By Dr. Theresa R. Pantanella, PhD/Occupational Therapy
Radiation fall out from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant is still coming to America. The EPA, on November 21, 2011, found radiation in the farm soil during its standard tests administered once every three months. This contamination is concentrated in California and the northern U.S. states bordering Canada. This information was confirmed by UC Berkeley (California) with the highest amounts found in Sacramento (2.737 Bq/kg of cesium) and the lowest amount found in San Diego (2.51 Bq/kg of cesium).
Radiation in the farm soil translates into radiation in the food supply, unless something is done to de-contaminate the soil. Radiation cannot be tasted, has no odor and cannot be felt. Internal exposure to nuclear radiation has different negative health consequences in comparison to either external exposure or exposure to a uniform source of radiation, such as x-ray. Ingestion of radiation will cause a plethora of health problems, beginning with unexplained headaches and digestive illness, nosebleeds, hair loss and dental changes. In time, cancer, stroke and diabetes rates will rise as a result of the exposure. Currently, there is no accurate way to test radiation in the food unless the food item is cooked to ashes.
Hot particles, a term coined by the nuclear radiation industry for radioactive particles floating in the air, have been recorded at 2 out of 3 air stations in Boston. These stations are monitored by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Massachusetts). Per Dr. Chris Busby of the European Committee on Radiation Risk, it only takes one hot particle in your lungs to create a tangled web of destruction of the avioli, resulting in lung disease.
In Japan, there are individual reports documenting rapid hair loss of females aged 50-52 years, swift dental deterioration within weeks, resulting in tooth loss and the death of two teenage males from internal bleeding.
On December 15, 2011, freelance journalist Tomohiko Suzuki reported shoddy work he recorded while working undercover at the Fukushima plant from July 18 to August 22, 2011. The report was given at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan News Conference. The report went on to state the order for a cold shutdown of the defunct plant by the end of 2012 has workers manipulating their dosimeters and using poor material choices in order to stay on schedule. The majority of the work was stated to be cosmetic.
