Japan rocked with 8.9 earthquake.

[smokey the elder]

I found this incredible graphic showing the amount of radiation you get from different sources. http://xkcd.com/radiation/

[Kirsten]

Now they say Plutonium is leaking, they detected neutron beams several times, which means that now the really bad stuff is set free. Things are getting pretty scary!

The article I read was a German one, otherwise I would post a link. And on German tv, they say that radiation in Fukushima has never been as high as today...

[Karen]

The news grows continually worse. NHK right now says they have detected cesium in the soil 50 km from the plant, 5 cm down, that is over 1000 times normal.

This is just bad, and the fact that the Japanese just had people evacuate within 30 km makes this even more horrifying. I am glad the American government told every American within 50 miles (about 80 km) and I hope many Japanese heard that and moved away also.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

They are saying that dangerous levels are reaching Tokyo now and some of the water is contaminated as well as some foods.

[smokey the elder]

They found cesium? Uh, oh that's not good.

I read the I 131 in the water has dropped to under 100 (it was 210 yesterday) and is safe for babies again.

I would think they could use ion exchange (chloride for iodide) to remove the iodine. I think a simple Brita filter would work; just store it for awhile in a thick walled plastic container once it's used. (Just like kitty litter after iodine treatment for hyperthyroid cats. It's the same isotope.)

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Another thing has been bothering me. They say the water is not safe for children to drink but ok for adults. What about women who are pregnant? or breast feeding babies? Would the radiation in the water the moms drink filter down, so to speak, to the babies?

[Karen]

Another thing has been bothering me. They say the water is not safe for children to drink but ok for adults. What about women who are pregnant? or breast feeding babies? Would the radiation in the water the moms drink filter down, so to speak, to the babies?

If it is not safe for children, they usually tell pregnant or nursing mothers to avoid it as well. They do say, though, that it is better to drink it if that's the only choice you have, as dehydration can be dangerous for pregnant women. Frankly, given all the misinformation and obfuscation the Japanese government and TEPCO have done, I would have any pregnant or nursing women anywhere near the plant have gone to visit relatives in the South, or made any excuse to not stay.