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Reactor radiation reaches Europe

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Proud Mary

Wed Mar 23 2011, 05:38PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Reactor radiation reaches Europe

AP
The Independent
Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Fallout from Japan's damaged nuclear plant is expected to reach Europe this week, but experts say the particles will be minuscule.

A plume from the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex carrying trace amounts of radioactive iodine has been detected in Iceland, the country's Radiation Safety Authority said.

However, it added, the concentration was "less than a millionth" of what was found in European countries in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster that spewed radiation over a large distance.

Recollections of the accident's aftermath continue to haunt many in European, putting them on edge as they watch the Japanese nuclear crisis unfold.

"We thus conclude that there is no reason to worry about radioactivity levels in Iceland, nor anywhere in Europe, resulting from the nuclear accident in Japan," said Sigurdur Emil Palsson, head of emergency planning.

Elsewhere, French authorities said very weakly contaminated air is expected to reach France today while Germany's Federal Office for Radiation Protection said if and when radiation arrived it would be in marginal amounts that would pose neither a risk to humans or the environment.

"The measurements will also be much lower that those after the Chernobyl disaster," it said.

Gerhard Wotawa, an expert at Austria's Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, said the amounts of radiation detected so far were a fraction of what people are normally exposed to, adding that doctors, pilots and others are often confronted with much higher concentrations.

For those close to the crippled Japanese plant, the situation very different - and could keep getting worse.

According to the Austrian institute, local weather conditions at the end of the week could bring more radioactivity inland instead of out into the Pacific.

Dinges

Fri Mar 25 2011, 09:38PM

Registered Member #2511 Joined: Mon Dec 07 2009, 02:46AM
Location:
Posts: 36

I agree, the amount of radiation from the Japanese incident is negligeable. However, it's the statements such as "it's only 1 millionth of the radiation of Chernobyl' " that I find much more worrisome. *NOW* they tell us, 25 years after the fact.... When back then all was supposedly fine over here (West-Europe), as long as you didn't eat spinach.

I like this chart from XKCD, to put things into perspective:

1301088918 2511 FT111384 Radiation Chart

Conundrum

Wed Mar 30 2011, 10:46PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4061

Seems that the sale of Geiger counters has gone up rather sharply according to online trends.

Sparkfun are totally sold out at the moment, as are others.
That said, I doubt the radiation will reach a level detectable by anything but the most sensitive instruments, to detect anything you would need to have an air sampling mechanism with a filter which concentrates airborne isotopes onto the surface facing the end window tube.

-A

plazmatron

Thu Mar 31 2011, 08:42PM

Registered Member #1134 Joined: Tue Nov 20 2007, 04:39PM
Location: Bonnie Scotland
Posts: 351

It was something ion the region of 1 ÂµBq per cubic metre of sampled air. In other words one iodine-131 decay was detected for every 1000 cubic metres of air sampled.

I am reliably informed that finding miniscule I-131 concentrations in air samples above cities is not unusual. It seems apparent that it escapes from hospitals and other installations with regularity, but the odd atom isn't really a heath concern.

A suitable scintillator, and PMT assembly hooked up to an MCA will easily show the 606keV gamma spike from I-131 decay.

Les

klugesmith

Thu Mar 31 2011, 09:53PM

Registered Member #2099 Joined: Wed Apr 29 2009, 12:22AM
Location: Los Altos, California
Posts: 1716

Conundrum wrote ...
...to detect anything you would need to have an air sampling mechanism with a filter which concentrates airborne isotopes onto the surface facing the end window tube.

Amateur Fukushima Daiichi plume enthusiasts in the western USA
have lately posted gamma-ray spectra from dust on a patio table,
evaporated rainwater, and clothes-dryer lint.

[edit] Les, I think you misremembered the I-131 energy. This reference agrees with Jon R's annotations at 364 and 637 keV.

After my cat was dosed with I-131 in 1996, his radioactivity declined with a half-life of 2 or 3 days, while his sequestered waste container increased in activity for the first week or so.

James

Thu Mar 31 2011, 11:01PM

Registered Member #3610 Joined: Thu Jan 13 2011, 03:29AM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 506

That's neat. People freak out but I would be fascinated if I could detect any radiation from the event. Obviously it's dwarfed by normal background levels.

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