Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/03/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Herb, The wind rose for Tokyo is interesting. http://www.jerrypournelle.com/view/2011/Q1/view666.html#Wednesday (scroll down) Best, John On 3/23/11 9:13 PM, Herbert Kanner wrote: > The inverse square law is a bit irrelevant here. What we're talking > about is microscopic particles of solid radioactive elements carried by > the prevailing winds from there to here. Nevertheless, although > detectable with instrumentation, are now and probably will be in the > future, no health risk whatsoever in the U.S., Canada, and South America. > > Herb > Ex physicist > > >> Peter writes: >> >> Radiation, like the light we photograph in, reduces in >> >> intensity according to the inverse square law, so I think even a Nocti- >> >> Geiger-counter couldn't detect emissions from that plant. >> >> - - - - - >> >> Peter, >> >> That might be the case with gamma radiation. But radioactive particles >> are >> transported by the prevailing wind patterns. If you are downwind of a >> burning nuclear plant the particles could be carried for hundreds, even >> thousands of kilometers. Radioactive particles from the Japanese >> catastrophe >> were detected in California nearly 8000 km away. You are fortunate >> that the >> prevailing winds are from the west and carry the radiation mostly out to >> sea. Had they been from the north, I would not eat the fish. >> >> Larry Z (who lives about 5 km from the Indian Point Atomic energy plant >> which is adjacent to the Ramapo fault.) >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >