Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 16, 2013
Ambient office = .075 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .079 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = .087 microsieverts per hour
Mango from Costco = .103 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .104 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .071 microsieverts per hour
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 15, 2013
Ambient office = .072 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .093 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = .103 microsieverts per hour
Iceberg lettuce from Costco = .137 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .093 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .079 microsieverts per hour
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has mandated new vent filters for the thirty five Mark I and Mark II reactors in the United States because of what happened at Fukushima involving the Mark reactors there. Other rule changes have been suggested to the safety protocols for nuclear reactors in the U.S. Other nations and groups of nations have also been updating their rules for nuclear safety in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 14, 2013
Ambient office = .106 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .093 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = .078 microsieverts per hour
Iceberg lettuce from Costco = .125 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .074 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .061 microsieverts per hour
I have been a science fiction fan since I was a teenager. I have always assumed that someday, the human race would explore the solar system. We have already walked on the moon and sent robot probes to the inner and outer planets. The planet Mars has held a fascination for the human race and, with the coming of the Twentieth Century, stories were written about the human exploration of Mars.
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 13, 2013
Ambient office = .128 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .098 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = .079 microsieverts per hour
Iceberg lettuce from Costco = .116 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .124 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .107 microsieverts per hour
The nuclear industry is trying hard to resurrect itself. There is a publicity push from the U.S. industry association as well as many U.S. politicians to convince the public that there is nothing to worry about despite concerns over the Fukushima disaster. Opponents are fighting back with their own publicity push to highlight the shortcomings of nuclear power.
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 12, 2013
Ambient office = .111 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .134 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = .074 microsieverts per hour
Iceberg lettuce from Costco = .116 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .124 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .108 microsieverts per hour
I have blogged about the Price-Anderson Act in the United States that defines a process for recovering damages from the owners of a nuclear power plant in case of a major accident. Each operator has to have three hundred and fifty million dollars of insurance per reactor and be ready to pay another one hundred and twelve million dollars over a period of time following an accident.
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 11, 2013
Ambient office = .094 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .125 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = .110 microsieverts per hour
Hass avacado from Costco = .111 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .094 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .076 microsieverts per hour
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 10, 2013
Ambient office = .095 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .070 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = .071 microsieverts per hour
Bing Cherry from Costco = .102 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .075 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .065 microsieverts per hour
Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 9, 2013
Ambient office = .092 microsieverts per hour
Ambient outside = .074 microsieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = .099 microsieverts per hour
Zante Currants from local grocery store = .106 microsieverts per hour
Tap water = .093 microsieverts per hour
Filtered water = .089 microsieverts per hour
I have blogged in the past about my dislike of nuclear energy and the reasons why I think that it is a bad idea that should be retired as quickly as possible. There are many complex aspects to the use of nuclear power to generate electricity. Even if I believed in nuclear power as a good way to generate electricity and combat global climate change, I would still be concerned about its viability above and beyond all the technical issues.
