We live in a cosmic sea of radiation...
What can a geiger counter teach us?
What hidden secrets can a geiger counter reveal?
How can a geiger counter protect us?
This article on NHK confirms Tokyo Electric Power’s assessment that all three reactors melted to various degrees fairly soon after the earthquake. Other reports from reputable sources say the cooling systems were damaged by the earthquake and that the tsunami only added to the problems that contributed to deterioration of the systems.
People are prone to compare events to get some idea of magnitude or significance. Fukushimi Daiichi certainly could have been worse, given the scope of the events that triggered it – earthquake and tsunami – and the breakdown of infrastructure associated with those events. People ask is it bigger than TMI? Yes, as a whole. But then if you were one of the minority affected by TMI it doesn’t make you feel any better. Is it worse than Chernobyl? Maybe, but we are still sorting through it. The fact that the spent fuel rods are on top of the reactors, and that three reactors melted down – without catastrophic release of more than has been released – gives reasons to be thankful that things are not worse than they are. Yet it is very troubling to see children playing on radioactive playgrounds, and people trying to live normal lives in neighborhoods where geiger counters buzz rather than click. A happy ending to this story is hard to imagine, but I find myself thinking if we can just get the children to safe places so they can enjoy normal lives without fear of later health problems, then we will have done what we can to protect our most precious resources – our children, our future. Then we can sleep at night and know we have done the right thing, no matter what it cost to do it. Of course there are consequences that are economic, political, cultural, societal, legal. But if we don’t do the right thing despite the costs, we aren’t living up to our full potential as a human society. Fukushima isn’t only a Japanese problem. The radioactive particles drifting in school yards also came from England, France, America, and other places. It’s not a time to place blame, but to work together to show how big, not small, we are as a world community. We are now an international society and we all share responsibility for these children. Let’s not forget them, please.
This blog is a work-in-progress to help address the situation in Japan and concerns about fallout. Here are some sources of radiation data:
These stations utilize probes incorporating “2 inch pancake gm tubes” which are sensitive to alpha, beta, gamma and x-radiation. Average background readings vary from 16 to 60 CPM (Counts per Minute), depending on altitude and natural soil composition. Horizontal scale shows time in hours. Vertical scale shows radiation level in CPM.
Ashland, Oregon – Online
Haiku, Hawaii – Temporarily Offline
Anchorage, Alaska – Temporarily Offline
Petaluma, California – Online
To view TARAnet data in its present form you must have JAVA installed on your computer, and you must have JAVA enabled in your browser. If you have trouble getting most recent data please clear cache restart your browser.
We are working to bring more live monitoring stations onto TARA Network. Stay tuned.
This network of instruments display data using GeigerGraph software from the company Mineralab. People who own compatible Geiger Counters can purchase the software and participate in the network. There are a lot of features in the software including the ability to view network data in detail even if you are not a radiation monitoring site.
Please keep in mind that we are not in control of quality on all of these stations. Increased radiation levels can sometimes be caused by people undergoing medical procedures, household items that are radioactive, and malfunctioning equipment. Higher levels at some stations can also be due to radon gas, altitude variations (higher at higher altitudes), mineral content of the soil, and other factors. Look for trends and watch wind patterns.