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Thu, 2011-03-24 12:57 — mdmcdonald
The Environment and Public Health Working Group is focused on minimizing negative health impacts from the Tohoku earthquake and cascading effects.

The mission of the Environment and Public Health Working Group is to minimize negative health impacts from the Tohoku earthquake,tsunami, safety problems with Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant and cascading effects on Japanese society.

Working Group email address:  ***@***.***

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Members

Jason Jackson Kathy Gilbeaux Katie Rast mdmcdonald Patrick Young Yuki Karakawa
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Email address for group

environment-and-public-health@m.resiliencesystem.org

Map of Radiation Measurements - by Greenpeace Team

Fri, 2011-04-15 21:35 — Kathy Gilbeaux


View Map of Radiation Measurements by Greenpeace team in a larger map

USGS: Japan aftershocks could go on into 2012

Wed, 2011-04-13 09:32 — Katie Rast

Another earthquake rocked Japan on Monday, one of nearly 500 aftershocks that have hit the country in the month since a 9.0 magnitude quake and the tsunami it caused devastated many areas.

"When the stress exceeds the friction at that fault, you'll have an earthquake," seismologist Paul Earle said.

In the last 24 hours, the United States Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center in Golden has kept tabs on seven different 5.0 or stronger earthquakes in the area around Japan.

"We had a 6.6 this morning. That's enough to seriously shake things up," Earle said. "This is a very large earthquake, and that's why we're seeing this very robust aftershock sequence."

Just last week, there was a 7.1 quake. And it appears the aftershocks may not be letting up any time soon.

"This can go on for several more months," Earle said.

He says it can even go on into next year. While the aftershocks have not caused the damage the original earthquake did (13,000 dead, more than 13,000 missing), they make life in the area very difficult.

Read more...

High Radiation Levels Found Beyond 30-km Radius

Sat, 2011-04-09 20:56 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Asahi.com - April 9, 2011
A study of soil samples has revealed that as much as 400 times the normal levels of radiation could remain in communities beyond a 30-kilometer radius from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, where explosions spewed radioactive materials into the atmosphere.

The study was conducted by a team of experts from Kyoto University and Hiroshima University.

According to the study, the accumulated amount of radiation in the soil at Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture--which is located outside of the 30-km radius--calculated over a three-month period would exceed the annual accumulated amount of 20 millisieverts that the central government is considering as a guideline for evacuating residents.

The government has asked residents living within a 20-km radius of the Fukushima No. 1 plant to evacuate and those living between a 20- to 30-km radius to remain indoors as much as possible.

Government studies have also found evidence of radiation contamination beyond the 30-km radius. The results show that radiation has not been spreading from the nuclear power plant in a concentric manner.

Fukushima Isotope Data - by Global Dirt Assessment Team

Fri, 2011-04-08 02:23 — Kathy Gilbeaux

This data was taken by a Global DIRT assessment team within 2km (1.2 miles) of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. Data was collected using a Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation SAM 940 Defender / Revealer. The map below represents only readings which contained isotope levels (about 451 of the 1654 current readings). Be sure to check back as this page will be constantly updated.

http://www.globaldirt.org/map/ 

U.S. Sees Array of New Threats at Japan’s Nuclear Plant

Wed, 2011-04-06 22:50 — Kathy Gilbeaux

The New York Times - By JAMES GLANZ and WILLIAM J. BROAD - Published: April 5, 2011
United States government engineers sent to help with the crisis in Japan are warning that the troubled nuclear plant there is facing a wide array of fresh threats that could persist indefinitely, and that in some cases are expected to increase as a result of the very measures being taken to keep the plant stable, according to a confidential assessment prepared by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Radioactivity in Sea Up 7.5 Million Times - Marine Life Contamination Well Beyond Japan Feared

Wed, 2011-04-06 15:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

The Japan Times - by Kanako Takahara - April 5, 2011

Radioactive iodine-131 readings taken from seawater near the water intake of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's No. 2 reactor reached 7.5 million times the legal limit, Tokyo Electric Power Co. admitted Tuesday.

The sample that yielded the high reading was taken Saturday, before Tepco announced Monday it would start releasing radioactive water into the sea, and experts fear the contamination may spread well beyond Japan's shores to affect seafood overseas.

The unstoppable radioactive discharge into the Pacific has prompted experts to sound the alarm, as cesium, which has a much longer half-life than iodine, is expected to concentrate in the upper food chain.

According to Tepco, some 300,000 becquerels per sq. centimeter of radioactive iodine-131 was detected Saturday, while the amount of cesium-134 was 2 million times the maximum amount permitted and cesium-137 was 1.3 million times the amount allowable.

The amount of iodine-131 dropped to 79,000 becquerels per sq. centimeter Sunday but shot up again Monday to 200,000 becquerels, 5 million times the permissible amount.

Maps - Crowd-Sourced Realtime Radiation Monitoring

Sun, 2011-04-03 22:27 — Kathy Gilbeaux

There are now hundreds of radiation-related feeds from Japan on Pachube, monitoring conditions in realtime and underpinning more than half a dozen incredibly valuable applications built by people around the world. They combine 'official' data, 'unofficial' official data, and, most importantly to us, realtime networked geiger counter measurements contributed by concerned citizens.   Now we're even seeing some tracking radiation measurements of tap water.

Google Earth powered by Pachube.com

rdtn.org

Japan Geigermap


Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) - Higher Levels of Radioactive Iodine in Seawater Detected - March 26, 2011

Sat, 2011-03-26 16:48 — Kathy Gilbeaux

UPDATE AS OF 9:30 A.M. EDT, MARCH 26, 2011

Japanese scientists yesterday detected higher levels of radioactive iodine in seawater at water outlets near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

"Iodine 131 was detected at a level 1,250 times the national safety limit," Hidehiko Nishiyama of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said during a news conference. Officials said there is no immediate danger to residents near the plant from these levels.

Samples taken on Friday were significantly higher than those taken on Wednesday, which had 147 times the legal concentration of I-131. Authorities said the concentration of radioactive materials in the water will decrease as the water is diluted by ocean currents. Indeed, a sample taken at 8:50 a.m. on Friday had one-fifth the concentration of I-131 as the earlier measurement. Three subsequent measurements that morning showed fluctuation. All were below the highest level found at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.

Free (on-line) Training - Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response

Thu, 2011-03-24 14:43 — Patrick Young

This introductory level training addresses a range of environmental health topics commonly faced in response to emergency events. The training helps prepare practitioners with the skills and knowledge to effectively respond to environmental health issues. The training includes a combination of lecture, hands-on, and demonstration components. You will learn about emergency response aspects such as assessing shelter operations, food, water, wastewater, building environments, and vector control. The training is intended for environmental health, safety, or industrial hygiene professionals from federal, state, and local programs with the responsibility to perform one or a combination of the following functions in an emergency response:  food services / sanitation / vector control / drinking water / wastewater / institutional sanitation / safety inspections.

http://www.nehacert.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=28"

 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Thu, 2011-03-24 14:38 — Patrick Young

Excellent resource for environmental information regarding radiation

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/

Japanese Nuclear Emergency:  Radiation Monitoring - from the EPA

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/rert/radnet-sampling-data.html

RadNet Laboratory Analysis - from the EPA

http://opendata.socrata.com/Government/RadNet-Laboratory-Analysis/cf4r-dfwe

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