I have written about problems with ground water and surface water before with respect to radioactive contamination from things like nuclear accidents and nuclear explosions. However, today I’m going to focus on naturally occurring radioactivity in a regional water supply.
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on April 12, 2013
Ambient office = .085 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .074 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain = .078 microsieverts per hour
Hass avacado from local grocery store = .062 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .061 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .044 microsieverts per hour
The Constitution says that the Federal Government is charged with the task of taking care of the public welfare. Top on the list of definitions for welfare is health. The EPA is the division of the U.S. Government that is supposed to be watching out the environment for possible threats to human health. As such, the issue of radioactive contamination from a nuclear accident or deliberate incident is definitely within their purview.
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on April 11, 2013
Ambient office = .070 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .059 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain = .068 microsieverts per hour
Bartlett pear from local grocery store = .083 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .134 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .117 microsieverts per hour
Back around 1980, I volunteered to review a U.S. Government plan from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to evacuate Seattle to east of the Cascades in case of the threat of nuclear war. I had been attending meetings with the Physicians for Social Responsibility and they needed someone with a technical background to evaluate the plan.
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on April 10, 2013
Ambient office = .116 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .109 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain = .107 microsieverts per hour
Bartlett pear from local grocery store = .117 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .088 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .070 microsieverts per hour
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on April 10, 2013
Ambient office = .116 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .109 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain = .107 microsieverts per hour
Bartlett pear from local grocery store = .117 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .088 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .070 microsieverts per hour
