Lots of new EPA data is up today...

http://www.epa.gov/japan2011/rert/radnet-sampling-data.html#air

Posted April 10, results for the last few days of March and the first 3 or 4 days in April: Air Filter / Air Cartridge data for...
Dutch Harbor, AK
Juneau, AK
Nome, AK
Montgomery, AL
Guam
Kauai, HI
Oahu, HI
Boise, ID
Las Vegas, NV
Saipan

Some of the trends are pretty interesting, particularly with regard to the I-131: Down, then up, then down again, but never below MDA. Other isotopes APPEAR to be mainly falling below MDA levels, but I have real concern that the EPA's laboratory testing is neither as rigorous nor as comprehensive (and possibly, not as results-"trensparent", either) as BRAWM's.

On the "plus" side, these results look fairly consistent, and would SEEM to indicate that the REALLY bad stuff is in fact either becoming more widely dispersed, or is being "washed" out of the atmosphere in a long, steady downward arc. However, I-131 is persistent, which I interpret to mean that it's still being generated in measurable quantities.

At this point, my main concern is cesium, so... I guess I'll take it. But, at first glance anyway, EPA's latest results would SEEM to contradict BRAWM's preliminary (and surprising / unsettling) data for 4/6 and 4/7.

Next -- Posted April 10, results for March 28 and 29: Precipitation data for...
Richmond, CA
Saipan
St. Paul, MN
Wilmington, NC
Knoxville, TN
Oak Ridge, TN

As with the Air Monitoring, results are below MDA for everything but I-131... EXCEPT for Oak Ridge, TN, which is interesting. On the one hand, I MIGHT believe that there's a lot more of that crap in that area generally, given its nuclear legacy. On the other -- it MIGHT also make sense that their systems are -- for the same reason -- calibrated in such a way as to ensure even minute isotopic detection. I just don't know. It seems a little... odd... that ONLY Oak Ridge, TN would pick up cesium isotopes, out of the ENTIRE country... But I'm no expert.

Also interesting: In St. Paul, MN, the reading for I-131 has decreased by exactly 50% since the last measured rainfall... But in Oak Ridge, the reading for I-131 INCREASED 400% over the same monitor's (consistent) results over a two-day period earlier in the month... And BOTH C-134 AND C-137 have now been detected there for the first time.

...Like I said: Interesting. The only recognizable pattern seems to be that there's really no recognizable pattern. Chaos theory, I suppose. If there are any FACTS or even fair PREDICTIONS that can possibly be extrapolated from all this data, I sure can't see it. I hope someone's looking at it from a great enough distance and with a comprehensive enough computer model to start nailing certain things down soon.

Then -- Posted April 10, results for testing performed April 4: Milk data for Hilo, HI and Reno, NV.

Bottom line: Hilo's milk looks BAD, and Montpelier, VT, and Los Angeles and Phoenix and Spokane, WA aren't much better, but at least THEY don't have cesium in it (unlike Hawaii).

EPA's milk results are coming in too slow, and too scattershot. (For that matter, so are just about ALL its results.) Someone really needs to light a fire under these people to step it up, FAST. For that matter: Where is THEIR Food Chain data? Are they even testing anything? Does anyone know?

...It's the Drinking Water data that really concerns me, though. (Newest results, posted today, are for April 4 collections in Dothan, AL; Seneca, SC; and Los Angeles, CA.) Okay, so they're testing for I-131 (found only in LA in this latest batch)... What about EVERYTHING ELSE? There's I-131 all over the place, but inconsistently... And there's NO "track records" for trend analysis, yet; everything's a one-and-done, so far. Again, EPA's WAAAY too slow on this: How is it that we can excuse a two-week lag time on TAP WATER?

...Anyway, hope this is helpful. The only conclusion I can possibly draw, here, is that there are NO conclusions that I can possibly draw, most especially the one I'm most anxious about: Is the worst behind us?

Maybe smarter folks than I can take a look at this and tell me what it is I'm looking at. I certainly HOPE so.

Rick Cromack.
Allen, Texas
RichardFCromackJr@gmail.com
972-746-8575