Reading time: 6,200 words, 18 pages, 15 to 25 minutes.

It is time to re-visit the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan because the clean-up process has entered a new and extremely dangerous phase that you need to know about especially given the usual absence of news coverage by the ass media. Of the seventeen articles I’ve already posted about Fukushima; this is the most important one because your and your loved-ones’ lives are in more danger now than ever.

Brief update: Fukushima has three 100-ton (each) ‘China Syndrome’ molten nuclear fuel blobs melting their way toward the Tokyo water aquifer but no one knows exactly where they are, when they will reach the aquifer that supplies the drinking water for 40 million people or what disaster awaits when they explode into radioactive steam.

And, the failures keep piling up. Every barrier that Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has erected so far at Fukushima has failed. Attempts to filter and decontaminate radioactive water have failed because we lack the technology. Hastily erected storage tanks for contaminated water are leaking. Robots have failed. Cameras have failed. Temperature and other gauges have failed. Decontamination of surrounding land and towns has failed. The list of failures is endless and heart-breaking and, unfortunately, is a harbinger of what is yet to come.

Here are examples of TEPCO’s stunning mismanagement within just the last six months”

In April, 2013, the Fukushima nuclear station suffered a widespread power failure shutting down its cooling systems again. Fairewinds responds that, “Losing power to one spent fuel pool might be understandable, but to have such a massive power failure last almost 24 hours is unconscionable… power loss is further proof that the conditions at Fukushima Daiichi are still unstable, despite what TEPCO and the Japanese and US governments say.”

TEPCO’s incredible incompetence is evident once again. The power panel that failed was outdoors and exposed to the weather.

The Financial Times reports that a rat had caused the short-circuit and barely a month later “radioactive water has seeped into the soil from an underground storage tank at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, in the second such incident in two days.”

In June, Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant admitted it had found another leak of radioactive water, the latest episode in a growing catalogue of failures.

In July, TEPCO and the Japanese government admitted that radioactive contaminated water had been pouring into the Pacific ocean for the past two years.

This past August it was revealed that many of the more than 1,000 water storage tanks that were hastily constructed to store water that was contaminated when it was used for cooling are leaking. Later that month, Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) admitted that “Tepco had failed to spot the leak for days – maybe weeks – despite patrols that are supposed to check each storage tank twice every day. Workers had also left a tap open in the safety barrier that surrounds the base of the leaking storage tank.”

Satellite images show how the number of water storage tanks has increased in the past two years. The tanks store contaminated water that has been used to cool the reactors.

All of these tanks are extraordinarily radioactive and if there’s another earthquake in a country prone to earthquakes, none of these tanks are seismically qualified so hundreds of these tanks will spring leaks and pour across the surface of the site and into the Pacific Ocean according to Arnie Gundersen.

The BBC reports that, “Officials have said that the level of radiation close to this latest leak is extremely high. The water is said to be 8 million times above the safe level for drinking water.”

This past September Japan’s nuclear regulator said that “record high radiation hotspots have spread to three holding areas for hundreds of hastily built tanks.”

In late September, the video below shows “the terrifying reality of the Fukushima radiation traveling to the U.S. and Canada is graphically shown as well as seeing that the effects and radiation stream actually hits the U.S. and Canada more so than it does Japan.”

And if that’s not bad enough, in October we learned that the Yakuza, Japan’s transnational organized crime syndicates which have run labor rackets for generations are involved in the recruitment of an estimated 50,000 ‘Nuclear Gypsies’ cleaning up Fukushima. “The Yakuza labor practices at Fukishima are based on a system of subcontracting, which does not favor the hiring of competent specialized personnel. It creates an environment of fraud and incompetence…”

This is a list of mismanagement, failures and incompetence that TEPCO demonstrated in only the last six months. The entire litany of stupidity goes back many years. And these dangerously incompetent idiots are in still charge of the Fukushima site and it’s clean-up.

However, what we are about to see makes the three to four hundred tons of radioactive contaminated water pouring into the Pacific Ocean every day pale by comparison. By the way, that’s the official estimate of the so-called ‘leakage’. As demonstrated by the under-reporting, downplaying and continuing cover-up of TEPCO and the Japanese government, we shouldn’t be surprise if the amount of contaminated water pouring into the Pacific is many times worse than we are being told.

Given the incredible incompetence that TEPCO has continually demonstrated, you need to know that they are about to begin the next and most dangerous phase of this on-going fiasco; the removal of spent fuel rods from the spent fuel pool perched high above Reactor No. 4.

The Financial Times recently reported that, “Japan’s government has moved a step closer to taking direct control of the clean-up…” However, this is hardly reassuring as neither TEPCO nor the Japanese government could run a lemonade stand. Together with the ass media and Western governments, they’ve all been complicit in covering up or deliberately downplaying the extent of this disaster.

As one Financial Times reader astutely commented, “You know you’re in trouble when the Government thinks it can do a better job than private enterprise.”

Shortly after the initial disaster, Yoichi Shimatsu, an experienced Japanese investigator, reported, “Most people assume that the meticulous Japanese are among the world’s most responsible citizens. As an investigative journalist who has covered the Hanshin (Kobe) earthquake and the Tokyo subway gassing, I beg to differ. Japan is just better than elsewhere in organizing official cover-ups.

“The recurrent tendency to deny systemic errors – “in order to avoid public panic” – is rooted in the determination of an entrenched bureaucracy to protect itself rather than in any stated purpose of serving the nation or its people.”

Fuel Rod Removal

Reactor No. 4 did not suffer a melt-through like three of the six reactors did. However, the explosion and several fires in the building that houses Reactor No. 4 created considerable damage. Of particular concern is the heavy spent fuel pool situated on the top floor of the building. Beginning November of 2013, TEPCO will start removing these spent fuel rods.

Although spent fuel is no longer useful in sustaining a nuclear reaction in an ordinary thermal reactor, it is still extremely dangerous as it has been irradiated by the beta decay of fission products in the nuclear reactor. Because spent fuel still releases considerable heat and needs to be water cooled, it is stored in a water-filled spent fuel pool for years in order to cool it down further and provide shielding from its radioactivity.

The building that is housing Reactor No. 4 is the highest priority because it is in danger of collapsing. The building is sinking and tipping due to earthquake and tsunami damage. As well, the building was never designed for the extra weight of all the cooling water that had been pumped in and groundwater leaking into the buildings. The integrity of the buildings are also compromised by water saturating the soil surrounding and under the buildings which contributes to soil liquefaction and buildings’ subsidence. To make matters worse, the make-shift water cooling system uses salty, corrosive sea water which the buildings’ structure were also not designed to withstand.

In short, TEPCO is running out of time. Every day increases the statistical risk for an apocalyptic scenario. If the either the building or even just the spent fuel pool collapsed exposing the spent fuel rods to the air, the results would be a disastrous fire and explosion sending an unprecedented amount of radioactive smoke, particles and debris into the air.

When that happens, not only would Reactor No. 4 have to be abandoned but the nearby five reactors would also be abandoned and soon suffer the same fate once their coolant is lost. The Pacific jet stream flowing due east will carry this deadly air-borne contamination towards North America and eventually the entire Northern Hemisphere. And, as we have already seen, one small failure often leads to a series of cascading failures.

To put this in perspective, the total amount of nuclear fuel at Fukushima is 15,000 times the radiation of the Hiroshima bomb. This amount of radiation is equivalent to 85 Chernobyls. However, the full extent of the devastation depends exactly on what and how much blows up. That, we cannot predict.

Christina Consolo, the host of Nuked Radio says “The most serious complication would be anything that leads to a nuclear chain reaction… there are many different ways this could occur. In a fuel pool containing damaged rods and racks, it could potentially start up on its own at anytime. TEPCO has been incredibly lucky that this hasn’t happened so far.”

TEPCO’s upcoming attempt to begin the spent fuel removal poses great danger for many reasons not least of which is TEPCO’s incredible incompetence demonstrated numerous times since the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and melt-downs and melt-throughs.

As well, there is a long list of difficulties and challenges involved in the fuel rod removal process:

– The racks separating the fuel rods in the pool were damaged by the initial explosion.

– Salt water has corroded the pool walls and the extent of the corrosive damage to
the fuel rods themselves won’t be known until the extraction process has begun.

– Some of the Zirconium cladding that is encasing the fuel rods are already partially burned due to lack of water, but the extent of that damage also won’t be known until the extraction process has begun.

– The computer guided crane above the spent fuel pool was also destroyed in the explosion.

– TEPCO has built a MAKESHIFT crane for fuel rod removal but this has never been attempted on such a large scale under such dangerous conditions.

– The makeshift crane is manually operated rather than computer controlled and requires the presence of humans who will be bombarded with high levels of radiation between the extraction and casking of the fuel rods.

– There are over 1,300 spent fuel rods in this one spent fuel pool alone and more than 200 unused fuel rods so this delicate operation will need to be repeated more than 1,500 times with no room for error.

– Unlike Chernobyl, these fuel rods contain plutonium, one of the deadliest substances known. The 15 isotopes of plutonium have half-lives ranging from 88 years to 80 million years.

– Washington’s Blog calls the Fukushima fuel pool No. 4 “the greatest threat to humanity.”

– More than 6,000 fuel assemblies are stored in one common pool just 50 meters from No. 4.

– There are six reactor buildings with fuel that has to be removed. Some reports indicate a total of 11,000 fuel rods at the Fukushima site.

– Removing all the fuel rods may be impossible as some are bent or damaged and will not slide easily out of their housing.

– If any two of the rod bundles touch or get distorted, it could cause an uncontrollable nuclear reaction. According to Arnie Gundersen, a veteran U.S. nuclear engineer, director of Fairewinds Energy Education and experienced in building fuel assemblies “The problem with a fuel pool criticality is that you can’t stop it. There are no control rods to control it.” Control rods are used in the reactors, not in the fuel pools.

– These technicians will need to be highly alert to perform this operation without incident yet their senses, especially their sight, will be compromised by the shielding apparatus they are wearing. They will be tired, hot, uncomfortable, sense-compromised, tense and fearful about the building collapsing.

– The technicians have no experience with this type of extraction because this has never been done before nor on such a vast scale.

– The technicians will gain very little experience because they will frequently be removed and replaced with inexperienced technicians once their radiation dose limits are reached. In other words, this delicate extraction process will be done manually with a continuous stream of inexperienced technicians.

– Normally, with a computer-aided crane and under normal operating conditions it would take about 100 days to complete this extraction process. TEPCO originally estimated that under the present dangerous conditions in building No. 4, it would take 2 years to finish the extraction

– Now, because of the danger of the building collapsing, TEPCO has now announced they will attempt to complete the operation in one year. In other words, it’s going to be a RUSH JOB done by incompetent idiots.

– The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “says it could take 40 years. Some experts believe the whole clean-up will take more than a century.”

This is a long list of extremely difficult challenges in a process where there is absolutely NO ROOM FOR ERROR. One tiny mistake spells apocalypse. And, this delicate operation will need to be repeated more than 1,500 times in building No. 4 with 5 more buildings to go.

Will There Be a Disaster?

Yes, there will probably be a disaster. Given the litany of mistakes and incompetence I’ve outlined at the beginning of this article and given the incredible challenges faced by the incomprehensibly incompetent TEPCO listed above, I think the chances of a major nuclear disaster are about 99%. It’s only a question of when.

Here’s what’s going to happen. One tiny mistake during the fuel rod removal process will cascade into an apocalypse of unimaginable magnitude. As outlined above, there are numerous possibilities for errors. Whether a fuel rod is broken or a fuel rod assembly is dropped, the rod’s zirconium cladding will spontaneously ignite when exposed to air for any length of time.

It doesn’t even have to be a human error. All it will take is a major storm, another major earthquake, a tsunami, a fire, an explosion or another cooling system failure. In fact, the fuel in the pool could achieve criticality all by itself for any number of reasons. Once it burns off enough of the coolant water, the resulting heat will compromise the integrity of the pool’s structure which will collapse and turn the remaining fuel rods to rubble. This will release an unprecedented amount of radioactivity and transform itself into an open-air reactor. All six reactor buildings will be hastily evacuated and each building in turn will add to the immensity of this disaster.

Prevailing winds will carry immense quantities of deadly radioactive contamination toward North America. And, the Pacific Ocean, already contaminated, will turn into a radioactive dump.

Christina Consolo states that, “the Japanese have proven time and time again they are not capable of handling this disaster. Now we are entrusting them to execute the most dangerous fuel removal in history.” If you think incompetent TEPCO will perform this fuel rod extraction process without incident, you might as well stop reading now and start believing in Santa Claus.

Now, you might say, “There’s nothing I can do so, why worry about it?” However, there are steps you can take to mitigate the worst of this disaster. Keep reading to learn how to best protect yourself and your loved ones from this likely disaster.

First, you probably won’t hear about the disaster from the ass media and our governments will continue to downplay and deny as will so-called ‘experts’ in the nuclear industry that have a vested interest in protecting their jobs. Just as they did after the initial Fukushima disaster, they’ll turn of the West Coast monitors and say there’s “nothing to report”.

So, you need to stay tuned to alt blogs like this one and others. Subscriptions on this home page are free (however you’ll be notified by email of ANY new post, not just Fukushima.) An excellent blog dedicated to Fukushima is Fukushimafaq which has hundreds of links. Note: if clicking a link doesn’t work, then copy and paste the links onto your browser.

Second, if you hear of a critical Fukushima episode before I do, please notify me as soon as possible by leaving a comment so I can follow up, verify and post an alert. The prevailing winds from Japan take from 4 to 6 days to reach North America so we have time to sound an alert. Although there may be time for an alert, you are running out of time to prepare.
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How You can Protect Yourself

a) Move to the Southern Hemisphere. There is little air exchange between the two hemispheres so the air in the Southern Hemisphere will not be as contaminated as the Northern Hemisphere. Of course, there are many downsides to this. You’ll need a passport, lots of money and be prepared for a complete change in lifestyle.

Also, you need to go NOW before disaster strikes. After the Fukushima disaster in March, 2011 there was such a demand for air travel, those trying to buy airline tickets out of San Francisco had to wait two weeks and out of Tokyo had to wait two months to evacuate by air and at exorbitant prices. And, no matter where you go, the Pacific Ocean is contaminated and eventually all the world’s oceans will be, too.

b) Move to Southern Mexico. That’s still in the Northern Hemisphere but it’s far enough south to avoid the worst of the radioactive contamination. The same downsides apply. Yes you could drive but again, you’d have to go before disaster strikes or risk getting caught in a monumental traffic jam of broken and out-of-gas vehicles on the highway to hell.

c) Stay put and ride it out. For that, keep reading.

What You MUST Do NOW before Disaster Strikes

There are things you can do to limit exposure to radioactive dust BEFORE a full scale disaster strikes.

1) Measure or estimate how much tape you’ll need to do all your windows and frames and then buy extra. You’ll be amazed how much you need. Even if you don’t use it this time, there’s always next time.

2) Buy duct tape NOW while it’s still available. In an emergency, stores will be cleaned out quickly. Do you want to fight a mob in the store or be protected and safe at home?

3) Keep duct tape in its plastic wrapping or seal it in plastic bags to extend its life until you need it.

4) Have several weeks of food stored for emergencies. This is a MUST HAVE for any disaster whether it’s an epidemic, ice storm, power outage, earthquake, terrorist attack, etc.

5) Buy water containers such as 20 – 25 litre (4 – 5 gal U.S.) used for camping. Rinse them with water and some baking soda before you use them. Calculate a bare minimum of 1 litre per person per day just for drinking and then double that for cooking. Remember this is still a bare minimum and doesn’t include water for washing. Again, this is a MUST HAVE for any disaster.

6) Buy Potassium Iodine pills when they’re available at health food stores. Again, buy them NOW. When it’s too late: it’s too late! However, keep in mind it will only protect your thyroid, not any other organs. Other supplements are mentioned further below.

7) Consider buying a good quality portable water filter. You want it portable in case the electricity goes out and you need to operate it manually. Katadyn make one of the best but they are expensive. On the other hand, the filter is permanent (porous ceramic, back-flow washable) so you don’t need to buy replacement filters.

8) If you have a forced air furnace (air ducts) then discard the cheap fibreglass air filter and buy a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. This will trap more microscopic particles than fibreglass or electrostatic filters. They come in various ratings. Consider a minimum of 1250. 1500 is better yet. 1750 may be overkill unless you need to filter smoke particles, microbes, pet dander, etc. for allergy reasons. Yes, they are more expensive the higher the rating but what is your health worth? Yes, they need to be replaced more often because they trap more dust but that’s the whole point of an air filter, isn’t it?

9) Buy a spare filter as well. When the SHTF, stores will be cleaned out.

10) If you don’t have a forced air furnace, buy air cleaners (air purifiers) appropriately sized to your rooms. Permanent filters can be vacuumed to save the expense of replacement filters. Remember, they operate on electricity and after a major nuclear disaster, you cannot expect power to stay on forever. Eventually, you’ll need to crack a window open for fresh air. As long as you have electricity, make sure you have an air filter close to the opened window.

11) Radioactive Pacific tuna and salmon were caught off the West Coast as long ago as August 2011, only 4 months after the Fukushima disaster, so it’s too late to eat these fast swimming, fresh fish which are now contaminated. However, canned tuna and salmon typically have a shelf life of about 5 years or more years so if you can find water filled (not oil) old inventory with a best before date of 2015 or sooner, consider buying them. Good news: ‘Best Before’ dates are a suggestion only. If an undamaged, undented can doesn’t bulge or smell bad after opening, it’s likely edible long after the Best Before date.

12) Invest in a good quality dosimeter or Geiger counter (radiation detector). Note that good ones start at around $500 for new. Cheaper models may give inaccurate readings.

13) Food stockpile – have several weeks of food stored for emergencies. This is a MUST HAVE for any disaster whether it’s an epidemic, ice storm, power outage, earthquake, terrorist attack, etc. For more detailed information, see the article “Stockpiling” Survival & Emergency Preparedness. Yes, this is a repeat of #4 because it’s THAT important to avoid unnecessary exposure hunting for food on empty store shelves.

14) Buy one or more manual can openers. In a full scale disaster, don’t expect the electricity to stay on for your electric opener. They’re also good barter items if you have extras.

15) Remember the 80/20 rule. 80% of people will do nothing. 20% will save themselves. To be among that 20% you need to Beware Your Dangerous Normalcy Bias.

16) I’ve read (unverified) that most of us experience bouts of cancer a dozen times in a typical lifetime but healthy bodies fight it off. Stay in good shape and stay healthy to help you fight off cancer. Do what your mother told you: eat right, gets plenty of rest and exercise – you know the drill.

17) If you haven’t already done so, buy one or more boxes of good quality face masks (particulate respirators). A box of 20 N95 approved masks costs about $50. Sealed in plastic they’ll last many years and will also come in handy if there’s ever a flu epidemic. Again, if you don’t have them before disaster strikes, they’ll be gone when you need them.

18) Keep facemasks in your car and workplace as a precaution and wear it when a full alert is called.

19) I have heard of but have no experience using Zeolite to reduce (not eliminate) some of the radioactivity of food by placing it in an open container beside food. Also, a dehumidifier like RD Fresh may extend the life of Zeolite which tends to attract moisture.

Also, be aware that Zeolite is sometimes recommended for ingestion but be careful using it for anything other than decontaminating food. There are many questionable claims about the various ills it supposedly cures and you must ensure it has been properly cleaned before you buy it. It is contaminated when it is mined and needs to be properly cleaned otherwise it may do more harm than good if you eat or drink it so I cannot recommend ingesting it.

20) Apartment doors – if you live in an apartment – apartment doors are very leaky. Buy foam tape now and then after disaster strikes; seal the area where the door contacts the frame. It may be difficult to find in southern areas but in northern areas it’s used for cold weather insulation, also called weather stripping. Also, a ‘door sweep’ can be attached to the bottom of the door to reduce air leakage under the door.
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What to do AFTER Disaster Strikes

The following are updated from some of my articles including Japan Nuclear Disaster and What You Can Do to Protect Yourself of April 17, 2011.

1) Realize that unless you are in the vicinity of the Fukushima nuclear plant, you will probably not be exposed to any direct radiation. Radiation does not blow in the wind. The problem will be radioactive DUST particles (“hot” particles aka ‘constant emitters’) that are carried by wind, rain and water. In the event of a full-scale alert, you must limit your exposure to dust. You may not be able to see these hot particles as they may be microscopic in size.

2) If you are outside when a full alert is sounded and you don’t have a facemask handy, avoid breathing dust by breathing through your shirt, jacket, coat or other available cloth.

3) Seek shelter as soon as possible but avoid over-exertion and heavy breathing. Listen for official instructions (if there are any) and follow directions.

4) When you get home after a full alert, don a facemask (if you haven’t already) and remove and isolate your clothing as they may contain radioactive dust. Then bathe or shower to remove dust from your skin and hair. Depending on the severity of the alert, you may want to either abandon the clothes you wore outside or carefully launder them.

5) If at home when an alert is called, turn off ventilation systems and close windows, vents, fireplace dampers, exhaust fans and clothes dryer vents. Exhaust fans and clothes dryer vents create negative pressure in your home that allows contaminated outside air to leak in through cracks.

6) Seal windows with duct tape. Seal the area where windows slide or contact the frame as this will be the area of greatest leakage.

7) Once everyone is home, duct tape the door frames to prevent air leakage.

8) The heavier you breathe outdoors, the greater the likelihood of inhaling radioactive dust so limit heavy outdoor work and outdoor exercise especially on dusty, windy days. Consider exercising indoors. Based on air filter tests done shortly after the initial Fukushima disaster, it was estimated that West Coast residents inhaled an average of five hot particles a day. When you exercise indoors, make sure you vacuum and wet dust regularly.

9) Rain will be your enemy. Rain will wash radioactive particles out of the atmosphere. Avoid getting caught in the rain, especially the first few minutes. Us an umbrella and assume it IS contaminated afterwards. Shake off as much water as you can and bring it indoors only if necessary.

10) If you don’t already wash fruits and vegetables, why not? You cannot rely on food producers to wash all the dirt, chemicals, pesticides and bacteria off fruit and vegetables. That includes radioactive dust. Don’t use dish soap as residue is not healthy. Most health food stores carry liquid soap for fruits and vegetables. Wash them in lukewarm water and double rinse in cold water.

11) Even wash the outside of fruits and vegetables that you are going to peal. If the outer skin is contaminated, the knife becomes contaminated when it slices through the skin and then it contaminates the inside.

12) Avoid burning candles or incense as they clog air purifiers and high efficiency furnace filters.

13) Wear a face mask and gloves when changing these filters. They contain a lot of dust, some of which may be radioactive so discard the filter carefully.

14) Most forced air furnaces have a switch that allows you to run the air blower constantly. Note, running the blower does NOT produce any more heat although it does create more even heating (or cooling) throughout you home by constantly circulating air. You will not increase your heating bill by running the blower constantly and the slight increase in electricity usage for the blower motor is negligible. However, by running the blower constantly, you’ve turned your furnace into a full-time air cleaner. Downside: unless your furnace has a heavy duty motor, most are not designed to run 24/7/365 so use it intermittently.

15) If you’re a mouth breather (no disrespect) then stop it! Breathe through your nose. The nose is designed to be a dust filter. Blow your nose several times a day.

16) If you hack up phlegm, don’t swallow it. Spit it out or discretely discard it in a tissue. See those dark particles in your phlegm? That’s dust that the cilia sweep out of your lung’s air passages. If phlegm contains radioactive dust, you want it outside your body not in your digestive system if you swallow it.

17) Eat sushi? Your better make sure the fish doesn’t come from the Pacific Ocean.

18) Seaweed – although it’s healthy, find out where it came from. Seaweed absorbs radioactive Caesium. If it’s from the Pacific, forget it.

19) Keep car windows rolled up (many vehicles have cabin air filters) and use the air conditioner if it’s hot outside.

20) Don’t let pets or children drink from puddles or other unfiltered open-air water sources.

21) If you change your own vehicle air filter or if you are a worker who does, make sure to wear a face mask, take care in disposing the filter and wash your hands afterwards. Vehicles and diesel powered machinery “breathe” large volumes of air so air filters become hotspots by accumulating radioactive dust. Radioactive filters are being found in the Western states and provinces. This does not make the rest of the country safe. It’s a matter of degree. Remember, there is no safe limit for radiation exposure.

22) Vacuum clean but wear a face mask when doing so because vacuuming also stirs up dust. In Tokyo they found more Hot Particles indoors than outdoors after the 2011 disaster because it was tracked indoors.

23) When you change your vacuum filter bags, also make sure you wear a face mask, take care in disposing the filter and wash your hands afterwards.

24) Run the furnace blower or air purifiers for several hours after vacuuming to eliminate any hot particles stirred up by vacuuming.

25) Wet dust rather than dry dust (home, car, boat, RV, etc.) as that stirs up dust.

26) Avoid milk and milk products after Fukushima blows up again. Through ‘bio-accumulation’ i.e. cows eating large quantities of lightly contaminated grass or grain, the amount of contamination increases. It takes a long time for radioactive iodine levels to fall after a radiological disaster.

27) Avoid spinach and broad-leafed plants which collect more radioactive particles than vegetables growing in the ground i.e. carrots & potatoes.

28) Pets? – you know Fido is filthier than you care to admit. Wash your best friend more often otherwise hot particles are tracked into your home.

29) Gardening – wear a face mask if you’re working with dry soil. Essentially, Hot Particles are dust. Always wear a face mask with any activity where you stir up dust. If you use gardening knee pads, avoid bringing dirty knee pads inside.

30) Handbags, grocery bags, other containers – it’s common knowledge that the bottom of handbags are filthy from resting on floors. The same applies to other containers. Be careful in handling them so they don’t pick up dirt that might contain Hot Particles and damp-wipe the bottoms before setting them on tables or counters.

31) Japanese products – I don’t know how long we can trust large manufacturers to ensure their products and containers are not contaminated but without some government monitoring programs you should be concerned about small manufacturers like pottery and china that’s made of clay or wood. Avoid small manufactures’ articles made from clay or wood that might contain Hot Particles.

32) Lawn care – raking or cutting the lawn on a dry day stirs up dust. You guessed it: wear a face mask. Neighbors wondering about the face mask? Tell ‘em the truth if you think they can handle it. If they’re in denial, tell ‘em you got allergies.

33) Shoes – it’s not just the soles that pick up Hot Particles. Shoes are an article of clothing closest to the ground and they get dusty. Take them off and don’t wear them in your home. If you have a mud-room or an entrance area for footwear, when’s the last time it was thoroughly cleaned?

34) In a full scale panic, expect full scale panic. Yes, I know it’s redundant but it needs to be said so you’re mentally prepared.

35) Also, be prepared to defend yourself and your loved ones. In the event of a full-blown disaster, you’ll discover just how thin the veneer of civilization really is – especially when people panic or think they’re doomed anyway.

36) I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The three most important survival traits are attitude, attitude, and attitude. All the skills in the world and all the gear in the world are useless if you give up. NEVER, ever give up.

37) And remember: people are watching and gauging you. You are more of a role model than you realize. Remain calm. Don’t panic. Reassure others. Help where you can.

Supplemental Tactics

The following suggestions are condensed from Dr. Mercola’s Radiation from Fukushima

NOTE: these are excellent strategies to protect from the effects of radiation but NOT from radioactive particles. These “Hot” particles are your enemy as described in the avoidance strategies above. If ingested they constantly bombard body tissue with radioactivity that could overwhelm Doctor Mercola’s strategies below.

A) If you’re looking for strategies to help prevent damage caused by radiation exposure, researchers noted in the International Journal of Low Radiation that the most active molecular form of vitamin D – D3 (also known as calcitriol) – may offer protection against a variety of radiation-induced damages, including even those caused by background radiation or a low-level nuclear incident. The protective mechanisms are so strong that researchers suggested vitamin D3 should be considered among the prime (if not the primary) non-pharmacological agents to protect against sub-lethal low radiation damage and, particularly, radiation-induced cancer. Gerold note: I take these daily as a supplement.

B) Spirulina – a blue-green algae – might be another useful alternative to protect against the effects of radiation. Spirulina was actually used to treat children exposed to chronic low levels of radiation after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Gerold note: make sure they aren’t Pacific Ocean source.

C) Turmeric – contains a broad spectrum of water, fat and alcohol-soluble components, all of which may contribute to reducing damage associated with both external radiation and internalized radioisotope exposures. It accomplishes this primarily through reducing oxidative stress to cellular structures, particularly DNA. Gerold note: a little goes a long way. Too much leaves a metallic taste.

D) Whey – One of the reasons for using sweet whey is because whey protein contains all the precursors that help your body produce glutathione, which is one of the best ways to detoxify these toxins. The other reason is it’s the highest source of all minerals and trace minerals that exist in nature. It has every possible mineral and trace elements – including organic sodium – that your body needs in the most bioactive form.

E) Other supplements include:

Ginseng
Ashwaganda (an adaptogenic herb)
High-dose vitamin C
Coconut oil, which supports optimal thyroid health
Kelp and other seaweeds (high in natural iodine) (not Pacific sourced)
Fulvic Acid
Magnesium
Astaxanthin (has some protective function against ionizing radiation)
Zeolites (to neutralize radiation) or bentonite clays
Reishi mushrooms (strong immune support)
Selenium
Chlorella (contains chlorophyll, which will increase your resistance to radiation)
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For additional strategies to protect yourself and your loved ones, see the Fukushimafaq article that is loaded with useful additional links. Note: if clicking their links doesn’t work then copy and paste the links onto your browser.

Let us hope the 1% probability comes true but let us prepare for the 99% likelihood of disaster.

If you have additional suggestions and strategies, please share by leaving a comment below. Feel free to share this article with others.

Gerold
October 31, 2013 (there’s a scary, auspicious date)

Update – Nov. 1, 2013. You know it’s getting serious when the ass media gets off their butts and actually reports something useful. Fukushima decommissioning slip-up could trigger monumental chain reaction, expert warn. This ABC story also has a short, interesting video clip.

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