Cesium 137, ladies and gentlemen. In Vermont. For starters

"Safe industry", right?

Radiation Detected In Drinking Water In 13 More US Cities, Cesium-137 In Vermont Milk

by Jeff McMahon

• Unusual Reading At Chatanooga Nuclear Plant
• Milk Contamination At EPA Maximum
• Highest Levels Yet In Boise Rainwater

Radiation from Japan has been detected in drinking water in 13 more American cities, and cesium-137 has been found in American milk—in Montpelier, Vermont—for the first time since the Japan nuclear disaster began, according to data released by the Environmental Protection Agency late Friday.


Milk samples from Phoenix and Los Angeles contained iodine-131 at levels roughly equal to the maximum contaminant level permitted by EPA, the data shows.


But wait!  There's more!  Much more!


Warnings in France esp. for pregnant women and children:
Independent French radiation commission warns Europe that health risk from Fukushima fallout “no longer negligible” — Says US west coast has 8-10 times more contamination:


The risks associated with iodine-131 contamination in Europe are no longer “negligible,” according to CRIIRAD [Commission de Recherche et d'Information Indépendantes sur la Radioactivité], an independent French research body on radioactivity. …

The document, published on 7 April, advises against consuming rainwater and says vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid consuming vegetables with large leaves, fresh milk and creamy cheese.

Here's where it gets good.  After the French say the above, cautioning their own people and nation, they add this:

Data for the west coast of the United States, which received the Fukushima radioactive fallout 6-10 days before France, reveals that levels of radioactive iodine-131 concentration are 8-10 times higherthere, the institute says.

But did you see, read or hear of any reports, let alone out-and-out cautions or concerns from our Federal or California or other West coast state governments?

I sure didn't.

And we're not done yet, cats and kittens!

EPA: New Radiation Highs in Little Rock Milk, Philadelphia Drinking Water

Radiation Detected In Rain In More States

First U.S. Drinking Water Samples Show Radiation from Japan: Boise, Richland Wa.

EPA: Expect More Radiation in Rainwater

And no, this is not about panic or panicking or saying "the sky is falling."  This is just my way and time and place of saying, like the Physicicans for Social Responsibility (psr.org) that nuclear energy is not safe, that it is very expensive, when all costs are truly attributed, and that it makes no sense for the future.  From the PSR:

"There is no safe level of radionuclide exposure, whether from food, water or other sources. Period,” said Jeff Patterson, DO, immediate past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility. “Exposure to radionuclides, such as iodine-131 and cesium-137, increases the incidence of cancer. For this reason, every effort must be taken to minimize the radionuclide content in food and water.”

Now, I'd like to start hearing some reports from either our local, state government or the Federal, on our levels of exposure in Missouri, specifically, and the Midwest, more generally.

I doubt seriously we'll get it.


Look at just some of the other stories that are out right now that our government and nuclear industry aren't telling us:

• Fukushima nuclear plume “covered most of North America” — Now over N. Atlantic; Including Caribbean, Canada’s east coast
• Radioactive debris from Japan tsunami may wash up on US West Coast by early next year (MAP)
• Radioactive fallout has now reached Southern California: Diplomat -AP
• US Government statements about safe radiation “actually undermine confidence” — Total I-131 and Cs-137 from Fukushima now appear to rival Chernobyl
• ALERT: Fish near Fukushima at 4000% above Codex Alimentarius limit for radioactive I-131 — Yet US says eating it poses NO health risk
• Vancouver, Canada radiation tests show iodine-131 in rainwater at almost 100 times above US drinking water limit 
• Strawberries, mushrooms with Cesium-137 found in Northern California; 5 of 6 items in food chain sampling test have radioactive particles 

I know, I know---cut out all this "happy talk", I got it.

Try to have a great week, y'all.

Links:  http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon/2011/04/09/radiation-detected-in-drinking-water-in-13-more-us-cities-cesium-137-in-vermont-milk/
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/04/11-4
http://crisismaven.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/update-greenpeace-measures-caesium-40-miles-from-fukushima/
http://enenews.com/french-radiation-commission-warns-europe-health-risk-fukushima-fallout-longer-negligible-west-coast-8-10-times-contamination