Reply #286: Radiation .... which government agency?

[divvy]

There are things that I learned over the years, such as:

Fallout... radionuclide releases... is a very complicated subject. Wind, rain, runoff, ocean current, etc patterns will cause uneven distributions and accumulations of these substances. Distance helps but doesn't guarantee you won't encounter contaminants due in part to the globalized food chain.

Each radionuclide has its own characteristics... some gas, some particulate, different emitters, some water soluble, some not water soluble, different decay half lifes, different biological half lifes, different soil penetration rates, each is metabolized somewhat differently and thus represents its own unique threat to plants and animals. Internal exposures are the greatest threat to the greatest number of people. Age at time of exposure is very important.

To really understand what is going on, very many tests (air, rain water, drinking water, soil, sediments in bodies of water, plants, animals, milk, etc...) must be performed. The tests must look for all of the relevant radionuclides (not all tests detect all of them). There must be targeted testing of things/places where concentrations would show up as well as broader testing of sufficient density and frequency to eliminate large gaps in coverage. Projections of said must be reported as soon as possible. Actual results must be reported as soon as possible.

Individuals and entities must make their own decisions regarding what they consider actionable. Although numerous bodies including the IAEA, ICRP, NRC, EPA, etc have worked to establish limits, said limits are at best a "balance" of conflicting objectives. Setting the limits too low creates anxiety, interferes with commerce, drives up costs for various industries and government, etc. Many believe established limits are set too high... that the assumptions/methodologies/limits don't jive with various real world experiences (Chernobyl, other accident sites and industrial releases)... that current limits can't and shouldn't be relied upon

That's alot of stuff to try to make sense of. I was trying to keep abreast of the news and stitch information together to improve my own understanding. However, that is very time consuming and it distracts from more practical steps.

once again, it would be nice to know which agency was tracking cumulative totals, and to have access to up-to-date information for fact-checking. I am not convinced this will happen without domestic political input.