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Lefteris said:Hello all, I am a graduate student of the University of Tokyo, from Greece and am currently living in Tokyo. I am studying precision engineering there (electronics/robotics). I have to admit I am overwhelmed by the things I hear both from the news and from various websites.
We were told that tap water has become unfit for infants 2 days ago with a level of 210 Bq/l but today the warning was lifted with a reported level of 79 Bq/l. Meanwhile I am watching the environmental radiation levels from my university's page http://www2.u-tokyo.ac.jp/erc/index_e.html" and I see elevated values, especially at the campus my lab is located at, Kashiwa campus.
I am not a physicist and I don't understand these values. I would like to ask the people here if they know what kind of values would be safe .. and what would prolonged exposure to values such as this (assuming I go to my lab daily) would mean?
Moreover about these radioactive substances such as iodine and caesium that have been detected. I heard that caesium has a half-life of 30 years. Doesn't that make it the most dangerous substance released, since it would mean that the contamination will stay in the environment for generations?
Sorry for the number of dizzying questions, but as with most people here in Tokyo we are trying to understand what to do with this situation. And going back home is a very hard option since all our lives/careers are here.
Thanks in advance!
Studied some nuclear chemistry at uni a long time ago hence my interest but I would have to research those isotopes.
However the news here did mention that the ALLOWED UK levels for infants in tap water used for drinking (making up milk) are 5 TIMES HIGHER than those allowed in Japan... so I wouldn't worry at all.
The main reason Iodine is important is because the body has some in it always (thyroid gland) and can't tell the difference between the active isotopes and the natural ones. So if you take the Iodide pills, the iodide atoms (ions) just displace the radio ones very quickly before they've been their long enough to have any effect.
I'm pretty sure the authorities are tellining the truth about the tap water, and washing with it will be no problem at all... and drinking!
If I was in Japan now, I would just avoid the exclusion zone and don't go swimming in the sea!
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, the folks here strive to provide as accurate and timely information as possible. I did a thread contribution count and it is over 250 members (many new because of the reactor disaster) and climbing (no bad pun intended).