Sunday 8 April 2012

The NZ National Radiation Laboratory



Fukushima radiation; 
You're Soaking In It
Testing for radiation in New Zealand

7 April, 2012

This just a short post which we will be updating shortly but this week while down in Bluff I discovered that NZ authorities were "testing" for radiation in NZ Mutton Birds as the Mutton Bird season got under way.




Why because these birds spend nearly half their life in the northern hemisphere and reguarly feed on marine life off the coast of Japan. Actually not too far from Fukushima, where more than 6 nuclear reactors were critically damaged in last years tsunami/earthquake.

As I will reveal in a follow up post I have had lot to do with the specific agency which is conducting the tests. The National Radiation Laboratory (now part of Land Care) as a result I like to refer to this agency personally as the National Radiation Liars. Thus when I first heard they were testing for radiation my first thoughts were this should be interesting.

On closer investigations my concerns prove valid as they not so much lie but fail to tell the whole truth.

Firstly in local community papers the research shows they tested the feather for cesium and found there was no reason to be worried.

The problem is true to NRL form this is misleading for the following reasons

1. With cesium the issue is not so much one of quantity but more of quality. It may be that initial exposure is low this season around. Yet constant exposure well cause an accumulative effect which may prove dangerous to the birds and any one eating them on a constant basis in the future.

2. What kind of cesium did they test for this has not been stated but its important to understand there are many variation and with out specific testing for the right isotope the research is meaningless.

3. Other isotope released in Japan include plutonium and strontium which have not been tested by the NRL (or at less the data not public-ally released). Yet in Japan where around the reactors the bird population has dwindled by 90% ( a real swan dive if ever their was one) the killer has been found not in the feathers but the bones. Again the NRL have not released information to show whether they tested bone marrow which will pass on to the chicks via mutation of the DNA.

4. What about the rest? Mutton birds are just one species who come to NZ who regularly feed off the coast of Japan. An estimated 21 million birds fly to the northern hemisphere and feed in this hazardous zone. What tests are being conducted on these species.

5. Contradictory statements. During the recent Rena disaster we tried to establish what test were being conducted to see whether the Rena cargo included radioactive material and were told at the time that due the earthquake in Christchurch the NRL (which also stores low-level waste in a building secured with a padlock) was unable to do much because it had being severly hampered by the quake. Yet now it seems its business as usual. A post note to this point is I had opportunity to talk to one of the chaps who loaded the Rena and was told the crew had being "pissing up large" in Blufff the night before and were heard saying "this would be their last trip" make of that what you will.

As stated we will go into these issue in more depth at later date. But if I was local Iwi member I would A; start asking more specific questions of authorities B: do what Iwi in Tauranga did after my expose on the Rena hazardous cargo (visa the Vinny Eastwoodshow) and call for independent testing of this region. As the NRL with their ties to the nuclear industry are not a reliable source and can not be trusted.

6. Other evidence of down playing: To date at less two scientists, affiliated with Otago University, have fallen in the habit of laying swabs each rainfall and then testing them with Geiger counter and found alarming levels of radioactive material now in our atmosphere (as is also the case in Brisbane and Hawaii).

The NRL again true to form have dumped on these claims saying that hand held Geiger counters are unreliable.

The only problem is:

A; one of the scientist in question actually is a specialist in radioactive safety and is familiar with the model of the counter used by scientist B and he refutes this.

B: when we first approached NRL and informed them of the first Geiger case we where told the reading were nothing to be concerned about. It was only when we informed them our source was in fact a phd level graduate who contested the NRL interpretation we were then told that "oh well we can't be certain as the quake have disrupted our testing facitlies". The same excuse was provided when we asked for what types of isotopes had been tested for, to ascertain what the source of the radiation, showing up in Otgo's rainfall, might be.

To date an estimated 14,000 people in the US alone are now thought to have died from this disaster (mostly very old or very young) as radiation attacks the immunity system and DNA. This disaster poses the largest man cockup to date but don't expect the NRL tell you that any time soon.


To Be Continued Soon ......



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