June 2013

Radioactive Waste 35 - Plutonium Escapes from Hanford

 I have posted a number of articles about the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The radioactive waste left over from the development of the U.S. nuclear arsenal is still causing a lot of problems. Waste buried in single wall tanks has been leaking into the ground water and the Columbia River. Some waste was moved to double walled tanks which we were assured would not leak but now one of those tanks is leaking.

Nuclear Weapons 34 - The Danger of Missing Nuclear Materials

              I have posted a lot of articles about nuclear weapons. Most of these have focused on high-tech atomic and hydrogen bombs built by nation states with huge investments of manpower and equipment. These do constitute the greatest threat to the future of humanity. However, there is another type of bomb that utilizes nuclear materials known as a “dirty bomb.” This is a low tech device which does not result in a nuclear or thermonuclear explosion.

Geiger Readings for June 29, 2013

Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 29, 2013

Ambient office = .111 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .079 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .058 microsieverts per hour

Bartlett pear from Costco =  .130 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .086 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .077 microsieverts per hour

Radioactive Waste 34 - Radiation Danger in Seattles Magnuson - Part 5 - Update

            Several weeks ago, I post four blogs about the situation at Magnuson Park in Seattle. There are a couple of rooms in old buildings and several outside areas in which radiation has been detected that was left over from repair of radium dials on airplanes during World War II when the park was an Naval airbase. The city of Seattle found out about the radiation in 2010 but did nothing about it aside from putting up some fences and small signs.

Geiger Readings for June 28, 2013

Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 28, 2013

Ambient office = .107 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .103 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .090 microsieverts per hour

Vine ripened tomatoes from Costco =  .106 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .086 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .074 microsieverts per hour

Nuclear Weapons 33 - Megatons to Megawatts Update

          I have posted a number of articles about the arms race and the proliferation of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. There have been a number of treaties that reduced the number of warheads that the U.S. and Russia have from the tens of thousands both sides possessed at the height of the Cold War. If countries are to dismantle warheads, how will it be done?

Geiger Readings for June 27, 2013

Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 27, 2013

Ambient office = .089 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .071 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .076 microsieverts per hour

Vine ripened tomatoes from Costco =  .094 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .108 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .093 microsieverts per hour

Moab Cleanup and the Shape of Things to Come

              In previous posts, I have talked about how uranium mining has been disastrous for indigenous peoples and the environment in remote and desolate areas of the world. I have also mentioned my concern that nuclear companies may go bankrupt and dump the costs of cleaning up nuclear waste on the government and the taxpayers. Today’s post brings both of these concerns together.

Geiger Readings for June 26, 2013

Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 26, 2013

Ambient office = .128 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .097 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .088 microsieverts per hour

Vine ripened tomatoes from Costco =  .085 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .082 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .065 microsieverts per hour

Personal Ways of Dealing with Radiation Exposure

              There are many different ways that a person can be exposed to ionizing radiation in the world we live in. Some possibilities are food and meat grown in an area polluted by radioactive materials, medical diagnostic procedures, medical treatment, fallout from nuclear accidents, fallout from terrorist dirty bombs, fallout and direct radiation from nuclear weapons, and even naturally occurring sources such as radon gas from the soil.

Geiger Readings for June 23, 2013

Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 24, 2013

Ambient office = .125 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .115 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .082 microsieverts per hour

Iceberg lettuce from local grocery store =  .092 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .081 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .067 microsieverts per hour

Geiger Readings for June 23, 2013

Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 23, 2013

Ambient office = .080 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .077 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .067 microsieverts per hour

Iceberg lettuce from local grocery store =  .100 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .073 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .065 microsieverts per hour

Pages