"Radioactive Plume?" The Coast Is Clear

AP/Graphics Bank

My wife and two sons are flying to Los Angeles tomorrow but I'm not worried about the so-called "radioactive plume" coming from the crippled Japanese nuclear reactors. In fact, I hate the term "radioactive plume" - now appearing widely in the media - because it conjures up an image that is much scarier than the reality of the radiation danger to the West Coast.

Earlier today, as concerned residents in California and Washington awaited further news about the plume, the Associated Press reported that a diplomat with access to radiation tracking by the U.N.'s Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization said tiny amounts of radiation had reached California.

But as radiation expert Dr. Donald Bucklin told me today, these instruments "can measure miniscule changes in radiation" that have "absolutely no effect on human beings." In fact, according to the diplomat, initial readings were not dangerous in any way -- "about a billion times beneath levels that would be health threatening."

Despite reassurances from many different experts and agencies, fear - much more than radioactivity - was in the air: tweeted, emailed, and broadcast. A physician friend in L.A. emailed me that there was widespread panic among his patients and asked me to go on CBS radio - which I did - to try to provide a reality check. After consulting with experts on radiation and nuclear accidents over the past several days, here's why I'm not worried:

Complete coverage: Disaster in Japan

1) Chernobyl was a much worse accident yet no significant radiation reached the U.S.

CBS News nuclear safety consultant Cham Dallas, a PhD in toxicology who spent ten years studying the impact of the Chernobyl accident, told me that the radiation released at the Russian reactor was 100 times more than the combined radiation from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But only an insignificant "blip" of radiation reached Savannah, Georgia about 5400 miles away - about the same distance as Tokyo is to Los Angeles. And no health problems in the U.S. have been detected as a result of Chernobyl, which was a level 7 incident according to The International Atomic Energy Agency; the crisis in Japan is currently level 5.

2) Experts tell me the amount of radiation released from the Japanese nuclear reactors is not nearly enough to cause a problem in the U.S.

Radiation dose is measured in something called "millisieverts." Background dose due to natural radiation exposure varies from place to place but is about 3 millisieverts a year. Nuclear plant workers are limited to 20 millisieverts a year. One hundred millisieverts in one dose can increase the risk of cancer. One hundred to 500 millisieverts can cause bone marrow damage, leading to infection and death. A chest x-ray is 0.1 millisieverts.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced today that radiation levels in downtown Tokyo were at 0.000047 millisieverts an hour, barely higher than the 0.000035 millisieverts an hour that is typical. 

Cham Dallas told me today that - as it stands now - any cumulative radiation exposure to people on the West Coast as a result of the Japanese accident should be clinically insignificant, amounting to less than a tenth of a chest x-ray (0.01 millisieverts).

3) Direct measurements of radiation on the West Coast reveal no significant increase so far.

This afternoon, health officials in California and Washington said radiation is not higher than usual. Tonight, the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that no radiation levels of concern have reached the United States, saying: "The doses received by people per day from natural sources of radiation - such as rocks, bricks, the sun and other background sources - are 100,000 times the dose rates from the particles and gas detected in California or Washington State."

On the West Coast, pharmacies are being cleaned out of potassium iodide pills by people wanting to protect themselves from thyroid cancer caused by radioactive I-131. Today the CDC tweeted not to take potassium pills. Tonight I received an email from a patient in Los Angeles asking me if she should stockpile potassium iodide. The answer is a definitive "absolutely not." And under no conditions should anybody take iodide pills or other forms of iodine without being told to do so by a health professional; the side effects can be very serious.

Obviously, in Japan the situation is quite different from here in the United States. The leak of radioactivity may well have health effects on those workers who have been directly exposed at the plants. Experts will need to monitor the residents in other areas of Japan for signs of radiation-associated illness. And officials in Japan will be looking for evidence of radioactivity entering the food chain. In the United States, imported food is routinely checked for radioactivity.

As for my family, I will send them off to Los Angeles tomorrow with my usual reluctance. But I will not have a millisievert of fear about radioactivity.

Dr. Jonathan LaPook, M.D. is the medical correspondent for the CBS Evening News.

[HPguy]

Ok folks, calm down. Take a deep breath and relax. You are not going to die &.. at least not from radiation. Here are the facts;
Every year you are getting 250 to 350 milli-rem from 'background' radiation. That's on average. You could be getting more like 500 milli-rem depends on where you live. Think of it&.if you're 20 years old&.you have had what 7,000 to 10,000 milli-REM and if you're 40 &14,000 to 20,000 milli-REM and that is not counting medical/dental x-rays and medical isotopes. You are being irradiated by radioactive Uranium, Radium, Thorium and other 'naturally occurring isotopes' in the soil you stand on, the concrete foundation of your house, the cool looking granite counter tops, the mortar and brick etc. You are breathing radioactive radon gas (an Alpha particle emitter) that is oozing out of the ground and in the well water you drink and bathe in. Potassium 40 (a 'naturally occurring' radioactive isotope of potassium) is in all of the food you eat, especially those fresh organically grown fruits and veggies you love to eat. There is about 500 nCi (nano Curries) of radioactive potassium in each banana, but all living things have it in them. And as if that wasn't enough &. High energy particles of radiation are streaming down on everyone from space, the higher elevation you are, the more you get. This stuff is so high energy it splits atoms! All this radiation you get every year, every day&. just as your forefathers did&. and all life has since the beginning of this world. It is a fact of life. I am one of those 'experts' in this field with almost 30 years of experience with the biological effects of radiation on the human body. The fallout here in the US is literally a drop in the radioactive dose bucket. But I don't give a rip if you believe me or not. Google up the key words and educate yourself on the science. Or, have yourself a good panic. I don't care. I have no ax to grind, my job is secure and people with irrational fear of radiation only makes it more so. But please, don't cast dispersions on people and call them names till you do the research. HPguy

[HPguy]

oops I meant 500 pCi (pico Curies) for a banana, my bad. HPguy

[Dissillusioned]

On my preceding twelve or so commentators...yes, yes, and... yes!! I'm so happy everyone is using some of the millions of brain cells we've been given! THIS is something far more dangerous to our governments than radioactivity.

And remember who this writer is reporting for& a 'news' agency that used to truly report the news, but began to lean 'Right' during the last administration. And who did we see? Mr. Cheney, pushing again, for Nuclear energy. What!? We thought that the program had been dropped after our demonstrations in the streets&a massive reaction to 'Three Mile Island', 'Chernobyl', and the 'shake up' (whatever that was&) at the San Onofre plant, on the fault line in California.

In an attempt to show that we can keep up with Europe (really?), we now constantly hear 'green-washing' terms such as 'sustainable', 'eco-friendly', and a myriad of new terms being shoved at us, all of which, we are now shown, have no 'teeth'. But do we hear 'Wind Power', 'Cold Fusion', 'Solar Power' or any other of many alternative energy source terms? Of course not. I have to suppose that the 'big boys' have invested their money where it will 'sustain' their greed, and are busy lobbying for their 'cause'. So we are being fed ridiculous statements and articles like this one.

Not only this, but we now hear that nuclear power plants have somehow 'sprung up' everywhere in this country. I may have missed it ...but, did we know? This week, on the heels of the latest disasters in Japan, our so-called Nuclear Regulatory Commission had the nerve to state that we need 200 more plants in the U.S alone, and that they WILL go ahead with this plan whether we like it or not!
We don't.

There is so much more to be monitored here than just what my esteemed predecessors have so truthfully reported. For instance &watching the sources of cash, advertisers and supporters for information being given and/or for hidden agendas. It honestly indicates the motivation behind such deadly rhetoric. Somehow, though, the information-givers seem to forget that they, and their future generations will also be dealing with the consequences of their actions.

I am in Arizona& home of sun and natural solar. I have been waiting for the 'cloud' the size of the United States to arrive, and have been tracking the 'Westerlies' , which will give you a direction of the future path. Today it has arrived. We are unsure what it means, since nothing is being reported here& but we are being told not to 'worry &it's nothing'. I am taking the opposite tact, although there is little we can do about four known explosions that became obvious problems at nuclear plants in Japan. This cloud report is for only one& hmmmm.

On this date, I sincerely doubt that any of us are 'Green'., nor heading in any such direction. We may well have to take, once again, to the streets with a message to our governors and de-regulators, and vote with integrity (if we are still healthy and active.)

This writer-doctor is 'sending his children to California', indeed!

[rwsmith29456]

AT THIS POINT IN TIME, the author may be mostly right but this disaster won't be over for a long time even after they get the plants to a safe state. The problems caused by raising the background radiation level a small amount will be eclipsed if there is Plutonium fallout which IS a GREAT hazard if ingested. I believe it is considered to be the most toxic substance that there is. And yes, fallout is carried great distances by the wind. One thing I haven't heard mentioned is Strontium, which is a hazard by way of land contamination getting into the food supply.

[random_radar]

This guy is not an expert on radiation. His professed motivation is to calm the public. He would do this even if people were dying in the streets of radiation poisoning.

He claims UNNAMED EXPERTS have assured him no threat exists Why can't the anonymous experts put their names and reputations on the line? Because it is false.

He cites yet another anonymous political official saying that detected radiation is "about a billion times beneath levels that would be health threatening." Natural background radiation is higher than that, so this is a flat out lie.

So his family is traveling to California and doing nothing about radiation protection? You can bet he will get them out if it gets bad. What will you do? Suffer the consequences if you buy the propaganda.

Maybe it is not bad yet in America, but does that mean you should sit on your arse and do nothing? It is always worse than the government or corporations will admit, and they never admit anything bad until it is obvious. Optimists die from their blind faith. Pessimists prepare for the wost and survive.

Don't worry, be happy!

[Informed777]

I'm afraid it's a bit of a misinformed piece of writing. First of all, there is FURTHER radiation coming our way. I post this reliable site link where you can see updated information on where the radiation plume is going and the intensity of the radiation (its toxicity). It's NOT good news for a large section of the US AND CANADA:

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/news/fukushima?LANG=en&VAR=eurad2500&HH=0

[Informed777]

I'm afraid it's a bit of a misinformed piece of writing. First of all, there is FURTHER radiation coming our way. I post this reliable site link where you can see updated information on where the radiation plume is going and the intensity of the radiation (its toxicity). It's NOT good news for a large section of the US AND CANADA:

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/news/fukushima?LANG=en&VAR=eurad2500&HH=0

[uncaged]

"Childhood leukaemia in US may have risen due to fallout from Chernobyl." - That's the title of an article published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ. 1997 April 19; 314(7088): 1200). You can find it at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2126517/. According to the article, there were 30% more babies born with childhood leukemia in the United States than normal after that plume passed over the U.S.

I know it's inconceivable that our government would lie to us. For another good example of that, spend a few minutes looking into all the research that shows that water fluoridation is not only ineffective for preventing cavities, but that its cumulative effect causes numerous health risks, including brittle bones in the elderly, compromised immune systems, and cancer. I guess that the cost that the aluminum and fertilizer industries would incur in properly disposing of their toxic sodium fluoride (according to the EPA) are worth the lobbying and "concessions".

[jankdc]

While I agree that the increase of radiation is negligible, this article needs to be pulled. The authors first argument is that the distance from Chernobyl to Georgia is the same as the distance from Japan to the U.S., the author didn't consider the direction of the jet stream. The radiation from Chernobyl traveled across Europe, Asia, the Pacific ocean, and then the continental U.S. before hitting Savannah.

The second argument is that the radiation levels in Tokyo are low. Tokyo is upwind from the accident, we want the radation levels there to be low, because that means that it is blowing into the ocean.

While I agree the most with the third argument, we have to realize that this is the effects of the initial radiation leakages that have begun to hit California. The radiation from the explosions, and fuel rods that are exposed to the air will arrive this week.

I think it would be smart not to panic, and even if the radiation levels in California spike to 3 or 4 times the natural background radiation, it will still be less than the background radiation levels found in Denver Colorado.

Because of these fallacies, this article should be pulled. We need fact not spin.

Finally, a difference of opinion: While I agree that people should not be consuming 130mg potassium iodide pills because the side effects could be dangerous, 5-10 mg would be safe (if not beneficial) for most people. This is less than the amount of iodine consumed in a typical Japanese diet.

[greco99-2009]

by ped972 March 19, 2011 4:46 PM EDT
Comparing ER like an xray to this is nonsense. This type of radioactive particulate matter, if ingested (which is easy to do - hands, clothes, food) can take up residence in your body and bombard you CONTINUOUSLY with alpha/beta particles and gamma radiation, all of which can lead to cancer.

The above comment is absolutely correct. I find it shocking that the author of the above article has so little comprehension of the dynamics of radiation pollution. It has to be that he is lying.

[bingbong22]

just curious.....how does this "particulate matter" travel the distance to us? here is the US......over the distances we are talking this particulate matter WILL drop out. Not only is the weight difference greater in this Particulate (these are metals that you are talking about) but it also has a charged effect that makes it more likely to stick to heavier items.

Secondly alpha/beta is a type of radiation also, not particles and while you are correct in saying that they are capable of bombarding internally, if you get a plutonium particle inside of you......well you wont worry for long. i do however agree with one part of your post."I find it shocking that the author of the above article has so little comprehension of the dynamics of radiation pollution. It has to be that he is lying." but in this case I am referring to you.

[greco99-2009]

Of course, particles travel great distances. Much of the lead pollution on the west coast originates from coal plants in China.

Moreover many of these particles are pyrophoric - they ignite upon contact with air - that is why they must be submerged. While igniting and generating heat they will rise.

The alpha/beta readings are the results of the decay of a complex of nuclear pollutants, including larger particles.

There is some hope in that rain which occurred along the Pacific and near Japan has washed some of these particle out of the air.

[greco99-2009]

by ped972 March 19, 2011 4:46 PM EDT
Comparing ER like an xray to this is nonsense. This type of radioactive particulate matter, if ingested (which is easy to do - hands, clothes, food) can take up residence in your body and bombard you CONTINUOUSLY with alpha/beta particles and gamma radiation, all of which can lead to cancer.

The above comment is absolutely correct. I find it shocking that the author of the above article has so little comprehension of the dynamics of radiation pollution. It has to be that he is lying.