I’m not an expert in radiation, but for years many of us have been teaching that the number one concern of a “dirty bomb” is the “fear” of radiation perpetuated by the media. While the tragedy in Japan is very real, and the concern of radiation leak / exposure is real, the media continues to sensationalize the situation contributing to undue fear.

Let’s look at some of the headlines.

  • Radiation in Japan’s food a ‘serious situation’ – although you would have to eat two pounds of spinach every day for a year to get the same radiation exposure as one head CT
  • Radiation from Japan discovered in Sacramento – however the shale rock in the area produces a million times more radiation
  • Radiation hits California – sounds scary, but at 1/billionth the amount needed to produce “any” medical effects, how scary can it be

This type of media reports has caused stores in China, a thousand miles away, to sell out of iodized salt as people try to protect themselves. It seems no one has mentioned that table salt will do little, if anything, to prevent the absorption of radioactive iodine in the Thyroid gland. Is the triad of seizures, coma, death from hypernatremia better?

So why can’t the media report the facts? One commentary hit the nail on the head. While results of the earthquake and tsunami can be reported with graphic images, the radiation threat produces no visible images, hence the media must rely on sensationalizing what little information they have.

Radon is our number one source of ionizing radiation. It is around us everywhere and is the second leading cause of cancer (second only to smoking). However, if you are really concerned about your exposure to radiation, here are some steps you can take.

  • Don’t fly – exposure to cosmic radiation increases with altitude. Fifty round trips in a year across the United States can have a cumulative effect on you.
  • Move away from Leadville, Colorado – they have 4X the amount of radiation as there is at sea level
  • Don’t eat Brazil nuts – they have been shown to have significantly increase levels of Barium
  • Forget about using Phosphate based fertilizers on your lawn – it’s a source of decaying uranium
  • And those lovely granite countertops that are so popular – you’re better off painting a piece of plywood

Maybe the best thing to do is to turn off the television. We get about the same amount of radiation exposure watching the evening news as the people of Tokyo are getting from the damaged reactors.

By the way, have you wondered how Chernobyl has become a hot tourist spot? Radiation is easily measured, and the time exposure vs. concentration has been calculated, so the individual risk is minimized.

In summary: Excessive exposure to radiation can have cumulative long term health effects. We do need to learn from the recent events, and evaluate the safety of our nuclear reactors. We also need to take the media reports with a “grain of salt” (iodized) and not blindly react to everything we hear.

David Nice