Health officials in California are attempting to brush off public
concern after a viral Youtube video showed a large increase in radiation
levels on a Coastside beach last week.
The video, which has
garnered nearly half a million views, shows radiation levels over five
times above the normal background level, prompting fears over the
ongoing Fukushima disaster.
Following public outcry, a state
investigation by health officials found similar levels while collecting
ground samples several days later. According to County Environmental
Health Director Dean Peterson, the public should not be concerned.
A
group from GeigerCounter.com claims to have analyzed and found elevated
levels of Radium 226 and Thorium 232 in the sand, two naturally
occurring radioactive substances reportedly not associated with
Fukushima.
Countless other issues plaguing the West Coast in
recent months, such as the ongoing "melting sea star" epidemic, have
raised increasing questions over the government's handling of the
disaster, or lack thereof.
TEPCO told press that the predominant
reason behind the sharp increase in radiation at the plant was X-rays
coming from storage tanks holding radioactive water that has been
leaking from the Fukushima facility.
The water in the tanks
contains traces of radioactive strontium along with other substances
that react with the materials the tank is composed of, producing X-rays,
said officials.
Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission with a half-life of 28.8 years.
As
we reported on Monday, after a viral video emerged showing a man
recording measurements of over 150 micro-REM per hour, 500 per cent
normal background radiation, on a beach south of Pillar Point Harbor,
San Mateo County officials confirmed the spike but said they were
"befuddled" as to the cause.
In a new development, El Granada
electrical engineer Steven Weiss, a 40 year veteran designer of Geiger
counters, took his own measurements and found hot spots that were
returning levels 14 times normal background radiation.
"There are
reports that a pipeline was once at this location and oil pipelines can
collect heavy radioactive minerals," said Dan Sythe, CEO for
International Medcom, which designs and manufactures Geiger Counters,
adding that babies and young children should be kept away from the
beach, "to make sure they don't inhale or eat the sand."
As
non-scientists, it remains difficult to ascertain the true threat posed
by the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. Opinion seems to be polarized, with
some saying it represents a dire threat to humanity while others, mainly
those in positions of authority, downplaying the issue as completely
harmless.
The EPA's horrendous role in lying to the American
people and tens of thousands of ground zero workers in the weeks after
9/11, telling them that asbestos-laden air was safe to breathe, has also
created an environment of distrust when it comes to public health
concerns. debris tsunami
One of the samples of the 37 black sea
bream specimens caught some 37 kilometers south of the crippled power
plant tested at 12,400 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium,
making it 124 times deadlier than the threshold considered safe for
human consumption, Japan's Fisheries Research Agency announced.
The
samples were caught at the mouth of the Niidagawa river in Iwaki,
Fukushima Prefecture, on November 17. Two other fish caught there also
tested non-safe for human consumption, showing radiations levels of 426
and 197 becquerels per kilogram. The rest of the fish were reportedly
within safety limits.
Black sea bream are currently restricted
from being fished in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures and sold for human
consumption, as scientists from the Fisheries Research Agency say they
plan to investigate the source of the contamination further.
Readings
taken from snow blanketing St. Louis, Missouri contains double the
normal radiation amount, once again stoking concerns that the ongoing
Fukushima crisis is now firmly impacting areas of America.
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