Radiation in Japan

The radiation emergency in Japan must be particularly traumatic to the only country to ever suffer from nuclear attack. The aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami has exposed a significant segment of the population immediately surrounding the crippled nuclear reactors to ionizing radiation. This type of radiation is found in X-rays and gamma rays, which are given off by the radioactive elements that are used to generate electricity at the nuclear powerplants.

The powerplant workers are the ones at greatest risk. They all wear radiation detectors to monitor their exposure to deadly ionizing radiation. A lot of these workers are literally risking their lives by exposure to the deadly rays in the air and water surrounding each crippled reactor. Monitoring is critical, as overexposure can lead to DNA damage, cancer, and immunity deficiencies.

Ionizing radiation is very high energy. It can strip electrons from atoms, creating ions. Some forms are so powerful they can literally split atoms apart. The U.S. and Japan have differed slightly on the zone of danger in which people should evacuate, but most people living within 50 miles of a damaged reactor have probably already left the scene.

The radiation in Japan is mostly blowing westward, out to sea. This is beneficial to the Japanese population, the bulk of whom live south and east of the accident sites. Rain and running water is being monitored for radiation, as is local produce and milk. The radiation from the powerplants is diluted as it is dispersed. That is why there have not been any significant increases in American radiation levels, even though West Coast residents have been fearful of just such an event.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has actively responded to the events in Japan by increasing its monitoring of milk, water, and other possible exposure vectors. The RADNET program is the EPA's milk-monitoring protocol. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state jurisdictions are also keeping a watchful eye on the nation's milk supply.

For instance, the EPA took a screen sample on March 25 in Spokane Washington, and found very low levels of radioactive iodine - 5,000 times lower that the level that would trigger an intervention by the government. Such readings should reassure West Cost residents that, so far, no exposure has occurred in this country, and that the U.S. government is carefully monitoring ongoing conditions.