Originally posted by Partygirl

I'm not going to try to prove I'm here, because its impossible.

Should be a piece of cake for a Mod to trace the IP back to its origin ..

Hey, what an interesting story! Sounds like quite the adventure, but it's such a shame the meltdowns had to occur in your paradise. I think some of the most important work you can do would be getting as much food as possible tested from a wide range of products. I would select food that Fukushima is known to produce and test those first, especially labels that indicate it isn't from Fukushima. The point being to catch companies that are illegally rebadging Fukushima produce as coming from other prefectures. On top of that, you would still have the indications of the types of isotopes and the extent of contamination in each sample. Aren't there centers in Tokyo where you can take samples to scintillation counters for free or cheap? That would give us a decent indication of what isotopes are in the food let alone how much radiation and the type. I would also think if you could interview doctors, especially pediatric, and try to find out about any diseases that have increased incidence after the meltdowns began.

I don't know what model dosimeter you have, but I'm going to assume it is like a Soeks. There really isn't a need for further evidence of hot spots in Tokyo. What I mean is that contaminated food should take precedence over hot spots, as you are ingesting it on purpose. Finding hot spots is still important, but the food is not just local it is shipped throughout the country and the world. If you come across areas above .2 uSv/hr, that would probably be worth reporting even if it was from such a device. Those results could be corroborated with other models that I am sure others have there and are willing to help you. If you can afford it, I would look into building your own optical scintillation counter and preferably buying one. There are many blueprints and guides online and you can actually build a pretty accurate device. It would at least allow you to test food and figure out what radionuclides are in it, if you can't use those machines I talked about before.

I think the most effective way to help would be to find out what diseases have increased since the meltdowns. If you can find those that are statistical anomalies and they are related to radiation, you could add more evidence to the already growing body. I am sure you could talk to doctors and nurses, again pref children's doctors, and find out if they have noticed any increases in certain diseases like acute childhood leukemia or heart attacks. Maybe, you could convince them to create studies examining the disease rates and the ages at which the different diseases occur.

The other would again be testing the food and water/drinks. You could just take 3 samples a week and after a few months you could have compiled a nice list. That is if you can use those public machines. I don't know the situation with pricing, if it's free or not. If the testing costs a substantial amount of money, then I would seriously consider building your own. You could easily test three samples a day then. Once you get some baselines and you calibrate the machine, it would be accurate enough to sound the alarm on contaminated food and drinks. You could then compile information concerning purchasing location and date, as well as the stated origins of the food and the manufacturer.

Besides that just be smart and be safe. I wouldn't be overly worried about external radiation so much as I would the contaminated food and water. I'm sure you know how pathetic the government and industry are concerning the testing of the food. Jesus, even if they did test all the food precisely, the limits are arbitrarily so high contaminated food would still pass anyway. Watch the pollen as well. That is often very high in concentrations of Cesium isotopes and I am sure there are many others that they don't usually test for. Keep the contamination you eat to an absolute minimum and you should be ok, at least until you are older and you will have forgotten about Fukushima anyway. Why do you think they always said, "No IMMEDIATE health problems." It's very subtle to catch, but the wording is on purpose. So, if you could figure out how to test the food and water/drinks and compile a list with relevant information, I think you will make your mark on this tragedy. I also think trying to convince doctors to author more studies on childhood disease rates, other ages of the population would be great too, would be an important step in getting the word out. At least, you could interview doctors and get their own personal experience with abnormal incidence rates. Thanks for your time and I hope you can do some of what I suggested. I feel they are more important than external dose rates, concerning lower than .2 or .4 uSv/hr dose rates. Be smart, be safe, and don't let ignorance harm you. I mean ignorance of contaminated food, pollen, ash, water, etc. - Ignorance of what isotopes you are inadvertently ingesting. That is no fear mongering by the way.

OK, just took some readings.

1) Outside, balcony, western Tokyo (exact location not stated to protect privacy). It's raining now. Reading: 0.15 uSv/h.

2) Indoors, same place, middle of the room: 0.18 u/Svh

3) Indoors, same place, held real close to running tap water: 0.11 u/Svh

I don't know...what do you think?

I have to get the accuracy of this thing verified somehow, too.

It's quarter after 8 pm here now. I'm still tired from jetlag, I'm going to try to get some sleep. This place is a dump, really run-down, I have a tiny littel closet for a room and a bunch of weird people Im living with. But I'm still happy to be here! I'll check this thread when I wake up tomorrow morning.

Your quite the brave one! I've always wanted to visit Japan (Takashi Amano's museum was no. 1 priority, he's a legend in aquatic flora sculpture circles) but the horrid events of recent have swayed my plans.

If you would not mind, please thank Silent Thunder from me personally. I hope he gets a chance to read this! But what he should know is that sometimes informative posts are all a large cluster of us need. The negativity of the net is just something that must be gratingly put up with. Read up on any product online, and most of the personal responses are negative, I guess its human nature to whinge when upset, but not bother when an item is perfectly usable. ST your words are always powerful, and I will do my part in apologising to you for not vocalising my appreciation toward you.

But there is always a person out there to whom your words may have a profound effect on their lives - don't despair!

What a wonderful adventure! My only request is to stay safe and have the time of your life in your new job and adventure. Pics are always enjoyed .Oh and maybe a little "man on the street" reporting about the average Joe in Tokyo's view on the North Korean actions of late!

One note though, stay in touch with your parents dammit. My daughter going one state over manages to scare me to death by not calling... dont give ya ma any more greys than she deserves.

Thank you for updating starting a thread to document your return to Japan. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable time while teaching English and discerning the truth.

We will return to Iwaki, Fukushima next week.

Welcome back partygirl....always enjoyed your posts.

2nd

I lived in Iwakuni near hiroshima for a year, there were alot of teacher positions and alot of americans who lived in Japan. Its not far fetched, its not as if she was stating that Hogwarts is real bahahahah she is lucky to see the beautiful land and people and strong and brave enough to go to a new place and learn something besides sitting behind a computer and looking at it through a looking glass...Yoku dekima#a