posted on Apr, 24 2012 @ 05:48 AM
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.