Though the nuclear accident in Japan happened in what seems like a world away, radiation is showing up in more and more places in the US. No need to worry, we're told, the vast majority of it is within "acceptable levels."
I will note that the levels of radiation showing up in the US should spur us to exhibit greater compassion for what the Japanese populace is experiencing. Here we are thousands of miles away and we are detecting obvious levels of radiation. Just imagine what those within 100 miles must be dealing with! If you are one of the many who are a bit concerned, imagine the anxiety and uncertainty that many of our Japanese counterparts are confronting day-in and day-out.
As this nuclear tragedy continues to unfold, things are bound to grow worse before, or if, they get better.
Radiation from Japan has been detected in drinking water in 13 more American cities, and cesium-137 has been found in American milk — in Montpelier, Vermont — for the first time since the Japan nuclear disaster began, according to data released by the Environmental Protection Agency late Friday.You see, this is one of the critical problems with nuclear energy. When something goes wrong, it impacts people the world over. You could live in a nation that categorically rejects nuclear energy -- though the US certainly does NOT fall in this category -- and you would be victimized just as much as those who embrace nuclear power!
Milk samples from Phoenix and Los Angeles contained iodine-131 at levels roughly equal to the maximum contaminant level permitted by EPA, the data shows. The Phoenix sample contained 3.2 picoCuries per liter of iodine-131. The Los Angeles sample contained 2.9. The EPA maximum contaminant level is 3.0, but this is a conservative standard designed to minimize exposure over a lifetime, so EPA does not consider these levels to pose a health threat.
The cesium-137 found in milk in Vermont is the first cesium detected in milk since the Fukushima-Daichi nuclear accident occurred last month. The sample contained 1.9 picoCuries per liter of cesium-137, which falls under the same 3.0 standard...
I will note that the levels of radiation showing up in the US should spur us to exhibit greater compassion for what the Japanese populace is experiencing. Here we are thousands of miles away and we are detecting obvious levels of radiation. Just imagine what those within 100 miles must be dealing with! If you are one of the many who are a bit concerned, imagine the anxiety and uncertainty that many of our Japanese counterparts are confronting day-in and day-out.
As this nuclear tragedy continues to unfold, things are bound to grow worse before, or if, they get better.
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