Bay Area rain predicted to (finally!) end tomorrow - what happens to the air then?
Our 9 days of torrential rain is predicted to end tomorrow. My understanding is the rain brings the radioactive particles down to the ground (so actually we would have been better off if it hadn't rained the last 9 days).
If all these radioactive particles ended up on our ground, grass, soil, streets, etc., what happens starting tomorrow after the rain stops and the ground dries up? Will the air concentration of these particles start to increase as the particles float up from the ground back into the air? And if so, would you expect the concentration (due to this effect) to peak at some point and then drop off, and when (approximately)? Or would you expect any increase in air concentration due to this effect to be orders of magnitude less than the ongoing Japan radiation that you are measuring that we are receiving everyday now (and therefore not a concern)?
Thanks so much for keeping up this website!
-an electrical engineer in silicon valley
Also keep in mind that it is
Also keep in mind that it is premature to answer the long-term effects question because cesium is only now beginning to spike up and Fukushima could continue emitting for years if nothing is done, potentially an order of magnitude more radioactive materials than Chernobyl.
clarification
I was asking more about a short term peak in concentration due to this effect (say Sunday and Monday) and then would it decrease starting Tuesday?
The reason I ask is I have a baby and we've been keeping the baby indoors mostly during the rain the past week and I am wondering if we should stay indoors a couple more days once the rain stops as well. (obviously out of an abundance of caution, and probably/hopefully just for my own peace of mind :) )
Thanks again!
great question
We have a baby too and been keeping him inside too, and am wondering if we should wait a few days before venturing outside in the sunshine predicted weather here in Berkeley.
As somebody who grew up in
As somebody who grew up in post Chernobyl europe in an area that did have significant fallout I can only tell you that in this case there was no concern about air quality but agricultural products of all sorts were affected. Since some isotopes that rained down (including cesium) have half-lives of decades, a lot of this still persists and will accompany Europeans for the next hundreds of years. Another thing I remember is that all sand in sandboxes was swiftly replaced. I also do remember some leafy vegetables being used to suck certain radioactive isotopes out of the soil, so that after several generations of those vegetables were thrown away they got safer again. I wonder where we're going to get our vegetables from this summer, given that the central valley supplies a large percentage of the fruits and vegetables for the US, and that it has been soaked in the fallout rains nearly as much as we have been in Berkeley.
veggies
I agree with this valid questions about our veggies and food. Will the US be honest enough to even bother to measure the cesium/iodine content in produce after this fallout? I am from Germany and I have the impression that Germans tend to be more transparent with this topic in general. After all, according to the news, a scientist from Austria reported the first day of fallout here in California on 3/18, it took the EPA several days to confirm it.
I have a feeling
that folks running the current project will probably venture into testing things like veggies in the coming weeks.
I share your concern that
I share your concern that the US govt won't share all data they know transparently - after all wars are waged and several thousands are killed based on blatant lies - it would be hoping against hope to expect anything better!!