a shop, it would be tripped by any significant radiation levels in the shop.

[CraigS]

Real time plume spread map here. (Caesium 137 and Iodine 131).

(English explanation is here). (WARNING: Likely to be biased .. COTO Report not exactly well balanced ..ie: propaganda )

Radiation monitoring in Japan goes DIY - article here.

Real-time online geiger counter monitor reading of Japan here.

US radiation map here shows readings and proximity to Nuclear plants as well. (WARNING: Pretty heavily biased website, this one mind you … don't believe all it says. At least it shows some people are watching it .. more websites would be needed to check whether the info is distorted/biased ... )
Cheers

[jeff65 (Jeff)]

Originally Posted by renormalised

But are we going to do, issue everyone with a geiger counter??? And as I said, even if you had one, "joe public" is in even less a position to be making considered and objective decisions about this. Most wouldn't have a clue at what they were doing.

Taking this to its opposite extreme, we could make it illegal for any citizen to own a geiger counter. We wouldn't want any false claims stirring up the public.

Personally, I'd rather be able to use my own judgment as to the credibility of sources of facts and err on the side of too many facts rather than too few.

[casstony]

Originally Posted by renormalised

Anyone would be at similar levels of risk, whether they eat "organic" foods or "normal" foods, if there were fallout. It all comes from the same paddock, so to speak. .

There can be differences.
eg. grass fed livestock have higher exposure to local fallout vs livestock fed with grain/pellets.

Interesting links Craig - looks like there's no current fallout problem in the US.

How did I let myself get dragged into this discussion anyway - I think I'll go back to the thread that discusses why schmidt cassegrains are such crappy scopes

[xelasnave]

Blackcatsystems have a unit that plugs into a lap top. Mmmm door to door...would you like your radiation checked? Byron Bay here I come
alex

[TrevorW]

Question

if all food has been contaminated do we stop eating or only eat canned goods and what then when canned goods run out

if people start dying from radiation poisoning then the Govt will be forced to act

otherwise stop worrying about it

I say eat maybe mankind will build up an immunity too it and make nuclear weapons superfluous

[Kal (Andrew)]

Some of the concerns addressed in the article seem to be about things that they did in the initial stages of the problem where no other solutions were available, for example, using seawater, or spraying water over the reactors.

I just checked on the JIAF page where they provide updates and they are using freshwater for all the cooling now, and they have installed some storage tanks with some more storage tanks still to be installed. They are starting to process this contaminated water with filters.

To see a full status update including measures that they are working on or considering, see this pdf

[morls (Stephen)]

I think this is a pretty clear description of the latest from Fukushima...

An interview this morning on ABC's Radio National. It's with Joseph Cirincione, President of the Ploughshares Fund, a foundation focused on nuclear weapons policy.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast/s...11/3252300.htm

Here's a link to information about Joseph Cirincione. I don't know anything about him, but this site should give enough information if people want to find out about his involvement with the nuclear issue.

http://www.ploughshares.org/about-us/joseph-cirincione

[jeff65 (Jeff)]

More commentary - apparently there was a cover-up:

http://georgewashington2.blogspot.co...hit-north.html