What can we do about it?
While we may not be able to affect what’s going on at Fukushima, we could certainly try to prevent such an accident from happening again. We need to express our concern and speak out to the President, who supports nuclear power, and Congress and insist that aging reactors be inspected regularly, upgraded for safety, and decommissioned when necessary. Letter writing works when you’ve got lots of constituents doing it.
This global-scale crisis happened from just one nuclear power plant. There are 104 nuclear reactors in operation in the U.S., with a number of them located in major earthquake and tsunami zones in heavily populated areas along the West Coast of the United States. God forbid something should happen close to home; we are in no way prepared to handle an accident of this magnitude. Heck, we couldn’t even get help to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in a timely manner, let alone evacuate all of southern California, for example.
We also should insist on increased, not scaled-back, testing for radiation in our air, water, soil and food. It is unconscionable that our public institutions established to safeguard food, health and the environment have neglected this responsibility. Food producers, too, need timely access to this information from federal, state and regulatory agencies.
What to do about food? As I make my livelihood in the food industry, it is difficult for me to say that pregnant women, breastfeeding moms, infants and children might want to avoid certain foods such as milk and broad-leaf vegetables that may present a higher risk of radiation exposure, and to check the source of their drinking water.
However, as an advocate of public health and the environment, that’s what I think needs to be said. I would refer readers to CRIIRAD‘s recommendations to certain vulnerable segments of the European population. I believe our food, water, health and environment have been terribly compromised by this global nuclear catastrophe, and I also think that, after poor Japan, which may have to evacuate large portions of its sovereign land, the U.S. is directly downwind and downstream, so to speak, from the Fukushima disaster.
What our family is doing this summer is buying more locally grown food. We live in Colorado and I’m hoping the Rocky Mountains will take some of the stuff out of the air. But I am concerned for my friends on the West Coast and Hawaii. And frankly, the whole country, hemisphere and world will continue to be exposed to the fallout emitted from one nuclear power plant located thousands of miles away. And my prayers go to Japan. The world is truly a small place.
In my lifetime, there has been Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and now Fukushima, which is quickly surpassing Chernobyl as one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters…and those are just the ones they’ve told us about. Basically, we have experienced a major nuclear accident about once every 20 years. That is not good odds, given that there are hundreds of reactors around the world. This type of incident could happen anywhere, whether it be from natural disaster or human error. With Fukushima in full meltdown, it is a very good time to speak out that nuclear power is not safe, and the cost is way too high.
Get the Facts: News and Resources
All the facts I have included in this commentary have come from the following sources. These are excellent resources, backed with scientific credibility, to inform you about what’s really going on at Fukushima and its impact on our environment and health.
• Energy News
One of the best, comprehensive sources of news and scientific information related to the Fukushima nuclear accident, with information on food, milk, soil and air.
• Fairewinds Associates
An excellent and informative series of no-nonsense news videos featuring nuclear energy expert Arnold Gundersen reporting on the accident.
• University of California Berkeley Department of Nuclear Engineering
Results from monitoring of Bay Area food, milk, air, water and soil.
• Russia Today
Russia’s English-speaking news source, with coverage of the Fukushima disaster from a Russian perspective.
• NHK World
International news service of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), with in-depth coverage in English.
• Greenpeace
Pestering Japanese authorities like it chases whaling ships, Greenpeace published on May 26 that it detected radiation in marine life around the Fukushima plant at levels above the maximum safety limit.
• Forbes.com
Columnist Jeff McMahon has been reporting extensively on the Fukushima accident.
• Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones
- Wall Street Journal is subscription based, however, Ameritrade provides a headline and news brief feed from Dow Jones Newswire.
- WSJ’s Japan Real Time nuclear coverage.
• New York Times
- Staff writer Matthew L. Wald has been covering the Fukushima crisis.
- Reporter Hiroki Tabuchi has also been covering the story.
- Writer Martin Fackler’s coverage of the Fukushima accident.
• Bloomberg.com
Extensive coverage from the business and financial news source.
• Compass Natural
Kelp and the Fallout Zone: Foods that help protect against radiation.
Like what you just read? Like us on Facebook for more updates!
More on nuclear power:
- No more nuclear power for Switzerland
- Germany also says nein to nuclear power
- After Fukushima, Japan says no more nukes
- Japan nuclear mess: They really have no idea
- Japan melts down, Europe backs off, but US says “Full speed ahead”
- After Japan quake, new questions about nuclear power
- After the Gulf Oil Disaster You Should be Asking: How Much Safer is the Nuclear Industry?
- TED Talk: Pro vs Con on Nuclear Energy
Steven Hoffman writes on issues in sustainable food and agriculture. He is Managing Partner of Compass Natural LLC, a full service marketing, communications and public relations agency serving natural, organic and sustainable businesses. He also is Co-owner of Best Organics, a leading provider of premium artisan organic gift box collections. He is Cofounder of the annual LOHAS Forum green business conference, former Director of The Organic Center, a leading scientific research organization, and former Editorial Director of the Natural Foods Merchandiser, a well-respected industry publication. Hoffman also served as Program Director for Natural Products Expo, the world’s largest natural and organic products trade expositions. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, Hoffman specialized in food and farming in Central America. He is a former director of the Philadelphia Urban Gardening Program, and he holds a M.S. in Agriculture from Penn State University. Visitwww.compassnatural.com, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042.
(Image 
Some rights reserved by simon.hucko)
This would be a good time to get up to date on the real extent of our problems, not the diluted versions. I suggest reading the article titled:
Atomic Energy: Human Insanity Knows No Limits
..and all of Billy Meier’s impeccably prophetically accurate scientific information.
Is it possible that the higher radiation in some areas of the US is from their own nuclear plants? In the short distance from Vancouver BC to Seattle the radiation is usually 3x as high in Seattle. Otherwise, it would seem that the radiation is respecting the border
Start adding to the bill that is to be sent to Japan
The Federal EPA and Obama declare GULF SHRIMP are safe to eat, NUCLEAR REACTORS are safe in the US., No danger from FUKUSHIMA FALLOUT AND Santa Claus has just left the NORTH POLE.
and twenty pink and purple spotty pigs have just flown past my window.
Mr. Harter makes his point, which is as clear as the one on Obamas’ head. Well said! M.C.
This technology will replace nuclear and coal
The US government has been working on this technology for over 10 years.
Please take 15 min and explore the links provided. Why the US media is reluctant to cover this is astounding.
Andrea Rossi has given three demonstrations so far including with professors from Bologna University and the Swedish skeptics society and the Chairman of the Swedish Physics Union. This is an directory of Rossi efforts http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Andrea_A._Rossi_Cold_Fusion_Generator. This is a link to the LENR site where detailed information about cold fusion efforts is available. http://www.lenr-canr.org/News... The US Naval Research lab has been working on this with positive results for over 10 years and has confirmed it existence. \
Rossi has announced a 1MW Cold Fusion facility to be opened in Greece this Oct. Still top line periodicals have yet to publish even one article. This will change the economics of the world lifting many people out of poverty and it will also threaten many vested interests.
http://pesn.com/2011/05/17/9501827_Ampenergo_Amps_Up_Rossis_Energy_Catalyzer_in_America/
“..Ampenergo was founded by Karl Norwood, Richard Noceti, Robert Gentile and Craig Cassarino. It is important to note that Robert Gentile was the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) during the early 1990′s. This helps confirm Rossi’s claim that tests of the E-Cat have been observed by the U.S. Department of Defense and the DOE. It is very likely that at least certain individuals in the DOD and DOE are aware and interested in the Energy Catalyzer. However, their silence is deafening.
A Chief NASA scientist, Dennis Bushnell has came out in support of Andrea Rossi’s E-Cat technology …
http://pesn.com/2011/05/31/9501837_Cold-Fusion_Number-1_Claims_NASA_Chief/
Dennis Bushnell is a Chief scientist at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. He is also an inventor, author, and has been a consultant to countless government and military agencies. A few of these include the DOD, Air Force, DARPA, and the NRC. To read a more complete summary of his background, a good review can be found here. Recently, he was interviewed during an EV World podcast.
Why isn’t this on mainstream news?
This writer doesn’t really seem to have done his homework. He says things that show that he doesn’t have much understanding of nuclear radiation, or science. For example “ingesting or inhaling long-lived, man-made radioactive particles over a long period of time in our water, dust, soil and food is very different than being exposed to electromagnetic radiation from a television or cosmic radiation from a plane ride.” Why did he not read the UC Berkeley page where they explain how and why they made the comparisons to plane flights? http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/2044#dosecompare
In general, this article uses science to make fear claims but then discounts the same science and scientists who say that there is no reason for fear in California from the accident in Japan.
One more time: If you inhale a radioactive particle, it sits in your lungs irradiating them for the rest of your life. Likewise radioactive iodine, which concentrates in your thyroid.
It’s the difference between cutting yourself shaving – which is no big deal – and SWALLOWING THE RAZOR BLADE.
Get it now?
Check out this Nuclear Energy Awareness Video:
http://www.vimeo.com/24580582
You guysm ust have read a different website than I did, because when I went to your source and read a few news bullets I found this:
“Please note that though all I-131 activities have increased due to this revision, the levels are still very low — one would have to consume at least 1,900 liters of milk to receive the same radiation dose as a cross-country airplane trip.”
I’m all for drinking less milk, but 1900 liters of milk?? that’s a lot of milk… I bet that doesn’t even include the dose from the body scanners you’ll walk through.
The problem with your theory is: YOU ARE NOT AN AVERAGE.
On average the milk is perfectly safe. But radiation is not evenly distributed across the landscape. It’s clumpy.
So, for instance, you could have a speed detector in Atlanta, and another one in Birmingham, that would tell you that the average auto speed was a perfectly safe 25 miles per hour.
This would NOT make it perfectly safe to take a stroll across the NASCAR track at Talladega.
SO, if you drink the glass of milk that is 20,000 times higher – a not unlikely scenario – you are LIKELY to die of thyroid cancer.
But go ahead, roll the dice if you want to. It’s your life.
I hope there will be a solution to the radiation so that the milk, fruit and vegetables won’t be affected. I wonder if Japan will take some necessary precaution so that it won’t harm more edible items in other countries.
Clean radiation from any water source
Our University of Alabama patented solar desalination product uses no electricity, has no filters to replace, can be taken anywhere and extracts pure water from any contaminated water source. It removes radiation, fluoride, salt, pesticides, bacteria, dirt and other contaminants from any water. It aids people to be prepared for disasters, saves hundreds on bottled water and utility bills. Made tough in the U.S.A.
Please visit us:
http://99ers.me
These units can also be placed together in arrays of literally any size, as needed, to accommodate a desert vegetable farm or remote area water needs, etc.
News Update:
Fukushima deadly hot particles hit U.S., Health right violation (video)
West Coast, Seattle, Boston hot spots: Cancer to dramatically increase yet public kept in dark
On Monday, it was confirmed that the major human right to health is being violated in the United States by the public not being advised that Fukushima hot particles contaminated the United States and that West Coast cancer are due to surge, based on scientific analysis by Scientist Marco Kaltofen of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) of radioactive isotopic releases from Fukushima who presented his findings at the American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting in Washington DC as reported by nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen.
“Mr. Kaltofen’s analysis confirms the detection of hot particles in the US and the extensive airborne and ground contamination in northern Japan due to the four nuclear power plant accidents at TEPCO’s Fukushima reactors,” according to nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen of Fairwinds.
All of the above people should understand that the Japanese radiation is going to go on forever, and we are all getting roughly twice the dose of radiation as before and it is never going to stop and includes all the most poisonous nuculear radiation they always say is the most poisonous. This is settling on all food and all land everywhere around the earth, everyday continuously because the meltdowns are still going down into the earth and going deeper and deeper every day and all this burning radiation waster smoke and steam is boiling out 24-7! Never stops!
That is how bad this is.
I was very depressed for our world when I saw what would happen in last march. I had carefully followed the other nuculear accidents because of family members who were workers in plants all around the country. Every plant is completely unique and has a history full of questions and huge power production all well mixed. Nuculear power generation is the most complicated business there is. Emanent scientists said in March that, “This goes Beyond Science!”
Please tell everyone to read this. We are all going to get way more radiation every day, from now on. Increased radiation is directly associated with increased cancer, in all statistics compiled so far. So first we will watch the Japanese people. Are they dieing? Not yet, but things look grim. I just read about the mutant vegitables.
Howard Johnson 301 627 2114.