Fukushima and surfing

[Tempst]

There's been an increase in talk about radiation leak from fukushima. How do you guys (especially on west coast) feel about it? Still going to surf? Take your kids surfing? Or are you just gonna surf until the legit warning signs are up on beaches? Or do you just not care and believe it wont effect the west to much as most will dilute which is what I've been hearing. Please share how you feel because right now, I don't know where to stand on it.

[billie_morini]

It's OK for now in CA.

[Tempst]

Do you think that in a couple of years it'll be worse to go into the pacific to surf?

[oldmansurfer]

People need to stop reading nonsense on the internet. You are exposed to radiation all the time and whatever reaches here from Fukushima will be insignificant compared to what you are normally exposed to.

[jaffa1949]

Lead surfboards, beats glow in the dark gonads.

[gd6]

Please don't worry about this, there are plenty of people with geiger counters (they cost less than $1000) and there would be floods of youtube videos of really high readings from ocean water. The ocean is the biggest thing on earth, and while fukushima was a horrible tragedy it doesn't look like the water will ever be dangerous for swimming in California from that event, even if there is still a small leak. Radioactive particles are very easy to detect in extremely small quantities, and I guarantee you there would be a whistleblower if there was some conspiracy cover up to pretend like the water levels off the coast aren't dangerous, there is just too many labs and universities that could test for that sort of thing and somebody would release the results if it was indeed dangerous. They are doing studies on the Kelp to determine the exact effect it is having on the ocean, but swimming in it is not going to make you radioactive.

There are plenty of people like Edward Snowden who are willing to risk there careers and lives to warn people of important things like this...there is just too much room for error for a coverup of this kind that extends all the way to every lab in california with the ability to test for radioactive particles.

[oldmansurfer]

Unfortunately there are plenty of people with absolutely no problem raising a false alarm about stuff like this. But on the other hand you don't need to worry because many are willing to sell you false products to keep you safe from the false alarm. Everything you eat is radioactive and you yourself are radioactive. If you are out in the sun you are exposed to radiation. Fly on jet and you are exposed to high levels of radiation. The atmosphere filter out lots of radiation and the higher you are in the atmosphere the greater the radiation. If you are really worried about radiation quit eating bananas because they are likely the most radioactive food you eat. Or just ignore the conspiracy theorists and have fun.

[jaffa1949]

A quick comment with a little less sarcasm than my last on this. I would be more worried about any heavy storm water run off after a prolonged dry spell or the leaking of sewerage into the coastal lagoons behind Malibu and Rincon and the storm drains of various west coast cities.

[KoolCook]

I am still eating sushi...I don't care if I glow in the dark!

[billie_morini]

Tempst,
you asked about in the future, say 2 or 3 years out. If all things remain as they presently are (Fukushima or any other plant in the Pacific don't blow), it'll be OK.

One of the guys mentioned geiger counters. Technically, these instruments are called Geiger Müller counters, meters, or instruments. Yes, some are inexpensive enough to be obtained by laymen, but data not collected within the context of a proper sampling design plan is meaningless. I've also seen these instruments misused by various types of engineers and scientists, too. So, am not just picking on laymen. I will pick on anybody that simply picks the instrument up, turns it on, waves it around, and declares he/she made a meaningful measurement. It is also not correct to compare field measurements made in a Youtube video to general background levels obtained from a government website, textbook, reference, etc. There's a lack of design and context with that.

But, as the fellow mentioned, if MANY people made alarming measurements, even bad measurements, that alarm government officials and employees there'd be adequate clamor for action. The flip side of amateur measurements is missing something that is truly present. (!)

For now, it's OK.
billie

PS. liked Jaffa's idea for lead shielded surf board

[CARBr6]

So, are you telling me that if I go surfing on the West Coast that I'll be infected by radiation and will turn into a Surfing -Based Super Hero??
I'm in, now where's my passport?

[jaffa1949]

You might grow a second left foot and well then where would you surfing go.
You might just glow in the dark, or become an isotope of yourself Carb14

[jaffa1949]

You might grow a second left foot and well then where would you surfing go.
You might just glow in the dark, or become an isotope of yourself Carb14

[oldmansurfer]

Worrying about radiation from Fukushima in California is like worrying that you will be dyed purple if you go in the ocean because someone dumped a million gallons of purple dye in the ocean at Fukushima. (Except that purple dye doesn't turn you into a Surfing based Super Hero.)

[billie_morini]

Speaking of purple, I've seen this:

An engineering contractor working for the US Navy at the former Hunters Point Shipyard in San Francisco, accidentally turned a portion of the SF Bay purple. The contractor was injecting potassium permanganate (KMnO4) into the groundwater to treat (oxidize) chlorinated solvents in the groundwater. The Navy didn't tell the contractor about a hole in a subsurface storm water conveyance pipe that discharged to the Bay. The permanganate entered the pipe and then the Bay. The media attention was sensational because the Bay was purple.

It wouldn't be the best thing to have skin contact with this. Even if diluted enough that it wouldn't tear up your skin, it would cause a purple stain on your skin.

[oldmansurfer]

SO don't go surfing in Fukushima because you will turn purple from the dye in San Francisco?

[jaffa1949]

In that case you will dye!

[LifeSurfAndSpa]

Even here in Costa Rica people asking about the Fukushima leaking. What we can see is that We surf every day all year round and anybody has never had any bad effects!
This is what's going on here!

[oldmansurfer]

They are still surfing over there
http://world.time.com/2013/09/20/surfers-of-fukashimas-radioactive-waves/

[oldmansurfer]

Here is an article from Surfing Magazine that goes into detail why you shouldn't worry about it.
http://www.surfingmagazine.com/blogs/the-scoop-radioactive-pacific/