Will the West Coast get hit with Japanese nuclear fallout?
No,
says the South Coast Air Quality Management District. For reasons unknown to me, I’m on their e-mail list, and this just came through:You have probably heard news reports about harmful radiation escaping from damaged nuclear power plants in Japan following the recent tsunami. Some have even voiced concern that this radiation could travel across the ocean and impact California. There is no increased risk of harmful levels of radiation exposure in the United States, based on the situation to date and a review of actual monitored levels by AQMD as well as other public health officials and technical experts.
(Emphasis in original). SCAQMD fudges it somewhat, saying that this is only “based on the situation to date.” It’s not clear what that means: is it based on current conditions, or is it based on current conditions plus historic data concerning wind patterns, models about possible future fallout levels, etc.?
Still, as someone once said of old age, it certainly beats the alternative. SCAQMD says it will post daily radiation monitoring reports at its website. Good for them.
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About Jonathan
Jonathan Zasloff teaches Torts, Land Use, Environmental Law, Comparative Urban Planning Law, Legal History, and Public Policy Clinic – Land Use, the Environment and Loc…
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I agree with you. There is no reason to be concerned yet. Plutonium and Uranium are blood-words, when these really are the least of your worries in the event of a disaster.