[Newsbot]

Title: Radiation from Japan 'not harmful': B.C. scientist
Category: Health
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2011-03-28 22:36:49
Canadian

[martin14]

I 131 has a half life of 8 days, so this is not the danger.

Far more interesting is Cesium and Strontium, half lives of 30 years, which are being ignored by the CBC.

And they are finding plutonium around the plants, a sure sign something melted.

[Scape]

The cracks in the dyke are so many at this point we need an army of little Dutch boys.

[ShepherdsDog]

martin14 martin14:

I 131 has a half life of 8 days, so this is not the danger.

Far more interesting is Cesium and Strontium, half lives of 30 years, which are being ignored by the CBC.

And they are finding plutonium around the plants, a sure sign something melted.

The MOX fuel rods.

[DrCaleb]

martin14 martin14:

I 131 has a half life of 8 days, so this is not the danger.

Far more interesting is Cesium and Strontium, half lives of 30 years, which are being ignored by the CBC.

You have those backwards. Shorter half lives means stronger radiation, and more damage due to radiation. But elements with shorter half lives are indeed easier to avoid, because they are rendered inert faster.

There are literally tons of uranium and plutonium in the atmosphere due to nuclear testing, and they aren't considered harmful because the low decay rates.