No warnings in US for radioactive fallout--but Europe is warned!

[CoffeeCat]

A highly respected French research body on radioactivity (CRIIRAD) has warned Europeans
that eating leafy vegetables and milk is now considered "risky behavior" due to the
Iodine-131 that is in the food supply, because of Fukushima releasing radioactive materials
into the air.

About mid-way through the article, is the following paragraph:

Data for the west coast of the United States, which received the
Fukushima radioactive fallout 6-10 days before France, reveals that levels
of radioactive iodine-131 concentration are 8-10 times higher there, the institute says.

So--Europeans are warned not to engage in "risky behavior" such as drinking fresh milk or eating
leafy, green vegetables---but US citizens receive NO warnings when our radioactive iodine-131 levels
are "8-10 times higher".

Where is our government on this?

Why aren't we being warned--or at the very least, being given any guidance?

Is our government willing to allow us to consume dangerous levels of radioactive materials
in order to kow tow to the nuclear-energy industry and Big Energy? Is that what this comes
down to?

Why aren't we being warned when Europeans are--when the United States radioactive iodine-131 levels
are several times higher than what the Europeans are experiencing?

Link to article, which was posted earlier on DU: http://www.euractiv.com/en/health/radiation-risks-fukushima-longer-negligible-news-503947

[villager]

1. Because the government isn't on *your* side -- it's on theirs...

n/t

[uppityperson]

15. Because this is NOT any Euro gvt either. nt

[Rage for Order]

2. World weather patterns tend to travel from east to west

So obviously when the wind blows from Japan it will go towards Europe, not the West Coast of America

:dunce:

[DLnyc]

11. False, I think

Simulations I have seen all show prevailing patterns bringing the plume EAST to North America first.

[Rage for Order]

17. I think you're right

But I elected to go with the dunce cap rather than dripping sarcasm. I was hoping the effect would be the same.

:hi:

[DLnyc]

23. Yes, sorry, I did see the cap, suspected sarcasm.

It's hard to differentiate around here, sometimes, between sarcasm and actual foolishness!

My apologies for not looking carefully and, thus, misjudging your point.

[Snoutport]

26. oh...i thought you were calling the poster a dunce.

how do you use the dripping sarcasm?

[CoffeeCat]

22. Here in an animation of the radiation flow....right to the US

http://www.irsn.fr/FR/popup/Pages/irsn-meteo-france_19mars.aspx

[Poll_Blind]

3. America has always been protected by a durable bubble of unreality, dontchaknow!

PB

[CoffeeCat]

7. So we're all engaging in "risky behavior"...

...and we're putting our lives on the line when drink milk or eat a spinach salad?

I, for one, would like to know these things.

I think that is information that most Americans would appreciate having.

The "unreality" comes from our government--that is not warning us or giving us solid information--because
they're too busy protecting the corporate bosses' profits.

Think about that--we're consuming radioactive materials without any warning--because of greed and profit.

And they don't care if we die. Or if our children die. If they make more money--that's just the price
of doing business.

[slackmaster]

4. Perhaps our government doesn't regard the extra traces of I-131 as risky

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/iodine/

[ixion]

5. "Where is our government on this? " Why, in the pocket of the nuclear lobby, of course

where they've always been.

[CoffeeCat]

8. We have to start demanding answers...

...and accountability. Make some noise.

This cannot stand--that all of Europe is told how to decrease their odds of death and cancer.

But the citizens of the United States are told NOTHING.

This really is an act of terrorism against the American people, in my opinion.

[BadgerKid]

6. The growing season has just started.

The food chain will be affected.
Maybe it's time for a run on the grocery stores.

[CoffeeCat]

9. The radioactive fallout from Fukushima...

...has been falling in rainwater and contaminating crops for more than a month now.

It's most likely all ready in the food and in milk.

Cesium and radioactive iodine-131 have been found in milk--in several areas of the
United States--including Arizona, California and Vermont. And radioactive particles
continue to spew from Fukushima. There is no end in sight to this, as of yet.

We can only assume that more radioactive particles will continue to fall and accumulate
in higher concentrations.

Maybe we can bring our Geiger counters to the store with us?

[BadgerKid]

16. True...

...which I have read about on DU.

The point I had in mind was how corn and soybeans figure heavily into our food supply. The fallout will get more concentrated the higher up you go in the food chain. Perhaps vegetarians etc. might end up less affected as far as food intake, but it's evident the isotopes are/will go global.

[CoffeeCat]

21. What's also interesting...

...is that if the radioactive isotopes continue to fall and accumulate--that organic beef and
chicken will be less safe than less-fortunate animals who are fed hormones and squished inside
barns and coops in factory farms.

Beef from cows that are allowed to graze on grass (which will be contaminated by radioactive isotopes in the
rainwater and also from general fallout) will be more dangerous that beef that is from cows that have been
inside a barn, eating corn and hormones.

Same with chickens. Free-range chickens that are outside and eating grass will be much more risky than
chickens who are cooped up in horrible conditions and never see sunlight.

Strange turn of events...

[donf]

10. I'm curious . . .

Does anyone know what kind of fallout levels we were living with in the 1960's due to all of the nuclear testing going on in the western states? It seems to me that the government was being pretty cavalier with exploding nuclear bombs (sometimes above ground) which were bound to produce radioactive fallout. Then, as now, the prevailing winds blow west to east, so would we not have had a similar, and possibly worse, situation regarding fallout than we have now? I am definitely NOT an apologist for nuclear power, I just want some perspective about how worried we should be.

Thanks in advance for any answers!

[madrchsod]

18. here ya go....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine-131

and this is what you asked for

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/iodine/

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. A Super Nation which has fallen off its lofty perch, we are.

[kenny blankenship]

13. It's going to "skip" North America and fall on Europe

Like an AM radio signal that bounces off the ionosphere, can't be detected below, and is mysteriously picked up again somewhere beyond the curvature of the Earth.

[uppityperson]

14. Notice this is a private research group, NOT any Euro Governments. Why are NO Euro gvts warning of

this? IF this is that big of a threat, why are no Euro gvts doing any warning? Why just this group>

[eowyn_of_rohan]

19. k&R

[think]

20. For independent monitoring of radiation in the US

http://RadiationNetwork.com has a map. Under the map is a key and explanation as to how to read the map

[raouldukelives]

24. It might be bad for the stock market

All that matters is the market. The Gulf is safe, nukes are nice and water tastes better with chemicals. Don't even think of trying to tax us or make us admit fault when your bodies break down. Oh, and have a nice life.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[CoffeeCat]

27. I am not anti-nuclear power---you are very misguided and...

...your post packs a wollup of hysteria.

First off, I am not anti-nuclear power. Nor have I ever been. I have never
objected to nuclear power. If you must know--I'm about dealing with the
consequences of this situation and wanting to keep my children and family safe. I'm
a stay-at-home mom who is just concerned about my kids and their health.

We've got radioactive isotopes streaming over here from Japan, or hadn't you noticed?

Your underlying suppositions about me being anti-nuke are unfounded, bizarre and
completely wrong. If I was concerned about a swimming pool that had a poisonous
amount of chlorine in it--and I tried to find remedies to exposure--would that mean that
I am against swimming pools?

Please. Calm yourself down. You're inventing realities that don't exist.

Yes, it's true--the French government never issued a warning. I NEVER suggested that
the French government did. That's an obvious fact. Look at my post headline:

"No warnings in US for radioactive fallout--but Europe is warned!"

Europe WAS warned. The US WASN'T. That's what I said. Those are the facts. I never
"lied" in my headline--as you said. I think switching to decaf is in your best interests.

In the body of my post, I did ask where our government was. Our radioactive iodine-131 levels
are several times greater than those found in France. Given those high levels, it's
reasonable to expect that our leaders step forward and explain all of this and issue
warnings, if needed. Furthermore, there are plenty of scientists, researchers and
scientific bodies, in the US, similar to France's CRIIRAD. Where are they? Why aren't they speaking
to the American people--if our radioactive iodine-131 levels surpass the levels of countries
in which experts are issuing warnings?

Please. I'm all ears. Can you answer?

Those are reasonable questions. You're the only person who has a problem with these questions, plus
you have an extreme affinity for lying and exaggerating and accusing others of fabricated
viewpoints--to tear down discussion.

Someone who attempts to have a chilling effect on questioning where our government is during a
time of crisis--is far more dangerous than the ant-nuker cause, that appears to have caused you
to come unhinged at the seams.

[jeff47]

29. Anti-nuke or not, still FUD

We've got radioactive isotopes streaming over here from Japan, or hadn't you noticed?

Until you can answer the question "How much", you have nothing upon which to take action.

We've got radioactive isotopes in our granite countertops. Do we need to ban them to protect your kids and their health? Well, again, the question becomes "how much".

The answer to both, btw, is not much. That's why there are no government warnings.

Btw, from the biological perspective, your kids are at less danger than you are. They're young. They're growing. They're all set to replace anything damaged by radiation - because it was going to be replaced anyway as they grow. You (and I) are not.

If I was concerned about a swimming pool that had a poisonous amount of chlorine in it--and I tried to find remedies to exposure--would that mean that I am against swimming pools?

If you start from the assumption that it has poisonous amounts of chlorine, despite having no data to back that up, yes.

Europe WAS warned. The US WASN'T. That's what I said. Those are the facts. I never
"lied" in my headline--as you said.

There are plenty of NGOs all over the world, including the one in France in this article, that have provided warnings of various sorts. Some of them are in the US. To claim Europe was somehow more warned than the US is the lie.

Our radioactive iodine-131 levels are several times greater than those found in France. Given those high levels,

And that's where your post falls apart.

What are the levels? Are they high levels? The article you quoted has no useful data to evaluate this assertion. And unless you've got some other source of data, you have no idea if they are high levels. I'm 8 times heavier than someone else. Does that make me 1,600-lbs, or does it mean I'm comparing myself to a 30-lb child?

Is there more I-131 from Japan in the US than Europe? Yes. Is it at a dangerous level? Well, currently nobody who provides any actual numbers says so.

Furthermore, there are plenty of scientists, researchers and scientific bodies, in the US, similar to France's CRIIRAD. Where are they? Why aren't they speaking to the American people--if our radioactive iodine-131 levels surpass the levels of countries in which experts are issuing warnings?

Well, so far the only place I've seen CRIIRAD's expertise sited is in their press releases. I actually have no idea who they are or what sort of expertise they have. Considering all the other experts are saying some variation of "keep an eye on it, but it's not dangerous yet.", I'm having trouble backing CRIIRAD's position. And the lack of data in their press release makes me doubt their position. But they sure got a lot of press!

Those are reasonable questions.

Only when you start from the position that everyone in the US, including anti-nuke scientists and activists, are hiding the danger from you.

[uppityperson]

28. Seriously, don't need to exaggerate it. NOT a Euro gvt warning at all.

And no, I don't think nukes are worth it simply because of keeping the used crap safe for long enough (sorry, my techno-jargon scientific words mind is slow today).

[Rex]

30. US govt plan for fallout - wait, pick up bodies, reopen wal-mart.

Go shopping. Pick up bodies. Back to work. Series, everything is AOKAY...why do you hate freedom so much!?!?!