Ocean Radiation Health

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Dr.Ken Buessler, senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Director of the Center for Marine and Environmental Radioactivity, has launched a crowd funded project to assess ocean contamination from the Fukushima Daiichi event.  See information on this program here.

Safecast has compiled reports and assessments of impacts on the Pacific Ocean, and added some perspective here.

We are continuing to cover the Surferʻs Beach, Half Moon Bay analysis of radioactive sand.  We have determined it is not related to … Continue Reading →

Safecast Reports on Beach Radioactivity in Half Moon Bay

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Nonprofit Safecast is reporting that some beaches in California (and other places in the world) have natural sources of radiation from Thorium 232, Radium 226 and other NORM (Naturally Occurring Radiation Materials) sources.  See their report here.

Reports linking elevated radiation readings on a beach near Half Moon Bay have gone viral and frightened many people.  Analysis of the sand here.… Continue Reading →

Markers in the Nuclear Age

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We have entered an age where everything has changed except our way of thinking, according to Albert Einstein.  “Thus we drift towards unparalleled disaster,” he went on to say.   Is that true?   Or can we manage risks in this age, through thoughtful behavior, sound public policy, prevention, continuous improvement, international cooperation?

The Japanese people of times past left a gift for their descendants in the form of stone markers.

This marker says:  “High dwellings are the peace and harmony of … Continue Reading →

U.S. Involvement in Fukushima Daiichi Cleanup?

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U.S. Department of Energy Director Ernest Moniz toured Fukushima Daiichi on Nov. 1.  Secretary Moniz has extended an offer of U.S. help in the cleanup effort, especially with regard to water contamination issues.   A Bilateral Commission has been created to strengthen “strategic and practical engagement on civil nuclear R&D, Fukushima cleanup, emergency response, nuclear safety regulatory matters, and nuclear security and nonproliferation” and will meet next week in Washington, D.C.  Read Secretary Monizʻ statement at the Department of Energy website.… Continue Reading →

Japan Nuclear News

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The Editorial Board of NY Times threw its weight behind Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumiʻs call for a national debate on nuclear energy in Japan in this Editorial.

Reuters is reporting on precautions being taken by Tokyo Electric as Typhoon Wipha moves through Japan here.

Safecast, an independent non profit organization, has mapped over 10 million radiation data points in Japan since the Daiichi incident.   They have won a prestigious Good Design Award under the category of Service and … Continue Reading →

Japan, Fukushima, U.S. Policy, Questions and More Questions.

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They call me the “Questions Girl.”   I wish I could say I donʻt know why.  But it wouldnʻt be authentic of me.   I really care about the planet.   I am insatiably curious about why things happen.  My teachers tell me that is good as long as I know when to stop.   Iʻm still learning about that.

The NY Times has been giving a lot of coverage to Fukushima these days.  I like to read the Times every day when I … Continue Reading →

BBC Article asks “What Have We Learned from Fukushima”

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“People were just told to head north west……..but that was exactly the same direction the radiation cloud was moving. Some people were evacuated to an area where the radiation was even higher than here.”

Numerous reports were published by Three Mile Island Public Health Fund after the nuclear accident on March 28, 1979.  Recommendations were made on emergency management, improvements in off-site monitoring, communications, and more.

On April 26, 1986 Chernobyl  presented another opportunity to learn about managing a nuclear … Continue Reading →