11/23/2013 Fukushima Nuclear Fallout Has Damaged the Thyroids of California Babies

Source: Global Research, The Ecologist
Date: 11/23/2013
by: Dr. Chris Busby

Photo Credit: Global Research

 A new study of the effects of tiny quantities of radioactive fallout from Fukushima on the health of babies born in California shows a significant excess of hypothyroidism caused by the radioactive contamination travelling 5,000 miles across the Pacific. The article will be published next week in the peer-reviewed journal Open Journal of Pediatrics.

Congenital hypothyroidism is a rare but serious condition normally affecting about one child in 2,000, and one that demands clinical intervention – the growth of children suffering from the condition is affected if they are left untreated. All babies born in California are monitored at birth for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels in blood, since high levels indicate hypothyroidism.
Joe Mangano and Janette Sherman of the Radiation and Public Health Project in New York, and Christopher Busby, guest researcher at Jacobs University, Bremen, examined congenital hypothyroidism (CH) rates in newborns using data obtained from the State of California over the period of the Fukushima explosions.

Their results are published in their paper Changes in confirmed plus borderline cases of congenital hypothyroidism in California as a function of environmental fallout from the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. The researchers compared data for babies exposed to radioactive Iodine-131 and born between March 17th and Dec 31st 2011 with unexposed babies born in 2011 before the exposures plus those born in 2012.
...
Read full article here.

There article on hypothyroidism in babies Elevated airborne beta levels in Pacific/West Coast US States and trends in hypothyroidism among newborns after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown is available online from Scientific Research: Open Access.  I have mirrored the paper for your convenience as well to Scribd below.

11/10/2013 What You Should Be Doing NOW to Protect Yourself from Radiation

Source:

Washington's Blog

[Editor's Note: Great financial blog with many insightful Fukushima articles as well.]
Date: 11/10/2013

Easy, Inexpensive Ways to Help Protect Your Family from Radiation

It is well-known that potassium iodide works to protect against damage from radioactive iodine by saturating our body (the thyroid gland, specifically) with harmless iodine, so that our bodies are unable to absorb radioactive iodine from nuclear accidents.
For example, the World Health Organization notes:

The thyroid gland is at particular risk from irradiation from radioactive iodine because the thyroid uses iodine to produce hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism.  The thyroid gland does not differentiate between non-radioactive and radioactive iodine.
***
When taken at the appropriate dosage and within the correct time interval around exposure to radioactive iodine, KI [i.e. potassium iodide] saturates the thyroid gland with stable (non-radioactive) iodine. As a result, radioactive iodine will not be taken up and stored by the thyroid gland.

2/2/2012 Shining the Light on the Triple Meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi

Source: Fairewinds Associates
Date: 2/5/2012
by: Arnie Gundersen


CCTV host Margaret Harrington interviews Maggie and Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds Energy Education Corp regarding the triple meltdown in March 2011 at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. There were ample warnings that both TEPCO and Japan's regulators ignored steps that would have prevented this tragedy. Throughout the world, nuclear oversight has been compromised by the revolving door and cozy relationship between the nuclear industry and the so-called nuclear regulators who promote nuclear power rather than regulate.

1/24/2012 New Material to Remove Radioactive Gas from Spent Nuclear Fuel

Source: Science Daily
Date: 1/24/2012

ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2012) — Research by a team of Sandia chemists could impact worldwide efforts to produce clean, safe nuclear energy and reduce radioactive waste.
...
Read full article here

11/17/2011 Radiation Mystery Solved? Budapest 'Probably' the Source

Source: ABC News
Date: 11/17/2011
by: LEE FERRAN and DRAGANA JOVANOVIC

Chain Bridge and Houses of Parliament in Budapest, Hungary, are seen in this elevated view. (Getty Images)

Nuclear officials said today they believe they have traced the source of a massive, but harmless, radiation plume that has spread across the atmosphere in Europe to an institute in Hungary, but the head of the institute disagrees.  

The Hungary Atomic Energy Authority said the Budapest-based Institute of Isotopes was "most probably" the source of the continued leak of trace amounts of Iodine-131 into the atmosphere, according to a statement by the International Atomic Energy Institute. Last week the IAEA first announced they received reports of trace iodine-131 detections from countries "across Europe," but had no idea from where the radiation was leaking. 

...

Read full article here

11/16/2011 Low-level radiation in Europe still a mystery: IAEA

Source: Reuters
Date: Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:38pm EST


(Reuters) - The source of low levels of radioactive iodine-131 detected in several European countries over the past few weeks is still unclear, the U.N. nuclear agency said on Wednesday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) first announced on Friday that traces had been detected in Europe, after it was tipped off by authorities in the Czech Republic.
...
Read full article here

11/15/2011 Radiation Spreads to France

Source: Washington's Blog
Date: 11/15/2011

France Hit with Radiation


I reported yesterday that a blanket of radioactive iodine – indicating a new nuclear release – has hit Germany, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
Today, Agence France Presse reports that it has hit France as well:

France´s nuclear watchdog on Tuesday said it had detected traces of radioactive iodine in the air last week ….
Concentrations of iodine 131 measuring a few microbecquerels per cubic metre were detected last week at four monitoring stations in northern and eastern France, the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) said.
“Although the presence of iodine 131 over national territory is quite exceptional… the level of concentrations that have been observed are of no risk for public health,” it said in a press release.
“The source and date of the radioactive emissions which caused this pollution are currently unknown,” the IRSN said.
Iodine is a very short-lived isotope that decays to half of its radioactivity in only eight days.

As I noted yesterday, mainstream authorities are saying – without proof – that it can’t be from Fukushima.

11/11/2011 Radiation Levels Up in Europe, Depleted Uranium & More: Infowars Nightly News

Source: Infowars Nightly News
Date: 11/11/2011 (Veterans Day)
by: Alex Jones


See also:

1. United Nations Agency Downplays Increased Radiation in Europe  
2. Riddle of the radiation sweeping across Europe: UN nuclear agency mystified by soaring levels 
3. Why World War III: Destroy The Global Economy, Create A Greater Israel, And Establish A Global Authoritarian Government
4.  Japanese Debris to Start Hitting Western U.S. and Canada THIS WEEK 
5. Iran will be able to build nuclear bomb within months, IAEA says 
6. Ahmadinejad: IAEA chief is a tool for the US 
7. Israel may launch strike on Iran as soon as next month to prevent development of nuclear weapons

10/27/2011 Nuclear pollution of sea from Fukushima was world's biggest

Source: AFP (Agence France-Presse)
Date: October 27, 2011 6:05 AM

The IRSN cites deep-water fish, fish at the top of the marine food chain and molluscs and other filtrating organisms as "the species that are the most sensitive" to caesium pollution. 

Photograph by: REUTERS/Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force/Handout, xx

 

PARIS - France's nuclear monitor said on Thursday that the amount of caesium 137 that leaked into the Pacific from the Fukushima disaster was the greatest single nuclear contamination of the sea ever seen.
...
Read full article here

4/29/2011 True Stories by An Ex-TEPCO Nuclear Designer "TEPCO Is A Terrible Company"

Source: tokybrowntabby
Date: Video dated 4/29/2011 uploaded 10/6/2011

Please click on "cc" to show English subtitles. Mr. Toshio Kimura is a former nuclear designer at TEPCO. He used to work at Fukushima-1 Nuclear Power Plant. When the earthquake/tsunami hit, he was living 15km west of the plant, operating his own business of solar power generation, surfing on his free time. After the explosion of Unit 1 reactor, he and his family evacuated to Kochi Prefecture, where they live now.

Mr. Kimura has given talks at various anti-nuclear rallies around the country. This video is one of his talks at the rally held in Kochi Prefecture on April 29, 2011.

*********************************************************
The rest of his talk goes like this:
*********************************************************
As to the situation of the plant, 70% of the fuel in Unit 1 have melted. I haven't looked at the most recent data, but the reactor pressure is increasing, the radiation dose inside the containment vessel is increasing, and iodine-131 is not decreasing. It has started to decrease a bit recently, though. All this means is there definitely has been re-criticality until recently. Because, as you know, the half life of iodine-131 is only 8 days. And yet, after more than a month from the accident, we still see an increase in the level of iodine-131. That itself proves there has been re-criticality, because otherwise iodine shouldn't have been produced. A neutron hits the atom of uranium-235, the atom splits, and iodine-131 is produced. That's how the nuclear fission occurs. And through the mechanism that can be explained by Einstein's theory of relativity, heat is produced. The heat boils water to create steam, and the steam spins the turbin. The turbines are connected in series and drive the electrical generator to produce electricity. This is the mechanism of electricity generation.

Iodine-131 is not produced unless neutrons cause nuclear fission. That's why I'm saying there has been re-criticality. Nuclear Safety Commission won't admit it. TEPCO won't admit it. The government won't admit it. But really there has been re-criticality until very recently. This is the fact. Any professional with the knowledge of physics of nuclear reactor can tell. This re-criticality issue is one of the things they are hiding from you.

Another lie is that 0.24 microsievert/h is safe. This is wrong.

These are the things I wanted to tell you today. Here in Kochi, you don't have to worry too much because Kochi is quite far from Fukushima. But please look at the radiation dispersion forecast by the German Weather Service. If you notice the north-east wind is blowing throughout Japan, don't ever let children get wet in the rain. And women who want to have children in the future. Don't let them go outside on such days. We, middle-aged men are okay, including me.

It's because cesium-137 is dangerous. Its half life is 30 years. It's dangerous because it tends to accumulate in muscles. Men have relatively more muscle. Even if cesium-137 gets absorbed inside their bodies, it spreads thinly throughout their muscles. On the other hand, women don't have much muscle, and the absorbed cesium tends to concentrate in the organs like mammary gland and uterus. It may increase the incidence of breast cancer. But this is something you can prevent if you have the knowledge. If you have to go outside on such days, please wet the gauze inside the mask first and put on the mask before you go out.

Also, you have to be careful with iodine, too, while it is still released. Iodine accumulates in seaweed and it is easily absorbed from your hair. So, one way to prevent iodine absorption is to put on a hat so that your hair won't get wet from the rain.

You haven't heard about such things, have you? Nobody tells you that. The government doesn't tell, either. But I wanted to let you know. That's why I came here today.

I don't want to talk too long, but one last thing.

I hear some wise old men protected a very beautiful fountain located within the radius of 30km from Chernobyl plant. How they protected it is mysterious. I studied nuclear energy intensively and I studied physics to some extent. But still I believe in an invisible power. Those wise old men didn't evacuate after the accident. How did they protect the fountain? By prayer. I'm not sure how many of you believe in the power of prayer. But if you can believe in it, even if just a little, then please pray in the morning that the Fukushima-1 nuke plant may rest in peace. And remember, we've benefited from radioactivity because it produces electricity. So, please pray that the radiation will be neutralized and vanished by our sense of gratitude and our love. I hope we'll pull together and pass that prayer over to the next generation.

That's all I had to say. Thank you.

*********************************************************
Translation and captioning by tokyobrowntabby.

8/22/2011 Tokyo Soil Cesium Radiation Nearly Twice Chernobyl Dead Zone Limit – 919,100 Bq/Sq Meter Detected

Source: Alexander Higgins Blog
Date: August 22, 2011 at 3:35 pm

Radiation soil tests from 150 sites in the Tokyo metropolitan area finds Cesium radiation up to levels limits nearly twice the Chernobyl dead zone evacuation limit of 500,000 Bq/Sq meter.
...
Read full article here

8/19/2011 Thyroid Radiation Exposure Found in Children Near Tepco Plant

Source: Bloomberg
Date: Aug 19, 2011 4:49 AM CT 
by: Chisaki Watanabe

Medical tests on children living in three towns near the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant found 45 percent of those surveyed suffered low-level thyroid radiation exposure, Japan’s government said in a statement.

While the statement didn’t comment on the source of the contamination, the announcement follows reports of radioactive material found in food after radiation leaks from the meltdown of three reactors at the Tokyo Electric Power Co. plant.


The tests covered 1,080 children aged up to 15 in three towns, Iwaki, Kawamata and Iitate, between 38 to 47 kilometers from the reactors. The tests between March 24 and 30 showed none of the children’s thyroid glands exceeded the safety threshold of 0.2 microsievert per hour set by the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan, according to the Aug. 17 statement.

At least one child had 0.1 microsievert per hour, the highest level observed, while more than half of those exposed absorbed 0.01 microsievert per hour, the statement said. Children are susceptible to poisoning from radioactive iodine, which can accumulate in the thyroid and cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization.

On June 6, Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the reactor meltdowns at the plant released about 770,000 tera becquerels of radioactive material into the air between March 11 and March 16, doubling an earlier estimate.

Chernobyl

That’s about 14 percent of the radiation emitted in the Chernobyl disaster in modern-day Ukraine. About 2 million people in Ukraine are under permanent medical monitoring 25 years after the accident, according to the nation’s embassy in Tokyo.
A becquerel represents one radioactive decay per second, which involves the release of atomic energy that can damage human cells and DNA, with prolonged exposure causing leukemia and other forms of cancer, according to the World Nuclear Association.

While 203 people were hospitalized and 31 died after the explosion at Chernobyl, about 400,000 children are considered to have received significant doses of radiation to their thyroid that merit monitoring, the embassy said.
Cases of thyroid cancer in Belarus, which neighbors Ukraine, increased for at least 10 years after 1986 in children younger than 14 and for almost 20 years among 20-24 year olds, according to research by Shunichi Yamashita of Nagasaki University, who was appointed as an adviser to Fukushima prefecture on radiation exposure.

Food Tests

Japan has no centralized system to check for radiation contamination of food, leaving local authorities and farmers conducting voluntary tests.
Products such as spinach, tea, milk, and fish have been found contaminated with cesium and iodine as far as 360 kilometers (224 miles) from the plant.
Adding to the concern, officials confirmed today rice from Hokota City, about 150 kilometers from Dai-Ichi, was found to contain low levels or cesium. It was the first confirmation of rice contamination since the March 11 accident.
To contact the reporters on this story: Chisaki Watanabe in Tokyo at cwatanabe5@bloomberg.net;
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Langan at plangan@bloomberg.net

8/10/2011 Radiation Deception Continues

Source: Dr. Sircus' Blog
Date: 8/10/2011

Plants are dying in the middle of central Tokyo and it could be because of the increase in radiation. One irony of the radioactive fallout from Fukushima is that people in Japan are starting to pay more attention to nature. The picture above was taken on the sidewalk of Hakusan Dori in Bunkyo-ku in Tokyo, and was uploaded on July 30. The air radiation in Bunkyo-ku has been higher than the official Tokyo number (measured in Shinjuku-ku, western central Tokyo), along with several other eastern “ku” (special wards of Tokyo). The person who took the picture says, “About 30% of azaleas on the sidewalk are completely dead. Ginkgo leaves are browning.”
...
Read full article here

8/11/2011 Japan's nuclear agency hides radiation results

Source: ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Date: August 11, 2011 19:10:43
by: North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy

Health specialists say the commission fears a negative public reaction to children's exposure to radiation from the crippled Fukushima plant.

Japan's nuclear watchdog has denied public access to the results of thyroid check-ups for more than 1,000 Fukushima children exposed to radiation.
...
Read full article here

8/8/8/2011 Breaking News: A Tokyo citizen turned out to be internally exposed

Source: Fukushima Diary
Date: 8/8/2011
by: Mochizuki

A man from Tokyo went to Hokkaido for sightseeing.
He had a whole body counter check to see if he’s taken radioactive particles into his body.

The result was “positive”.

Cesium137 ; 868bq
Cesium134 ; 6373bq

The doctor asked him if he went to Fukushima,he replied no.

He normally spent days in Tokyo.

Now it’s pretty rational to think most of the other people are equally dosed.

The doctor added,
There are too little sample of low dose symptoms,so even if you have cancer in the future,
maybe it’s hard to prove it has something to do with Fukushima.

This is how “our” government is going to abandon us.

We are the people ,of the government,by the government,for the government.

7/26/2011 Radiation turns up in all kinds of food products in Japan

Source: RT News
Date: 7/26/2011

After visiting the Fukushima nuclear plant and meeting with Japan's prime minister, the head of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, has promised to provide all necessary expertise to complete the second phase of containing the crisis by early next year. For more on what's happening in Japan RT's joined live from Hiroshima by nuclear energy expert Doctor Robert Jacobs.

7/26/2011 Japanese Scientists Push for More Radiation Tests to Assess Seafood Risks

Source: Bloomberg
Date: Jul 26, 2011 12:31 AM CT
Photo: Sea Radiation Tests May Miss Seafood Threat

Photographer: Toshiyuki Aizawa/Bloomberg

Women look at fresh fish in a supermarket in Tokyo. Japan’s government has to release more data from ocean radiation tests to accurately assess the contamination threat to seafood, according to a statement by the Oceanographic Society of Japan.

Japan’s government has to release more data from ocean radiation tests to accurately assess the contamination threat to seafood, according to a statement by the Oceanographic Society of Japan.
...
Read full article here

7/21/2011 Sick Children And Dying Pets Accompany New Iodine Radiation In Tokyo

Source: Alexander Higgins Blog
Date: July 21, 2011 at 3:34 am

The Latest Reports From Tokyo Include Detection Of Radioactive Iodine Along With Nosebleeds, Hair loss, Diarrhea, Sickness, and Death Of Pets, And Unexplained Illnesses in Children.

New official government lab results show new radioactive Iodine and Cesium in the Tokyo sewer systems.
...
Read full article here

6/28/2011 Treatment for Radiation Poisoning

Source: Washington's Blog
Date: Tuesday, June 28, 2011

You've heard that potassium iodide helps protect against some types of radiation.

In fact, it only protects against iodine 131 poisoning (and, if not needed, may cause severe adverse reactions in some individuals).

But there are actually different treatments for different types of radiation.

The following chart provided by the Food and Drug Administration summarizes the treatments for exposure to various radioactive elements (click chart for better image):


Prussian blue is taken to minimize damage from cesium. As FDA notes:

The FDA has determined that the 500 mg Prussian blue capsules, when manufactured under the conditions of an approved New Drug Application (NDA), can be found safe and effective for the treatment of known or suspected internal contamination with radioactive cesium, radioactive thallium, or non-radioactive thallium. This decision is based on a careful review of published literature articles containing reports, data, and experiences of people who were exposed to high levels of thallium or cesium-137 and were treated effectively with Prussian blue.

***
Prussian blue works using a mechanism known as ion exchange. Cesium or thallium that have been absorbed into the body are removed by the liver and passed into the intestine and are then re-absorbed into the body (entero-hepatic circulation). Prussian blue works by trapping thallium and cesium in the intestine, so that they can be passed out of the body in the stool rather than be re-absorbed. If persons are exposed to radioactive cesium, radioactive thallium, or non-radioactive thallium, taking Prussian blue may reduce the risk of death and major illness from radiation or poisoning.

And see this.

DTPA is taken to reduce damage from plutonium, as well as americium and curium. FDA reports:

The FDA has determined that Ca-DTPA and Zn-DTPA are safe and effective for treating internal contamination with plutonium, americium, or curium. The drugs increase the rate of elimination of these radioactive materials from the body.

Sodium bicarbonate plus diuretics (things which increase urine output) may reduce damage from uranium. FDA notes:

Uranium contamination has been treated with oral sodium bicarbonate, regulated to maintain an alkaline urine pH, and accompanied by diuretics. Oral sodium bicarbonate has not been approved in the United States for this indication.

Sodium bicarbonate is baking soda. While I have no idea whether it is true or not, many alternative people advocate bathing in baking soda after being exposed to uranium.

And see this.

Note: I am not a medical professional and this does not constitute medical or health advice. This is for general informational purposes only. Some or all of the above-described substances may have severe side effects or - if used improperly - may cause more damage than they prevent. Don't take any of these preventatively ... only if exposed to high levels of radiation. Consult your doctor before taking any of the above medicines.

6/25/2011 Radiation measured in the waters and air (Fukushima Plant)

Source: NHK Science and Culture
Date: 6/25/2011

Radiation measured in the waters and air near the No.1 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (Source: Tokyo Electric Power Co. TEPCO) 

MAP   http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/genpatsu-fukushima/houshasen/index2.html

【No.1 Plant : Radioactive substances detected in the waters　】

【A】 From samples collected 30 meters north of the outlets of the Unit 5-6 at 09:25 June 24.

Iodine 131:         ND       (--- times the limit)

Cesium 134: 0.023 Bq/cc (0.38 times the limit)

Cesium 137: 0.020 Bq/cc (0.22 times the limit)

【B】 From samples collected 330 meters south of the outlets of the Unit 1-4 at 09:10 June 24.

Iodine 131:         ND       (--- times the limit)

Cesium 134: 0.019 Bq/cc (0.32 times the limit)

Cesium 137: 0.025 Bq/cc (0.28 times the limit)

【No.2 Plant : Radioactive substances detected in the waters　】

【C】 From samples collected near the outlets of the Unit 3-4 at 08:30 June 24.      10km south of the No.1 Plant

Iodine 131:          ND         (--- times the limit)

Cesium 134:         ND         (--- times the limit)

Cesium 137:         ND         (--- times the limit)

【D】 From samples collected 7km south of the outlets of the Unit 1-2 at 08:00 June 24.        16km south of the No.1 Plant

Iodine 131:          ND       (--- times the limit)

Cesium 134:         ND       (--- times the limit)

Cesium 137:         ND       (--- times the limit)

the limit :   the limit set for water outside the environmental monitoring area

【No.1 Plant : Air dose  】

▼southern side of The main office: 500 meters north-west of the Unit 2 .

342  μSv/h       Time:09:00 June 25,2011    Winds: south-southeasterly 1.5 m/s

▼the Main Gate : 1,000 meters west of the Unit 2 .

27.8μSv/h      Time:09:00 June 25, 2011   Winds:south-southeasterly 1.5 m/s

There was no neutron dose detected.

In the event the seawater contains more than two nuclides, the density of each nuclide is scaled against its allowable limit. Thereafter the sum of the scaled densities of all nuclides is gauged against 1. 

Let's assume the scaled density of I-131 is 0.20 times the limit and that of Cs-134 is 0.70 times the limit and that of Cs-137 is 0.60 times the limit, for example. In this case, the sum of the scaled densities of I-131 and Cs-134 and Cs-137 becomes 1.50 times the limit. This means the radioactive material in the seawater exceeds the allowable limit.