Bottled drinking water exposed to heavy rains
I posted a question several weeks ago about bottled water stored outdoors and exposed to rain water and if it was still safe to drink.....the response was not to worry....but I was just reading that the radioactive isotopes C137 in particular can easily pass thru the many materials including plastic. So now I'm afraid I may have been allowing my 4 young children to drink water that has higher levels than our tap. Now I'm not sure what to do???
Hello: from my
Hello:
from my understanding, the radioactive particle beta and gamma do not penetrate the water bottles. So they should not be inside the bottles now. However, the gamma radiation penetrates the bottles and could have radiated the water inside the bottles, but not sure whether those gammarays stay in the bottle.
The beta radiation should be blocked by plastic. Any comments/corrections?
can radiation pass through
can radiation pass through the plastic bottle? no one has answered this yet.
I just bought bottled water
I just bought bottled water for my kids! What water can we still drink?!! Where can we escape from the polluted planet?
I don't have the answers,
I don't have the answers, but FWIW what I did was purchase multiple types of pre-Fukushima fallout bottled water. Some Poland Spring spring water from far away, some moderately distant neighboring state distilled drinking water, and some very local reverse osmosis purified drinking water. These were all readily available via local stores so there was really no effort involved in acquiring them. Historically speaking, I've done something similar IOW instead of constantly drinking water from only one source (my Brita filtered municipal water for example) I've consumed water from a variety of sources. The thought being, that such diversification might reduce my overall risk. That isn't guaranteed, but the thought gives me some peace of mind.
I think there are two
I think there are two separate issues...
1) Can the radionuclide(s) permeate the plastic container? If so, they can get into the body and cause damage.
2) Can the radiation given off by the radionuclide(s) penetrate the plastic container? If so, the question becomes can said radiation transform some of the contents (likely not just pure H20 but also some other things in small quantities) into something unstable which can in turn get into the body and cause damage?
I'm no expert, but I'm inclined to think that no radionuclides deposited onto your plastic bottles sitting outside would have actually penetrated them. I'm also inclined to think that even if it is technically possible for bottled water to be made somewhat radioactive through exposure to such low radiation fallout, the probabilities and quantities would be such that it is truly far too minor of an issue to be of any concern whatsoever.
Perhaps those who are more knowledgeable on such subjects will delve into more details. I mainly wanted to draw attention to the distinction between the radionuclides penetrating the bottle and the radiation given off by the radionuclides penetrating the bottle.
FIJI Water and Bottled Waters...
Bottled water unless it is distilled IS a JOKE! It has variable purity levels and is mostly NOT filtered.
Does anyone remember FIJI water? When it first came on the market I KNEW something was very wrong since most people have no clue as to where FIJI is in relation to the nuclear testing that occured in the Pacific from 1945/46 onward.
It's not just radionuclides to be concerned about with drinking waters since the mostly unfiltered variety from underground springs can also carry high levels of many different elements-remember Arrowhead water in the 1980's? It had very high levels of Fluoride. Other waters were assayed and exposed during that time through the 1990's finding other undesireable materials in them!
Best idea: get your self a PUR brand water filter and if you like the carbonation of sodas, there are soda systems you can buy to carbonize and flavor your water!
-Off my menu: All Seafoods because the oceans really are a military and industrial sewer! Yes, I will miss Anchovies on my pizza, fishsticks, red snapper, tuna (even 'chicken of the sea' is no longer 'worthy,'crab, fake crab (made with Pollock, an ocean fish), clam chowder, Caviar etc... See: http://pstuph.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/can-ocean-currents-transport-radi...
Indeed, bottled water has
Indeed, bottled water has potential issues too. I don't even think bottled distilled water can be safely assumed to be free of unwanted contaminants and ideal for consumption. Is the bottle itself completely free of compounds that can leech into the water? Did the distillation process remove all unwanted radionuclides and other contaminants? Is the water of appropriate pH?
Still, I think bottled water has an essential role to play. IOW, I think everyone should give careful thought to their emergency water supply and have something on hand "just in case". Bottled water is easily transported should the need arise.