The French research group on radioactivity CRIIRAD is warning that the risks associated with iodine-131 contamination in Europe from the Japanese nuclear power plant meltdowns are no longer "negligible," and are advising pregnant women and infants against not to drink fresh milk or eat leafy vegetables. Should we be cautious here in the US as well?
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Japan’s Meteorological Agency warns that after the massive March 11 earthquake, the country’s other 20 volcanoes have become more likely to erupt, and there will also continue to be aftershocks in the area. Maybe we should heed the warning: Japanese geologist Masanobu Shishikura warned his country that a massive quake was coming, which would send up a huge tsunami, but that no one would listen to him.
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We earlier reported that US milk is safe to drink, but new evidence shows this may not be true: The EPA reports that radiation from Japan has been detected in drinking water in several American cities, and cesium-137 has been found in American milk from Vermont for the first time since the Japan nuclear meltdown began.
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The EPA is considering raising the levels of Iodine-131 it claims are safe by revising ‘Protective Action Guides’ that identify safety limits. It is being proposed within EPA that the level considered safe be raised up to a hundred thousand times levels currently considered safe. In effect, this would mean that a single glass of water could contain as much iodine-131 radiation as was previously considered a lifetime limit, according to the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility watchdog group. The radiation arm of EPA, called the Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA), has prepared an update of the 1992 “Protective Action Guides” (PAG) governing radiation protection decisions for both short-term and long-term cleanup standards.read more