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keep fingers crossed for our Japanese friends!

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  • keep fingers crossed for our Japanese friends!

    ... should there be a bad turn today or tomorrow at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the winds would be very unfortunate for the Tokyo area... let's hope!

    (source)

    I think the nation has suffered enough from the heavy earthquake and tsunami! In 1987, I actually spent a year in that exact area (Ibaraki), and I still have many friends there.
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  • #2
    The disaster at the nuclear plant is on top of mind constantly. The effects will already be disastrous for a lot of people in Japan and I mean a LOT. I really hope the winds are heading in a good direction if we get a meltdown at the plant.

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    • #3
      Just heard reactors 5 and 6 have had a cold shut down. Which is excellent news

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      • #4
        Our prayers are with them.
        With Tenacity, No Roof Is Impossible

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        • #5
          ... luckily, nothing really bad happened! And now the winds are blowing again into the Pacific ocean. See below for the actual radiation measurements in the area 50 miles South of Fukushima (Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki-ken). Values are far below critical. (I am sure you heard the news about Iodine in drinking water in Tokyo. That was probably caused by the same weather condition.)
          Attached Files

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          • #6
            ... independent radiation measurements can be found here. Every color other than the dark blue means that the values are currently > 0.11 uSv/h which is > 1 mSv/year. I would not recommend to live there anymore! There are first reports of children showing symptoms similar to radiation sickness... I assume that a 1-week visit to Tokyo should still be ok for an adult person.

            The problematic radioisotopes are Caesium-137 and Strontium-90. They have a half-life of 30 and 29 years, respectively. They will be built into the human body, and accumulate there over time. After about 10 half-lifes they are considered gone, which is in 300 years, well after human life expectancy! Of course, at lower abundancy they may be below the dangerous threshold earlier...

            (I would not trust TEPCO or the Japanese officials too much...)
            Attached Files
            Last edited by amzamz; 20-06-2011, 05:31.

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            • #7
              Thanks for posting Amz. A true tragedy it is. Luckily though Tokyo isn't the worst hit part as that'd have severely augmented the economical damage.

              To give you an idea of radiation levels: A X-Thorax (X-ray of the chest) delivers 0,09 mSv. But when we perform a CAT (CT) scan of the head or chest you'll receive 2,0 mSv, respectively 9,0 mSv.
              The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do

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              • #8
                ... I agree with what you say. However, x-rays at the doctor's are "clean" in that they penetrate and then go. You will not normally inhale radioactive material. The biological effect of the Sr and Cs isotopes is worse.

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                • #9
                  ...I understand what you're saying. The radiation levels on your map don't represent the biological damage of the inhaled radioactive materials... but the Sievert unit is SI standard for 'dose equivalent', which uses a weighing factor for different tissues (in contrary to Bq).

                  So if, for instance, a CAT- scan of the head has an equivalent dose of 2.0 mSv, then it's not worse than getting an equivalent dose of 2.0 mSv from the inhalation of Strontium, because they are corrected for the tissues they affect. But, like you said, the equivalent dose for people that inhaled and accumulated these isotopes will be bigger than the Sievert levels the map shows and after a small amount of time also bigger than a CAT scan's equivalent dose because you're carrying the material inside of you 24/7.

                  If you're interested in the equivalent doses of ingestion of isotopes: here's an old estimate on radiologic dose of ingestion of strontium-90 and Caesium-137. (1Sv = 100 Rem)

                  strontium effect.JPG
                  The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do

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                  • #10
                    ... some scientists even consider low (but higher than background) radiation as healthy! See here. "It stimulates the DNA repair mechanism!" :lol: There are locations, like Ramsar in Iran, where the natural background radiation is 200x higher than usual, and people happily live there for centuries... Perhaps humans can slowly adapt to higher radiation levels?

                    (Again, the source here is coming from Radium-226, and its chemical behaviour resembles that of Sr or Ca. It will accumulate in bones and can affect bone marrow.)

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                    • #11
                      ... stories like this one may only be the tip of the iceberg, but they show the real tragedy underneath the friendly Japanese smile. A 93 year old resident nearby Fukushima hangs herself to "evacuate to grave".
                      Attached Files

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                      • #12
                        Sad.
                        With Tenacity, No Roof Is Impossible

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                        • #13
                          Indeed very sad. I can understand her escape fully though.

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