Radiation Found In Massachusetts Rainwater

 Massachusetts State Flag

Small amounts of radiation have been found in rainwater in the United States as far east as Massachusetts. The measured levels of radioactive iodine 131 are considered harmless.

An article titled “Radiation In Massachusetts Rainwater Likely From Japan” by the Associated Press March 27, 2011 and published in the Huffington Post details the issue. The measured amounts of radiation found in rainwater across the country are at very low levels and not a threat to human health or drinking water.

What the discovery of radioactive iodine in rainwater falling in the United States tells us is how widespread the distribution of radiation can be once it is in the environment. It is 6,551 miles between the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan and Boston, Massachusetts.

What this also allows others to understand is the uproar taking place in Germany where massive protests against the continued use of nuclear power have been taking place. Germany was in the path of nuclear material that spread across the country when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded in the Ukraine region of the former Soviet Union.

There is no reason to panic, but this is food for thought.

U S Gives Out Potassium Iodide Pills In Japan And Workers Flee Smoking Nuclear Power Plant

Potassium Iodide

In a real life saga that seems to never end, workers fled from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power Monday March 21, 2011 as smoke rose from two reactors. In a separate action the United States made Potassium Iodide pills available to U.S. personnel and dependents in Japan.

These two events while separate certainly have an intersection. The intersection is the radiation coming from the damaged nuclear power plant and the potential harmful effects it could have on those exposed to it. An article titled “Workers flee Japan nuclear plant as smoke rises” by Eric Talmadge and Mari Yamaguchi March 21, 2011 and published on Yahoo.com details a setback in efforts to brink the nuclear reactors under control as workers fled the Fukushima Dia-ichi nuclear power plant as smoke rose from two reactors.

Another separate article titled “U.S. makes potassium iodide available in Japan” by Arshad Mohammed and published on the Reuter website details the U.S. decision to make potassium iodide available to its personnel and dependents in certain parts of Japan.

One of the radioactive elements released into the environment from the nuclear power plant in Japan is radioactive iodine. Radioactive iodine has been detected in the environment in Japan. The human thyroid, that regulates growth, will absorb iodine and can’t tell the difference between radioactive iodine and nonradioactive iodine. Iodine is needed in order for the thyroid to function properly. When you see the label of “iodized” on table salt it means that small amounts of iodine containing salts have been mixed with regular salt to help prevent iodine deficiency. The thyroid will absorb radioactive iodine and that is where potassium iodide comes in as a blocker. The thyroid will absorb the potassium iodide and become full. If the thyroid is full it will not absorb radioactive iodine.

Radioactive iodine absorbed by the thyroid can cause thyroid cancer. There are many issues taking place in Japan and the longer it goes on, it seems the more serious things become.