No subject

I-131 in any.  But from March 22-25, each of 12 samples at 10 sites had
detectable levels:

1. *The current U.S. median of 39.6 picocuries of I-131 per liter of
precipitation was 20 times above normal levels *(2.0) recorded in early May
1986, before Chernobyl fallout arrived.

2. *Current levels were 40% of peak Chernobyl fallout* (99.5, May 14-16,
1986).

3. *Boise ID had a reading 121 times above the normal level in the U.S. *on
March 22 (242, vs.2.0)

4. *Riverside CA, near San Francisco, had a reading 69 times above the
normal level in the U.S.* (138 on March 22)**

5. *Current levels were 52% of the levels in October 1976, after fallout
from a large-scale Chinese above-ground atom bomb test reached the U.S.*
 (75.5)

I-131 is a fast-decaying radioactive chemical (half life of 8 days) found
only in nuclear weapons explosions and reactor operations.  When ingested,
it seeks out the thyroid gland, where it kills and injures healthy cells,
leading to thyroid cancer and other disorders affecting the organ.  I-131 is
one of hundreds of radioactive chemicals in reactors, including
Strontium-90, Cesium-137, and Plutonium-239.  The EPA is tracking several of
these chemicals.

To access EPA air and precipitation data, the following web site can be
consulted:

http://www.epa.gov/japan2011/docs/rert/radnet-sampling-data.html

RPHP is a New York-based group of scientists and health professionals who
study health hazards of radiation exposure.  Its members have published 27
medical journal articles and 7 books on the topic.

ATTACHMENT

EPA Samples of Air and Precipitation

March 2011 vs. Historical Data

Air Samples


        Samples/        *Iodine-131*

*Dates*                           *Event*
*Sites*
       *Median*    *High Reading*

March 18-25, 2011    Japanese fallout       66       17         0.198
     0.840 (Boise ID)

May 11-13, 1986         Chernobyl peak       32    23           0..430
     1.600 (Boise/Phoenix AZ)

June 1-10, 1986           End of Chernobyl    44    30           0.010
     0.064 (Lansing MI)   - "normal levels"

All figures are in picocuries of Iodine-131 per cubic meter of air

Sources: http://www.epa.gov/japan2011/docs/rert/radnet-air-final.pdf, and
Environmental Radiation Data, Volume 46 (April-June 1986).

Precipitation Samples


Samples/        *Iodine-131*

*Dates*                           *Event*
*Sites*
       *Median*    *High Reading*

March 15-21, 2011    Japanese fallout       13       11         -----
   All Not Detectable

March 22-25, 2011    Japanese fallout       12       10        39.6
    242 (Boise ID)

May 1-3, 1986             Before Chernobyl      9        7
2.0               5 (Idaho City ID) - "normal levels"

May 14-16, 1986         Chernobyl peak       46      36        99.5
  3230 (Cheyenne WY)

May 27-30, 1986         End of Chernobyl    20      18        25.5
      80 (Concord NH)

Oct. 4-29, 1976            After Chinese test    26     11
75.5             456 (Montgomery AL)

Note: Three samples from May 1-3, 1986 were negative numbers, and assumed to
be 0.

All figures are in picocuries of Iodine-131 per liter of precipitation

Sources:
http://www.epa.gov/japan2011/docs/rert/radnet-precipitation-final.pdf, and
Environmental Radiation Data, Report 8 (April 1977) and Volume 46
(April-June 1986).


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