tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post1639474255059788888..comments2023-09-29T11:23:38.668+02:00Comments on For what we are... they will be: Fukushima myths vs factsMajuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-85797016744482515762014-07-10T17:46:46.677+02:002014-07-10T17:46:46.677+02:00"I strongly disagree: it is much better to pr..."I strongly disagree: it is much better to produce locally as much as possible."<br /><br />Trouble is our local dairy has a poor selection at artificially high prices. So this "buy local" is being financed on the backs of poor families that are paying twice what they should be for milk and cheese.<br /><br />The government even broke up a cheese smuggling ring. Seriously. A organized cartel of people smuggling mozzarella across the border. I think the government should have better things to do than arresting people for buying mozzarella.<br /><br />In terms of local being more California - yah, agreed. And a lot of our food does come up from California and Mexico. In terms of diversifying the food produced in the immediate area, I don't think that's really possible. Only 5 percent of BC is arable land. We're never going to be self sufficient for things like wheat for example.<br /><br />There is a large greenhouse industry to grow things like tomatoes here, but I question the environmental impact of burning coal and natural gas to light and heat these facilities 24/7 year round.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-13407813913797913912014-07-10T01:59:46.362+02:002014-07-10T01:59:46.362+02:00Kiwis grow very well here and I wouldn't be su...Kiwis grow very well here and I wouldn't be surprised if we exported them (although I don't know). Kiwis are from China BTW, not from New Zealand.<br /><br />"Canada has very strict controls on dairy imports too"...<br /><br />It's not that we have controls, we have national pride, so we tend to buy local. In the last years anyhow, the dairy farmers have formed their own cooperatives and have largely displaced the previous more corporatist system (also very much local, although with some competence from Asturias and Galicia). <br /><br />"though they're getting loosened a bit with the new Canada-EU free trade agreement. Which is good IMHO"...<br /><br />I strongly disagree: it is much better to produce locally as much as possible. Global trade is a waste of energy and harmful to self-sufficiency. It only benefits the big capitalists. Only goods that can't be produced locally should be imported, if at all. I'm 1000% for protectionism, very especially re. food.<br /><br />"Surprising for China - I didn't think they consumed much dairy there."<br /><br />Have you forgotten the chemical scandal of Chinese milk? Melamine was its name? I believe it was a NZ or Australian brand, although processed in China. <br /><br />"Our Atlantic provinces are actually closer to you than me"...<br /><br />Not surprised at all. All that are was once full of Basque fishermen.<br /><br />Canada's existence is a bit artificial anyhow, for way too many reasons to mention here. <br /><br />But when I think "local", I mean from a nearby geography. Maybe for you that means enchiladas... My subjective rings of "local" are (1) Basque Country (loose borders as they do not exist in fact), (2) Iberia & France, (3) Europe and the Mediterranean. America for me is like India or China (absolutely non-local), while NZ is approximately the Antipodes.<br /><br />From what you say, you guys should diversify your production. A big problem with the North American model is that everything must be big, way too big and homogeneous. I'm pretty sure your area can produce a lot of different stuff, and, if you need something "Mediterranean", California is not far away. Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-54182244763415550872014-07-10T01:33:21.484+02:002014-07-10T01:33:21.484+02:00Probably fruits too yah. Or so I'd think. Ki...Probably fruits too yah. Or so I'd think. Kiwifruit I'd assume? Their data doesn't say. 2% of fruit exports go to Spain apparently (~$70 million a year) and another $227 million a year go to "EU destination unknown." http://nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz/wbos/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TABLECODE7311<br /><br />Canada has very strict controls on dairy imports too, though they're getting loosened a bit with the new Canada-EU free trade agreement. Which is good IMHO - there's a maximum number of dairy cows allowed in Canada by the government as a way to keep milk prices high for dairy farmers. So I get gouged to put more money in the pockets of industrial farms.<br /><br />Meanwhile if I cross the border (just 15 minutes from my home) I can go buy milk for 50% less and cheese for 67% less. Often better quality too, since the limit on the number of dairy cows means farmers go to extreme lengths to increase a cow's milk production. :/<br /><br />You're right about their destination for dairy. Far East and Middle East mostly it seems. Surprising for China - I didn't think they consumed much dairy there. http://www.stats.govt.nz/tools_and_services/newsletters/price-index-news/oct-13-infographic-dairy-exports.aspx<br /><br />Just realized that our perspectives on local may be a bit different though. Our Atlantic provinces are actually closer to you than me lol. Mexico City is closer to me than Ottawa even.<br /><br />Fish, blueberries and cranberries are the big local products here, though on season there are decent amounts of local corn to be had. Just a bit east of here in the Okanagan which produces some pretty good peaches and other fruit. Decent wine by Canadian standards too (the ice wine is pretty good by international standards from what I understand).<br /><br />I wish we had access to all the different available in Europe. There are a few decent craft cheese makers but selection is still pretty generic and limited.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-10319076900342112672014-07-09T20:24:41.734+02:002014-07-09T20:24:41.734+02:00There are no major dairy imports here, except chee...There are no major dairy imports here, except cheeses (Spanish, French, Italian, Swiss, maybe Dutch) and probably yogurts and similar milk-based desserts, ice-cream included, whose industrial production chain is often hard to understand. Milk is all local or maybe from some other parts of the state of Spain (although rarer nowadays), cuajada is local, the most sold cheeses are local (acquired taste, you know), fresh cheese is local, quesada is from Valle del Pas, just crossing the border with Cantabria, rice pudding is often local although there is also (worse quality) industrial offer. We have a long dairy tradition. They probably export to places like East Asia and the Anglosphere only. <br /><br />In general I'm not aware of any imports from the South Pacific - maybe off-season fruits? More likely to come from Chile or South Africa, which have Mediterranean climate zones. Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-56708765227995089432014-07-09T19:12:13.573+02:002014-07-09T19:12:13.573+02:00The NZ products that you'd be most likely to c...The NZ products that you'd be most likely to come across would probably be dairy or dairy by-products as they account for ~30% of world dairy exports. Pretty good for a country of a few million that produces just 2% of the world's milk.<br /><br />For North American products, I believe the US also exports a lot of non-GMO soy for use as animal feed to the EU due to the EU's (very sensible) ban on using animal protein in animal feed.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-16376620302116376252014-07-08T02:28:17.661+02:002014-07-08T02:28:17.661+02:00In general it's always better to purchase loca...In general it's always better to purchase local products because transportation is a big deal of the footprint. Also not all is just "energy": it's environmental impact in general. <br /><br />We don't get anything NZ over here that I know of anyhow. Much of the produce available is local or semi-local, people like it that way and I can think of no reason to buy any transoceanic foodstuff unless it is tropical produce like bananas, coffee or cocoa. Surely some of the wheat of the bread and pasta also comes from offshore, probably North America, which is a heavy food exporter. That's my main concern in fact. Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-77988395474737576022014-07-08T01:48:05.064+02:002014-07-08T01:48:05.064+02:00If you're looking to minimize your environment...If you're looking to minimize your environmental footprint, I'd suggest New Zealand products as a viable choice too. Their agriculture industry is very energy efficient and for certain products and at different times of the year the savings on energy on the production side outweigh the energy used for shipping.<br /><br />Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-88745750666409956122014-07-05T02:30:26.822+02:002014-07-05T02:30:26.822+02:00I don't eat corn nor soy because they are ofte...I don't eat corn nor soy because they are often transgenic, which is a great cause of destruction for the environment, among other reasons because of the abuse of Roundup involved. Similarly I avoid fish and seafood unless I know for sure it's been captured/grown in an ecologically friendly manner. In other products I also try to eat local and as "green" as possible within my means. <br /><br />The destruction of Earth has many sides and I don't feel willing to be an accomplice. It would make me feel "inhuman" if I ignore all those aggressions and collaborate with them via consumption. Indirectly all that may help my health but it's not my primary concern, really (I smoke and what-not). Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-75042682737770731932014-07-05T01:28:27.263+02:002014-07-05T01:28:27.263+02:00Yah, I was thinking mostly through indirect routes...Yah, I was thinking mostly through indirect routes like cows or chickens, or through byproducts like corn syrup, corn meal and corn starch. Soy is also a big product in the Midwest and gets fed to all kinds of animals (including us). All of which are doing all sorts of non-radiation related bad things to us too of course.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-17247056137417808682014-07-04T22:32:11.608+02:002014-07-04T22:32:11.608+02:00"We both probably receive more radiation from..."We both probably receive more radiation from eating corn and other agricultural products from the US Midwest actually since that's where the fallout from the nuclear test program landed."<br /><br />I probably don't eat almost any corn from the US Midwest: I live in Europe and maize is a rare ingredient in my diet (and would be mostly local in any case because this is a maize-producing country). The main cereal I eat is wheat (bread, pasta), also some rye (bread). Not sure where it comes from though. <br /><br />US maize radiation probably reaches me more via meat, because cows are fed with corn for fattening before slaughter (I asked my butcher, who selects the cows personally). Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-7259567850725109692014-07-04T22:27:03.355+02:002014-07-04T22:27:03.355+02:00... "overall radioactivity of one gram of pot...... "overall radioactivity of one gram of potassium"...<br /><br />You're right.Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-88765343494125089342014-07-04T21:03:27.083+02:002014-07-04T21:03:27.083+02:00This comment has been removed by the author.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-49968295038036449532014-07-04T17:02:51.434+02:002014-07-04T17:02:51.434+02:00I hear you. I personally haven't seen any cre...I hear you. I personally haven't seen any credible primary sources on some of the more alarmist claims about Fukushima, but I'm always open to persuasion. I'm not losing any sleep over eating Pacific salmon anyways and like you I find my interests keep me from looking too thoroughly at it.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-88112435648251994832014-07-04T17:00:28.212+02:002014-07-04T17:00:28.212+02:00Your numbers are off on your K40 calculation. The...Your numbers are off on your K40 calculation. The paper you side provides a figure for the overall radioactivity of one gram of potassium at the typical isotope ratios for the Earth which are K39 93.3% K41 6.7% K40 0.012%. So the radioactivity of a gram of potassium is 30,000 Bq/kg if and only if it contains 0.012% K40. The human body has ~0.16kg of potassium, yielding 4,800 Bq.<br /><br />K40's radioactivity can be calculated directly from its atomic weight and half-life. I'm on my way out to a meeting shortly but later today I can do the calculation by hand to show you that this isn't just nuclear lobby propaganda.<br /><br />K40 is what was used to date the remains found at Olduvai Gorge so if the values for it's radioactivity are wrong then the various homo and paranthropus remains found there would be tens of billions of years old. So these aren't values I'm taking directly from nuclear industry sources or anything.<br /><br />Cheers.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-44791483236522758472014-07-04T16:45:04.420+02:002014-07-04T16:45:04.420+02:00Sorry, incomplete sentence there. The Fukushima r...Sorry, incomplete sentence there. The Fukushima radiation was no longer detectable in the salmon as of the July 2012 salmon runs. Radiation from previous nuclear tests by Russia and the US were still detectable though. We both probably receive more radiation from eating corn and other agricultural products from the US Midwest actually since that's where the fallout from the nuclear test program landed.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-9734095613250431852014-07-03T23:44:50.973+02:002014-07-03T23:44:50.973+02:00The problem is that I can only keep up with so muc...The problem is that I can only keep up with so much info, so, if you're truly interested I suggest to follow directly the relevant blogs and alternative sources mentioned in this discussion. I do mention now and then Fukushima related info but this blog is not specialized in the matter - there are so many things going on (Ukraine, Palestine, Iraq, European crisis, economic crisis, Venezuela, Mexico and a lot more... I can only honor so many issues with much less than the attention they actually deserve). Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-2969486742134208592014-07-03T23:40:37.682+02:002014-07-03T23:40:37.682+02:00"this paper suggests a little less than 0.1% ..."this paper suggests a little less than 0.1% of the total volume of the Pacific is contained within the current".<br /><br />Of the <b>North</b> Pacific only, so the current carries ~3.5 million cubic kilometers of water. In any case closer to your guesstimate than mine: just less than half, so maybe 5Bq/Kg when arriving to North America (assuming that the Govt. figures are correct and not heavily watered down, as usual). <br /><br />"Do you follow Berkeley's RadWatch at all?"<br /><br />No, sorry. I was not aware about them and anyhow my following of info is already near the limit of my personal capacity. <br /><br />"Small amounts of Fukushima-related isotopes were detectable in the 2011 salmon runs but were no longer detectable."<br /><br />No longer detectable when exactly? Notice that Japan is once and again pouring radioactive water to the sea either for lack of capacity to control it or storage limits (intentional pouring is illegal but everyone looks elsewhere) and that considering the rhythm of the leaks they may pile up faster than dilution happens.<br /><br />Salmon is just one of many seafoods, I would appreciate data on other species as well: the exact accumulation may vary a lot depending on species because of what they eat, where they migrate, etc. <br /><br />"Note that the radioactivity from natural potassium-40"...<br /><br />Why do you bring that up? K40 is the main source of natural radioactivity (being "natural" does not mean it's harmless and adds up to whatever artificial one we may suffer). The radioactivity of K40 is <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/0031-9155/42/2/012/pdf/0031-9155_42_2_012.pdf" rel="nofollow">~30Bq/g</a> (so like 30,000 Bq/Kg). However the human body has less than 0.02 grams of K40, so we're suffering a mere 0.5 Bq effect in the whole adult body (< 0.04 Bq/Kg), which is relatively negligible... unless added to other sources (everything adds up). <br /><br />The nuclear lobby's propaganda is full of nonsense claims about potasium, I'd suggest you ignore them. Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-3909704926238715692014-07-03T20:53:19.347+02:002014-07-03T20:53:19.347+02:00Yah, I don't blame FD for it. Just doesn'...Yah, I don't blame FD for it. Just doesn't help me find any solid primary sources on these concerns. I'm not terribly worried about it to be honest. If you do come across anything of interest I'm always interested in looking at it though.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-85553974938661513652014-07-03T20:48:50.956+02:002014-07-03T20:48:50.956+02:00At 56x10⁶ m³/sec 0.24% of the total volume of the ...At 56x10⁶ m³/sec 0.24% of the total volume of the Pacific would pass through the current every year.<br /><br />If we assume no mixing of the water in the current with the rest of the ocean, this paper suggests a little less than 0.1% of the total volume of the Pacific is contained within the current. http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/CR/1973/7302.PDF<br /><br />It also gives a figure of 0.4% a year of flow as opposed to the 0.24% I gave.<br /><br />Of course the Kuroshio isn't a closed system. We should really be talking about the entire North Pacific Gyre if anything, since the Kuroshio has its source with the North Equatorial Current.<br /><br />Re: The effect on children, that should definitely be the highest concern. Iodine-131 is the most dangerous (from what I've read) but thankfully it's half life is just 8 days.<br /><br />I'd be more worried about mercury content and other sources of pollutants to be honest though. Especially given that the North Pacific Gyre is also the site of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In reasonable quantities I'd still expect the health benefits from wild salmon or tuna to more than outweigh any risks though.<br /><br />Salmon in particular I'd have no qualms about eating or feeding to my hypothetical future children, as their lives are spent in much more northern and cleaner waters. The levels of other pollutants found in tuna are high enough to concern me though.<br /><br />Do you follow Berkeley's RadWatch at all? They have a pretty good paper on radiation in Alaska salmon. Small amounts of Fukushima-related isotopes were detectable in the 2011 salmon runs but were no longer detectable. There are some pretty good references in the paper too, including one which discusses tuna. http://radwatch.berkeley.edu/salmon<br /><br />Note that the radioactivity from natural potassium-40 is over 100 Bq/kg for all samples.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-67270306951734545142014-07-03T03:37:53.457+02:002014-07-03T03:37:53.457+02:00Both sources redirect to their main page, it seems...Both sources redirect to their main page, it seems. I would not blame FD for it but of course it's always better to be able to go to the ultimate source. <br /><br />You may want to discuss it with Mochizuki directly. Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-87999283127496058832014-07-03T03:34:17.702+02:002014-07-03T03:34:17.702+02:00I strongly doubt that the current represents 0.1% ...I strongly doubt that the current represents 0.1% of the water volume of the Pacific Ocean. It is a huge Ocean and the current is just like a big "river" inside it, and only at shallow depths. I can't produce a figure but I'm positive it is quite less: several orders of magnitude less. Also it is probable that the current system draws the same water forth and back across the Ocean without much exchange with neighboring waters (heat and waves are transferred without actual material exchange: only energy flows or mostly so) so the effect is likely to accumulate through time. <br /><br />Also please notice that the effect of radiation on adults is much weaker than on children because adults generally keep a steady body mass while children (and foetuses) increase their own many times, incorporating LOTS of external materials, which, if radioactive or otherwise polluted can be extremely destructive. What affects you or me is less important than what affects children (also because we have "less future" than they do). <br /><br />I'm not as worried about "my" health nor that of other adults as much as I am about the health of children. And in every instance of pollution (more so radioactive) it is the young ones who suffer the most invariably. Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-13321447419674586742014-07-02T23:43:29.064+02:002014-07-02T23:43:29.064+02:00This generation of engineers seems to be a bit mor...This generation of engineers seems to be a bit more diverse at least. There's still a decent chunk of people who fall into the mold you describe, but environmental engineering and sustainability are pretty big up-and-coming fields that are attractive and valued by a lot of people. Engineers don't fit into the old mold anymore - groups like Engineers Without Borders, solar car design teams, human powered vehicle design teams - these are all very "hip" (pick your adjective) and very socially conscious. Generalizations aside, these are people I know.<br /><br />They know their stuff. They care deeply about the environment. They would not have chosen to work in the nuclear industry if they felt they were putting the environment or people in any danger. These are people I would (and have) trust my life with.<br /><br />So this is the article I was referring to: http://fukushima-diary.com/2014/06/photo-fukushima-decontamination-volunteer-blood-suddenly-splashes-out-of-skin-quite-often-this-is-the-reality/<br /><br />The main claim that would worry me was this: <br /><br />"Black substance emits 45.699μSv/h of alpha ray (http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/02/black-substance-emits-45-699%CE%BCsvh-of-alpha-ray/)"<br /><br />Which provides the following two as sources:<br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/pages/%E6%A0%B8-%E5%8E%9F%E5%AD%90%E5%8A%9B%E4%BA%8B%E6%95%85%E6%95%91%E6%8F%B4NGO-HCR-Heart-Care-Rescue-/292544657428998<br /><br />http://sankei.jp.msn.com/life/news/120220/trd12022014370016-n1.htm?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter<br /><br />Both dead links for me.<br /><br />Trying to trace any of the "disturbing" claims back to primary sources really.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-22485804948077955532014-07-02T23:17:12.140+02:002014-07-02T23:17:12.140+02:00Even if it's only diluted into a volume 0.1% o...Even if it's only diluted into a volume 0.1% of the volume of the Pacific and it's 10 times what Japan reports, we're still talking just an additional 2 Bq/kg. Enough to cause concern at a population-wide level but not something that's going to be personally risky to you or I (or at least no more risky than going for a drive).Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-84669365879678539612014-07-02T20:18:40.611+02:002014-07-02T20:18:40.611+02:00Re. engineering: my dad is a Doctor Engineer and a...Re. engineering: my dad is a Doctor Engineer and a quite smart man but he is clearly technically-oriented by training and knows only so much of science proper. He's also a blind fanatic of nuclear power and everything that seems to be technological "progress", especially if heavy and ugly (solar and wind seems to be for "fags" and "wimps", not manly enough). But his arguments are totally feeble: it's a matter of techno-faith and some sort of worship of brutal power, the more brutal the better, it seems. <br /><br />He's never been worried about nuclear war either (he irrationally believes in a rational humankind) but, well, he was not worried about communism either (they will need people with my qualification as well, he used to say). However after being his son for more than 35 years I learned that he's also racist (silently so), what is one of the most irrational things to be, after being a Christian, what he is as well. <br /><br />And I'm putting my father as example because I know of other engineers who are much worse in everything (smarts especially). They are just "pragmatic" people (money, tech and good life) but nothing outstanding about them in my experience. <br /><br />I must say that, in general, I'm rather disappointed about people with superior studies, not just engineers: most are just hard-working people (necessary quality to pass exams) with limited smarts and even quite limited love for their profession. Mostly conformist and acritical. Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9068633250101025716.post-61962025925452993112014-07-02T20:05:04.553+02:002014-07-02T20:05:04.553+02:00"The "black residue" article's ..."The "black residue" article's sources are all broken links"...<br /><br />Do you mean this article: <br />→ http://forwhatwearetheywillbe.blogspot.com.es/2013/07/japan-scattered-mystery-black-substance.html<br />?<br /><br />And these links: <br />→ http://www.fairewinds.org/japans-black-dust-with-marco-kaltofen/<br />→ http://enenews.com/japan-kids-swallowing-pieces-of-fukushima-fuel-rods-expert-mystery-black-substance-very-likely-contains-concentrated-unburned-nuclear-fuel-video<br />?<br /><br />They work for me. Perfectly so.Majuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369840391933337204noreply@blogger.com