[ RadSafe ] 30,000 children to wear radiation detectors

[Peter Miller]

RadSafers:

>  30,000 children to wear radiation detectors

> What would REALLY help is if someone came up with a rad instrument of
> some type that would measure gamma, send it wirelessly to the users
> smart phone, which would tag it with a GPS reading and a time stamp
> (yes, there can be an app for that), and send it to a central site to be
> put in a database and displayed as a map.  

Many people here in Japan don't trust the official reports, partly for good 
reasons and partly due to media misinformation. Widespread dissemination of 
dosimeters seems the best approach to allaying fears, and as Mike Brennan points 
out, could advance scientific knowledge as well if the data are aggregated. 

If anyone knows of a device like this, I will look into getting it distributed 
in Japan.

>  A decision to build near a river depends on the extent of the 100 
> year flood plain and the probability of floods greater than the 'design  
> flood' during the design life, etc.  The Fukushima reactor design reflects  that
> analysis. 

In geological time 100 years is like the blink of an eyelash. During
construction of the Fukushima reactors, Japanese geologists presented evidence
of a tsunami similar to the March 11 one that occurred in 879 (silt several km
inland). This did not sway the planners in the slightest. Being outside their
personal experience disqualified it as legitimate evidence. This is a common 
flaw in the planning process, leading to the phenomenon of 'normal accidents' 
from the chance concatenation of unexpected events. 

This does not necessarily mean that more accidents are not preventable. 
Incorporating expertise beyond one's personal experience or usual 
circle of acquaintance seems to be a key element of competent disaster 
planning.

>  Prof O Raabe's recommendations in his recent paper (HPJ July 2011) should be
> compulsive reading for the RP community. Thanks, Prof! 

I suppose the writer means 'compulsory'. English is tough sometimes.

-- Peter Miller
   Kamakura, Japan
   z3ix [at] kamprint.com