Sheila
Gold Member
- 5,375
Well, I'm still in TX and settled in for the long haul. Hubby, however is still on the base in Tokyo. Many of the dependents have returned. Hubby & I are in agreement that it's not the right decision for our 2 year old & 3 year old to return to Japan just yet.
Many people think we've lost our minds and are convinced that everything is safe. I was in the ER last night with severe abdominal pains that was coming in waves. They sent me down for a CT scan & I made a joke with the techs that I had left Japan to get away from extra radiation and here I was doing a CT Scan. They asked for details, so I gave them a super quick (30 second) synopsis that I was living here in the states right now with our toddlers. They both looked at me and with a very serious tone, agreed with one another that it was the smartest decision for children that young to be taken out of the area. It made me feel a bit better that the only 2 people I've talked to who actually have training in the hazards of radiation - approved of my decision. Sad for the country of Japan but it helped me to justify my reasoning a bit.
Today's news out of Japan is that they are going to start taking waste from the Tsunami area & dispersing it to various places in the country, because the local waste can't handle the volume. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_12.html
What does this mean? Well, it's NOT good! Let's say they take a piece of lumber from Sendai ... an area that's been hit with higher levels of radiation and ship that sucker down to a waste facility in southern Japan. If that facility burns it, they are not getting rid of the radiation, they are breaking it down into smaller particles that are more easily absorbed by living organisms. If they bury it, they are putting their local water supply at higher risk of contamination. But they won't be sending just ONE board out of the Tsunami stricken areas, they will be dispersing tons of debris all over the country of Japan! The various waste facilities will then be spreading the particles in the air/water throughout the country. This is NOT good news. Here's what the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research has to say on burning/burying radioactive materials: IEER Publications
That coming out after the discovery that the core in Plant #1 actually did melt a bit back in March: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/16_17.html
I'm sooooo glad my babies are in the states right now & not in Japan. I'm really hoping that hubby doesn't have any long term effects from being there.
Many people think we've lost our minds and are convinced that everything is safe. I was in the ER last night with severe abdominal pains that was coming in waves. They sent me down for a CT scan & I made a joke with the techs that I had left Japan to get away from extra radiation and here I was doing a CT Scan. They asked for details, so I gave them a super quick (30 second) synopsis that I was living here in the states right now with our toddlers. They both looked at me and with a very serious tone, agreed with one another that it was the smartest decision for children that young to be taken out of the area. It made me feel a bit better that the only 2 people I've talked to who actually have training in the hazards of radiation - approved of my decision. Sad for the country of Japan but it helped me to justify my reasoning a bit.
Today's news out of Japan is that they are going to start taking waste from the Tsunami area & dispersing it to various places in the country, because the local waste can't handle the volume. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_12.html
What does this mean? Well, it's NOT good! Let's say they take a piece of lumber from Sendai ... an area that's been hit with higher levels of radiation and ship that sucker down to a waste facility in southern Japan. If that facility burns it, they are not getting rid of the radiation, they are breaking it down into smaller particles that are more easily absorbed by living organisms. If they bury it, they are putting their local water supply at higher risk of contamination. But they won't be sending just ONE board out of the Tsunami stricken areas, they will be dispersing tons of debris all over the country of Japan! The various waste facilities will then be spreading the particles in the air/water throughout the country. This is NOT good news. Here's what the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research has to say on burning/burying radioactive materials: IEER Publications
That coming out after the discovery that the core in Plant #1 actually did melt a bit back in March: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/16_17.html
I'm sooooo glad my babies are in the states right now & not in Japan. I'm really hoping that hubby doesn't have any long term effects from being there.