Gov. Data: U.S. BOMBARDED With Fukushima Radiation 1,000 Times HIGHER Than Normal (Video)

Researchers have reported that the highest levels of radiation have been detected in North America since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March 2011.

President Obama declared that ‘climate change’ is the biggest danger the world faces, in light of the research that revealed that Fukushima is still leaking, the media’s silence is more than concerning. TEPCO is still struggling to contain the radioactive materials within their facility.

The Inquisitor reported that the radiation from the disaster has been carried by currents in the Pacific Ocean over the last four years and has now been detected in high concentrations off of the U.S. coast. Researchers say that the highest levels of the radioactive isotopes were found off the coast of San Francisco.

So exactly how “high” are the concentration levels of Fukushima nuclear waste in the Pacific Ocean?

The research suggests that the highest concentration closest to the United States coast was 1,600 miles from San Francisco and amounted to 11 Becquerel’s per cubic meter of seawater (about 264 gallons). The researchers claim that this is 50 percent higher than other samples collected along the West Coast, but that it is not a cause for immediate concern. The reading was noted as more than 500 times lower than U.S. government safety limits for drinking water. It was also noted as being well below limits of concern for direct exposure while swimming, boating, or other recreational activities.

Natural News  report that the the Government data shows that the U.S. is being bombarded with Fukushima radiation 1,000 times higher than normal.

In the months following the 2011 meltdowns at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, residents of Los Angeles were being exposed to levels of dangerous alpha radiation nearly 1,000 times above normal levels, a government study found.

The data came from a July 2012 presentation at the National Conference on Radiation Control. The presentation was given by Joji Ortego, Principal Radiation Protection Specialist for Los Angeles County Radiation Management.

Following the Fukushima meltdowns, Los Angeles county heard many concerns from residents about the potential health impacts of radiation crossing the Pacific Ocean from the disaster. So they commissioned a study of radiation levels in the area. The report notes that federal agencies delayed in providing information to the county, and that the state Radiologic Health Branch was unable to provide inspectors due to budget constraints. The state lab was unable to provide a reasonable turnaround time for sample analysis, so the county instead hired a local radiation monitor manufacturer for the analysis.

A man in radiation proof suits checks radiation level at Futaba town in 2015 – note the reading is in the red

Radiation levels exceed federal thresholds

Samples were taken between April 29 and May 2, 2011, approximately seven weeks after the radioactive releases from Fukushima. The county found that gross alpha radiation levels at a location in Los Angeles were 300 femtocuries per cubic meter (fCi/m3), and levels at a Hacienda Heights location were 200 fCi/m3.

For context, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reports the average (annual median) level of gross alpha activity for the state of California as just 0.38 fCi/m3 – that is, 790 times lower.

The levels detected in Los Angeles County were a full 100 times higher than the level that requires an investigation at a U.S. nuclear laboratory, according to the Environmental Monitoring Plan at Brookhaven National Laboratory: “If the gross alpha activity in the [air] filters is greater than 3 fCi/m3, then collect more samples in the vicinity, and project manager will review all detections above the limits … All values greater than the above-stated gross alpha/beta concentration shall trigger an investigation.”

Finally, the Los Angeles County levels were almost 15 times higher than the federal regulatory limit for alpha radiation, which is 21 fCi/m3, according to a 2010 document from Idaho National Laboratory.

Radiation map of the continental United States from December 2013, showing increased levels toward the western U.S., closer to Japan.

Even worse than it sounds

What do all these numbers mean for human and environmental health?

Alpha radiation is one of four major types of radiation emitted by radioactive atoms. It is also referred to as “alpha particles,” or a “Helium nucleus.” Other types of radiation are beta radiation, gamma radiation and neutrons.

Of alpha, beta and gamma radiation, alpha radiation is by far the most dangerous if found inside the human body. That’s because unlike beta or gamma radiation, alpha radiation is easily absorbed by cells, where it can cause serious damage, including to DNA. Alpha particles can enter the body if they contaminate food or water, or if they are breathed in – hence the concern among both nuclear laboratories and Los Angeles county about airborne levels of alpha radiation.

The alpha radiation detected from the Fukushima disaster most likely comes from plutonium 239, which is produced as a byproduct in many nuclear reactors. No alpha radiation, however, is emitted by cesium-137, which is probably the most prolific isotope emitted by Fukushima that is still circulating in the environment (iodine-131, also emitted in large quantities, has a very short half life and has probably mostly vanished from the environment by now).

But whereas the beta and gamma radiation emitted by radioactive cesium may not be as dangerous from within the body, it is actually far more dangerous if found outside the body – for example, in the contaminated water and soil around the Fukushima plant, or the contaminated water being dumped into the Pacific Ocean. That’s because beta and gamma radiation is far more able to penetrate the body’s external defenses, and tear apart cells and DNA as it passes through.

Photos:  Google