Per NHK, fire service have begun hosing reactor 3 again. Best wishes to them for success and their safety.
RT @milomilocher: @ayunews RT @syokojiro 知り合いの福島の方が、「被ばくで怖いのは、健康被害じゃなくて、差別」と仰っています。彼女は現在も福島にいます。どうか「自分は差別しない！」と胸を張って言って下さる方、RTを下さい。偽善 …
Some estimates of radiation exposure (2)
I have prepared a translation of the article mentioned in my previous post, with notes here and there.
To recap, the article is by a Chubu University professor and offers some thoughts on how you would calculate a safe level of radiation, not in momentary terms but if you’re staying where you are for the next month. I’ve noted this in the document itself, but bear in mind that he’s multiplying by 10 to factor in an infant or pregnant woman’s greater sensitivity, and by 10 again to factor in potentially higher radiation levels if more reactor damage were to occur. Upshot is, if you’re in Tokyo and all goes to hell, you might be looking at 2.5x the legal maximum dose, or 2.5 millisieverts. To put that in context, that’s about the amount of radiation you would be exposed to in a year just by living. You probably would get considerably more if you fly a lot (cabin attendants apparently fly 80 times or more a year, with no ill effects) or have CT scans or X-rays. It also compares to the legal maximum of 100 millisieverts for a nuclear worker in Japan, which has been raised to 250 during the current crisis.
Some estimates of radiation exposure
This article in Japanese offers some estimates of the potential impact of radiation exposure, in Japanese, in the event of various scenarios involving the Fukushima plant. The assumptions are all listed and explained and have apparently been widely vetted.
The conclusion appears to be that a month’s exposure for an adult in Tokyo following a core meltdown at Fukushima could be between 0.2x and 2.5x the legal maximum radiation dose in Japan, which is defined as natural background radiation level + 1 millisievert. So the maximum dose in this case would be 2.5 millisieverts. Incidentally, the legal maximum for nuclear workers in Japan is 250 millisieverts (increased from 100 for the duration of this crisis).
One note of caution that the author sounds is that TV reports are quoting figures in microsieverts or millisieverts per hour, and the important thing is to multiply that level by the average exposure time, factoring in the reduction in exposure when indoors, to calculate total exposure and assess the potential danger.
RT @Durf: OK, hitting the sack. I leave you once more with this: http://twitpic.com/49x6cx
Haven’t been able to sleep much. Giving up and heading into work. Nikkei avg. is up, a fragile sense of calm for now.
Earthquake resources
Airborne radiation figures from the science ministry, tracked via Google Docs.
Map of official/unofficial radiation monitoring points, including some amateurs broadcasting Geiger counter displays via Ustream.
On Twitter, recommend following @TimeOutTokyo, @marikurisato, @makiwi among others if you need English updates.
RT @kingyo_no_tuki: @ninagawamika RTお願いいたします！！■【被災地の方へ・救難信号】
●食料と水を…Ｆ
●医者を…―
●医療品を…＝
●着陸可能…△
●燃料を…Ｌ
このマークを空からわかるように示しておけば海外の救助隊にも通じるみたいで …
Worth a read re what’s been going on at the Fukushima plant: http://t.co/nSWV0UN
Someone is asking for a smack. “@Durf: Fuck off. → “@jasonmustian: 8.9 Earthquake Hits Japan, Thousands of Giggling School Girls in Criti…
Summary of ways to contribute to charities assisting in the aftermath of Japan’s earthquake.
My favourite thing about the MFB Dominion synth is that its LFOs involve something called “hüllkurve nutzbar”. http://bit.ly/i8yBzd
