Radiation Concerns

I've been reading the news and apparently there is new evidence of leaking on Fukushima. I've no idea if it is relevant for people who won't go farther north then Nikko. Should I be worried?

Also, I was contemplating the idea of buiyng a Geiger Counter just t be safe, and found myself reading this review on amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1C9WC44E1QZBN/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&...

The custumer claims that on the flight to Narita Airport he measured up to 2.85 micro sv/h which is considerably high. Does anyone know of other people relating similar experiences?

I think that if you are concerned about the radiation, you should buy a Geiger counter and bring with you. It will help. You can travel anywhere unless you approach roped-off area close to the Fukusima nuclear powerplant.

But note that flying at 100,000 high is more dangerous since you will get higher exposure of cosmic radiation on an airplane.

I've been reading the news and apparently there is new evidence of leaking on Fukushima.

If I recall correctly, the "news" is just reconfirmation of what has already been observed.

I've no idea if it is relevant for people who won't go farther north then Nikko. Should I be worried?

No, not particularly, especially for land based travel.

Also, I was contemplating the idea of buiyng a Geiger Counter just t be safe,

It might be good for piece of mind, or then again maybe not. Note that there is a lot of quality variance among the consumer model counters. It is also important that it is used properly and consistently to get meaningful measurements.

The custumer claims that on the flight to Narita Airport he measured up to 2.85 micro sv/h which is considerably high. Does anyone know of other people relating similar experiences?

Yes, that is within the normal amount of radiation that your encounter on international flights. Also, that measurement is neither considered high, nor dangerous to your health.

Hi. It might be good idea to have a Geiger counter.
However, I don't think you should come to Japan if you concern spread of radiation. We can't move here, but you can decide by yourself whether or not you should go. If you come to Japan, everything what happen there is your own risk. But we Japanese and many foreigners are here in japan now and would be here even in future.
We welcome you anytime as long as you want to look real Japanese culture.
Thanks.

My wife put a moratorium on all Kanto made products so we don't eat apples here in Kyushu anymore.=( I think she is overly careful, but better safe than sorry, I guess.

All this talk of higher levels and such doesn't automatically mean you're going to get cancer. It may or may not increase your chances of getting cancer in the future by maybe one or two percent. Unless you eat meat from cows that have been pasturing in the immediate area around the reactor and you live within the exclusion zone, there is no immediate danger. Will there be a chance of increased levels over a long period? Yes. And I feel bad for residents around, as it compounds the chances.

As a tourist or someone on a short stay, I wouldn't worry about it. I would be more concerned about looking the wrong way when crossing the road and being hit by a vehicle that wouldn't be in that lane in your native country.

It's really up to you to use Geiger counters or not, but if you do, be sure you know how to use them and be sure you know your risks on using them. I notice there are too many people who buy them without enough knowledge and end up freaking out for nothing.

I've used them a couple of times, and for example, there are moments when the counter shows very high numbers and start beeping (depending on the setup). But that could be because the counter was responding to noises and not radioactivity.

Also, people get the wrong idea that there is zero radioactivity in an ordinary environment. That is not the case at all. And the level differs greatly depending on the condition. In an aircraft you get more radioactivity level then you would on the ground.

To measure correctly with all these and other things in mind, you need to cover your counter with a plastic bag or something and let it not touch anything while you hold them up for several seconds or even minutes while measuring the average.

The other thing is that, for some people, once you start measuring you can't stop. Sooner or later you start worrying about your counter than the environment itself, and you may not be able to relax.

For these reasons, I rented the counters instead of buying them. That way, I was able to phone the lender any time I had a question about the level, and I was able to return it and forget about it once I've measured everything I wanted to. Besides the rented once are maintained by professionals.

By the way, whenever a dangerous amount of radioactivity is found, the area will become off-limits, so you can't really "accidentally" step into dangerous ground. Also, there were cases in which people were living with high radioactive objects for decades without knowing it, and yet they are still very healthy. Radioactivity doesn't automatically lead to sickness or death.

Thank you all for you replies.

I'm aware of most of the dificulties on the quality and operation of a Geiger Counter, and realize that is not something we could use all the time (it would ruin the vacations!), but that type of sensor is something my husband had wanted to use for ages, so the trip to japan is really just the excuse he has benn waiting for.

I liked the idea of renting one very much, though, is that a common service in japan? can anyone give me a reference on price/place to get one?


Yes, that is within the normal amount of radiation that your encounter on international flights. Also, that measurement is neither considered high, nor dangerous to your health.

yllwsmrf, can you give me a reference for that? I understand that a 2.85 micro sv/h read is not in itself too high, but multiplied by 9 hours of flight it could be some big quantity of radiation to be exposed to in so short a period.

Well, think of commercial pilots and the flight crews. Have there been any reports of increased cancer in those professions? They fly at 35,000 feet more than any one of us, and I have yet to really hear any news about any increase in cancer from them. Then again, the radiation they receive may be from a different isotope than those of a nuclear power plant. So that's something to ponder as well....

CecilSoares,

Yes, renting Geiger counters have become very common ever since 3.11, and I forgot to say that in the beginning when these things were extremely expensive to buy, rentals were very affordable.

Probably, the downside for tourists is that you need to reserve them beforehand and have it sent to an address, and that the explanations, including the manuals may be available only in Japanese.

On the other hand, if you are a resident here in Japan, you will notice that a lot of municipals rent these things free of charge for its citizens. They weren't available for a very long time after 3.11, but nowadays a lot of wards seem to have free rental services.

You might want to check with your home town (away from Japan) if they have such services. You never know. Or in other words, many Japanese don't know that rentals are so accessible.

I'm not so sure how that geiger counter will help at the moment you find out that the radiation levels are too high? Then what? Scream and run? Wandering around with a counter Ghostbuster style is somewhat foolish IMO.

Better safe than sorry? you can always choose to stay away north of Tokyo. Then again, you never know the origins of the food they serve at restaurants.

I wouldn't recommend avoiding north from Tokyo to anyone. The tourist industry is already suffering there enough without sweeping advice to avoid the whole area. The harmful area is just a small piece of Tohoku.

More than worrying about the area, I think it is more rational to try be informed about the food sources. Personally the test they do to check to food are not good enough. But then again there has been reports of mixing the rice and other food from Fukushima with food from other regions, and labeling it with the "safe" location.

In the end the intake might not be at dangerous levels either way.

yllwsmrf, can you give me a reference for that?

Sure, they usually give a flight in total dosage (since dosage varies based on latitude and altitude) but if you do the quick math it seems that around 4 micro sv/h is the around the typical exposure. 2.85 is indeed low.

http://www.arpansa.gov.au/radiationprotection/factsheets/is_cosmic.cfm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/557340.stm

I understand that a 2.85 micro sv/h read is not in itself too high, but multiplied by 9 hours of flight it could be some big quantity of radiation to be exposed to in so short a period.

Rather than some unquantifiably large amount of radiation, its a very measurable 25.65 micro sv for the one way trip. But again, that's on the low side of the scale. Expect more like 75 micro sv for the complete roundtrip (or about 7.5% of your yearly exposure limit).