Thread: Watch Live Geiger Counter From Tokyo - Live Stream NHK TV From Japan

What's consider an acceptable level?

Originally Posted by michaelr

dunno, I just got back from running around. I will look it up later. I did get potassium iodine.

You know I have been hearing on the news where the Japanese government is handing these pills out, and I think that's weird considering you can buy that shit in the drugstore.

Rachel Maddow had a guy on last night saying the kind of stuff that's leaking from that plant isn't the stuff iodine helps anyway. He was saying "just don't drink the milk".

The interview was with David Brenner, the director of the Center of Radiological Research at Columbia University Medical Center.

There's a lot more on this at the link, but in part:

MADDOW: In terms of the broader population, and thinking about what might be a manageable amount of radioactive exposure—I realize it is a fluid situation. We don‘t yet know how much radiation is going to be released into the atmosphere. But one of the things that has been discussed is the distribution of iodine tablets to try protect people from thyroid cancer.

Why is that important? And how important is that?

BRENNER: Well, in my view, it‘s not important at all. It‘s not actually the appropriate way to deal with the issue of iodine-131. The way iodine gets—radioactive iodine gets into the body is a crowd of iodine falls to the ground. Cows eat grass which has got that radioactive iodine in it. The milk that they produce has radioactive iodine in it, and we drink the milk.

So, the simple way to avoid the iodine problem is simply not to drink the milk and that works. It doesn‘t work with all the other radio isotopes. For the special case of iodine, simply don‘t drink the milk.

MADDOW: So, that‘s—that‘s not like you‘re using cows and milk production as an example of one way in which all different ways you can be contaminated. That‘s the specific route?

BRENNER: It‘s the specific route of iodine. Yes.

MADDOW: OK.

BRENNER: So, iodine pills, they‘re not going to do harm, but they‘re not really going to do any good either. The real way is to stop people drinking the milk.

Monday, March 14th - msnbc tv - Rachel Maddow show - msnbc.com

So, do we stop drinking milk here or just the Japanese shouldn't drink milk?

Originally Posted by Babba

So, do we stop drinking milk here or just the Japanese shouldn't drink milk?

I think it's just the milk from the cows that are in the fallout zone. Actually, I think it's more like "The shit ends up everywhere, and no one's going to tell you what it's most likely to be concentrated in lest they fall prey to and 'Oprah vs. the cattle industry' lawsuit."

If people stop drinking enough milk I imagine Rachel will be hearing from the dairy farmers.

I think misleading people using the excuse of not wanting to create widespread panic is becoming the norm.

P.S. I have no idea if cheese is included in htis warning or not.

Originally Posted by michaelr

Potassium Iodine may not be the save all of save alls but it keeps the thyroid from filling with radiation iodine.

U.S. Drug Stores Report Sudden Increase in Potassium Iodide Sales

Too much iodine isn't good for you. Be careful with that stuff.

The Iodine Controversy: Too Much vs. Not Enough, and What It Does To Your Thyroid?