Radiation in Japan: Highly contaminated soil from near Tokyo

[kamijo666]

Hi,

Thanks for the video.

I'm living in Tokyo and I would like to know how you calibrate your geiger-counter for caesium 137? Can the RD1503 geiger counter be calibrated as well?

Thanks a lot.

[AluminumStudios]

@kamijo666 uSv and mrem take into account energy levels so you must know what you are measuring in order to derive the proper number. Many Geiger counters are not calibratable (mine aren't), but instead are manufactured on the assumption that Cesium 137 is being measured. This is the most common factory calibration.To actually calibrate a calibratable one you need to buy a Cesium test source of a known strength and take a careful measurement and align your counter to the expected val.

[AluminumStudios]

@AluminumStudios I don't know about the RD 1503, but calibrating them yourself isn't easy. If you have a quality one it might be best to have the manufacturer do it. I can't recall if it's S.E. International or International Medicom (one or the other), sells the Inspector and can calibrate and certify them. Youtube user antiprotons had his calibrated a short while ago.

[kamijo666]

@AluminumStudios

Thanks a lot for the information!

Unfortunately "the Inspector" was too expensive for me, so I hope mine will do the job. As it's maybe too late to ask the manufacturer to do it for me I have to buy a Cesium test source... do you have any information on where I could find one (except around Tokyo^^). And if I can find one still not really sure how to calibrate it by myself...

[AluminumStudios]

@kamijo666 You probably don't want a Cesium test source as they are QUITE radioactive! I personally don't think a Geiger counter needs to be carefully calibrated because even if yours if off by a bit, it will be off consistently and you can still clearly see differences in radiation from place to place and day to day and THAT is more important than knowing weather an area is really .9 uSv/hr or 1.1 uSv/hr for example.

[kamijo666]

@AluminumStudios

I like your answer, you're cool man!^^

Let's have a geiger party in Tokyo some day!

[MVrockersPS3]

only 30 year half life so at least it's not 10,000 years

[AluminumStudios]

@MVrockersPS3 You typically require 10 half-lives for a substance to decay to trace amounts, so 300 years for cesium. However, Cesium is not the only contaminant. There are many others with much longer half-lives, however, the government is pretending that cesium and iodine are the only two. It's all they're testing for. BTW, where was 10,000 years said and why is 30 years of exile from people's villages acceptable?

[MVrockersPS3]

@AluminumStudios the proposed yucca mountain nuclear waste repository was to hold nuclear waste for 10,000 years. yea I do agree that all this contamination is really bad and this whole situation is unacceptable and a nuclear power plant should be walk away safe so this can never happen.

[CEEPMDEE]

hey William... maybe you should consider moving maybe? you seem like a pretty cool Dude. wouldn't want anything to happen to you, bro.

Thanks for the info... right now I feel like putting my Canon gear away until I can find a way to test it. where can I buy a digital tester like yours?

I would prefer to buy it in person at a walk in store.

[AluminumStudios]

@CEEPMDEE I don't plan on remaining here indefinitly, but it's not possible to move now without leaving someone who I care about behind, and I can't do that. I honestly wouldn't worry about cameras from Japan - only food. The best place to buy Geiger counters is on-line, they are not common in stores as far as I know. If you google I'm sure you can find many vendors. I bought my digital one from a Japanese web site.

[daniglue]

The soil is like a sponge. The readings are obviously much higher than what's in the air.

Not saying this is something we shouldn't concern about, but what really matters for people is what we breathe - what's in the air.

[AluminumStudios]

@daniglue One of the major measurements being used to gauge the situation is the radiation "in air at chest height." This is in fact a measurement of how much is being radiated up from the ground. It is just as important and dangerous of a factor as airborne particles that we breathe and how much of the contamination in the soil gets absorbed into food (both plants and animals) which we then eat ...

[daniglue]

@AluminumStudios

I sincerely thank you for the videos about contamination of food. That's my main concern. I wanted to point out the sponge soil factor because some people may think contamination of soil = contamination of air. That's actually not the same thing. As you said, the problem is what gets absorbed into food. My concern is food because, as you explained, I don't think Japan is properly controlling this issue. My baby will be born in two months, in Osaka, and I need to be informed.

[thesuzejable]

2.This is also proof that economic Religion of the thinkers from Society are to dumb to take care of the people, animals and Earth! All People still follow their Economic System(society=religion), so nothing will stop!

[overunitydotcom]

You have to make more people aware of this in Japan.

I still wonder how low the numbers of protestor is over there

and how the Japanese governement is lying to all the people there about the dangers...

I guess the Japanese people need to stand up against their governement and

kick asses and get the truth out !

Regards, Stefan.

[thesuzejable]

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the Efforts!

Keep it up!

Sad, what's happening everywhere!

G

[FatimaTruthseeker]

Oh my gosh! This is heartbreaking to see. Anyone who goes to Narita to Tokyo passes near there. The half life of Cesium-137 is 30 years. I wonder what else is in those samples. I hope Ron Paul wins, because he'd close down the military bases and they could be used for people who really need the space for homes in Japan. Also fukushima-diary is a good web blog.

[AluminumStudios]

@FatimaTruthseeker It is heartbreaking. The bases aren't really that big and even if they were gone the J-gov wouldn't help the people relocate. The J-gov just keeps trying to pressure people back into the contaminated zone. I have to disagree with you on fukushima-diary though, it is full of unverified, non-scientifically based (and often ridiculous) speculation. Unlike ex-skf, it would be better if it wasn't there...

[FatimaTruthseeker]

@AluminumStudios I agree with you on both. The pictures of the mutant flowers are pretty sad on that site though.

[ickidee1]

Wow - I live in Kashiwa with my wife and young daughter. I didn't know it was anything like this contaminated, I thought it was in the region of 0.2. I'm now wishing I hadn't bought my apartment four years ago. Thank you fopr your work.

[AluminumStudios]

@ickidee1 I'm sorry I didn't see this reply when you posted it. You are a victim of the government's silence and misinformation. Kashiwa (or at least portions of it) is HORRIBLY contaminated, even more so that parts of Fukushima Pref. Check out youtube user "asuperdry" and watch this video by CHABUKIMI - watch?v=jYNw6MXtKIE It would be wise of you to get a Geiger counter and check out your neighborhood. It may not be healthy for you or your family. I'll post soil test results soon.

[daniglue]

@ickidee1

Unless we're talking about vegetables, the readings of the soil are not that important for us. The soil is like a sponge and all the radioactivity is concentrated where the "sponge" is more "dense". English is not my native language and I hope you get the point.

For this reason, if you want the "wow" effect regarding these readings, you should put your geiger counter close to manholes that "suck" the water in the city. Better if soil and manholes are at the same spot.

[LatinoSan]

thank you for your informative videos!!!

[Alchaeon1]

.....and remember a standard geiger counter detects gamma rays, sometimes beta rays but only specialised radiation detectors can measure alpha rays.

And Plutonium is an alpha emitter.

As a general rule if you are detecting cesium 137 that has been spewed out of a nuclear power plant meltdown or nuclear explosion you can assume that there is a cocktail of other radionulcides present .

Sorry guys but Japan is in big trouble

[kaitofloyd]

Simple: you are a doing a mega job. You are a humanitarian. I wish you and and all the Japanese people all best for the future. Total respect for you my fellow human friend. Don't give up you have many peeps who need your interpretation of a very different cultural of which we not see on maid streams media about a man made killer. You be safe my friend and god speed you. I follow you respect you very much.

I hope its going to be a happy new year for your and the rest of the world. Kaitofloyd

[FukushimaNewsRu]

Thank you for sharing this info and video. We've embedded it at fukushima-news.ru

[2dogarage]

Sending radioactive material through the mail is a criminal act, how dare you send something dangerous to another country?

The report itself is very much appreciated but kindly keep your hot shit to yourself, we're already getting plenty of it here in the US.

[AluminumStudios]

@2dogarage I'll repeat my reply to RACINGWILDONE. I sent a tiny fraction of the large sample I received which was partially shielded and positioned inside a larger box such that the surface of the box was barely above background levels and only at about 4% of what is allowable in the U.S. The package I sent was not hot like the one I received. The quantity I sent could probably be reasonably compared to a piece of Fiestaware or some depression glass.

[2dogarage]

@AluminumStudios not good enough, I guess you shouldn't have mentioned it.

[AluminumStudios]

@2dogarage It is good enough. I wouldn't send something that I wouldn't handle myself. The package I sent was prepared carefully, measured, and fell within all U.S. regulations and standards.

[HolidayNova]

@2dogarage you need to take it easy... People get things sent away to be tested all the time. How can he be sure it's hot or whatever. What about the poor children where the soil came from if there is a problem with just that sample, lets use scientific tools to test these.. but on the other hand.. how do we know that soil wasn't like tis before.. from nuclear testing in the past and even Hiroshima fallout.

[donnyab]

@2dogarage

You would be better venting your ire at Tepco, GE, the Japanese and US Governments!

[MucusFelidae]

@2dogarage "

Sending radioactive material through the mail is a criminal act"

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOME!!! That would be a criminal act,

because your body radiates with at least 5000 Bequerel!

STAY HOME; YOU ARE RADIOACTIVE !!!

[RACINGWILDONE]

Um , again .Did anyone notice an important issue about that report ? Like it went through the mail, or was delivered. Either way, think of all the people that handled that box .Yyks! Glad it wasn't me. Just sayin.

[AluminumStudios]

@RACINGWILDONE Yeah, I'm appreciative of the person who sent it to me and won't criticize them, but the volume of the sample was a bit more than I requested (therefore more radioactive.) The sample I forwarded was small, partially shielded, and inside a larger box giving a surface reading of < .2uSv/hr (slightly above background, and just 4% of the U.S. allowed limit.) This is nothing BTW compared to Japan's shipping of radioactive tsunami debris to various places to be burned!

[RACINGWILDONE]

@AluminumStudios Well keep up the good work Will, and stay safe .Stay indoors on windy days. Ps. If you no a good lookin Japaese girl send her over here to me in good ole Saskatchewan to keep safe, Ha ha just kidding. Take care.

[PimpMatt0]

It costs more money to take care of people who have been exposed with radiation for a long period than to evacuate people from a dangerous area.

I love the logic people have in this world. Yeah businesses go down, but they'll never leave forever. People on the other hand, you can't replace what is damaged.

[dailixia]

Wow, that is really unsettling. Thank you for putting this info up.

[crinoid1919]

this makes me nervous just watching it

[crinoid1919]

this makes me nervous just watching it

[astrotometry]

Hey Will, in the description you say these samples came from 200km away and @5:34 you say it's 26 km away, can you clarify? Thanks for making this!

[AluminumStudios]

@astrotometry Sorry if I was confusing. The samples are from Kashiwa City which is over 200km away from Fukushima, and 26km away from downtown Tokyo. This is significant because Tokyo is one of the most densely populated metropolitan areas on earth ...

[cosabio]

@AluminumStudios This is serious, but not as serious as the cover-up. Having a nuclear disaster is one thing, but having people playing in the nuclear contamination because of criminal negligence of the Government and News agencies is an even more serious problem. The officials who are covering up and lying about what's happening should be publicly executed. Sooner than later.

[Munashii78]

Thanks for your video! The comparison with the evacuation criteria either in Japan or the ex-Soviet republics is a bit problematic since the radiation levels were not measured directly on the soil surface, but at 1 m from the ground (you would have to measure at 1 m from the sample to see if it corresponds to what they are using up north.) Also, the 5 mSv/year mentioned as evacuation limit in the USSR was not established until 1990. Before, they used 100 mSv/y for 1986, 35 mSv/y for 1987, etc.

[AluminumStudios]

@Munashii78 I don't see a problem with the comparison since I am only saying that the levels at the surface of my samples are at a point which is deemed dangerous to live in. Although viewers could possibly assume that evacuation is based on surface measurement based on that as opposed to 1m height (which I supposed is done in consideration of where an average person's body is when standing upright.)

[RACINGWILDONE]

@AluminumStudios Um, sample B was from a playground. Do you think little kids stand around the playground? An average kid would be digging around in the dirt , putting there hands in there mouth, tying there shoes, Yada yada . If it's on the ground it's everywhere.

[AluminumStudios]

@RACINGWILDONE Exactly, you can't live in that kind of environment and not ingest some.  Arnie Gundersen mentions this when he talks about Marco Kaltofen's study which included children's shoes from Fukushima. The link is vimeo [dot] com/31370998

[nathan20091219]

Many thanks for your excellent video.

[climb2fly]

I think you are making a big mistake trusting your "calibrated for Cs-137" GM counters in uSv/h mode. Can you tell me what is your maker/model for the digital one and what detector it uses?

In another video of yours (testing mantles) you mention it is beta-sensitive. If that is true, then your contact readings of soil will be off by a huge amount (5-50 times), because the efficiency of your detector for beta (from Cs-137) is way higher that to gamma (from Cs-137). Did you read the manual?

[AluminumStudios]

@climb2fly Yes, my analog one is beta sensitive, my digital one has mediocre beta sensitivity. I know the readings aren't exact but they are ballpark as compared to reading different substances such as Thorium (well, it's decay products since it's an alpha emitter). The greater issue at hand is that dirt from a park should not put out that many counts (as could be heard on the analog one), of anything...

[climb2fly]

@AluminumStudios Well, given that most tubes have efficiency to beta about 70-90% while gamma is less than 1%. Firmware, being unable to distinguish between beta and gamma, counts 1 beta as 50-200 gamma. This means that even a bit of beta can send your readings in the sky.

[AluminumStudios]

@climb2fly You don't need to educate me on Geiger counters, I know exactly how they work. Your explanation is a bit fuzzy though, you should say that for each detected beta there are many undetected gamma (not 1 beta counting as 50-200 gamma), but either way the important fact is that soil should NOT be putting out this many beta or gamma. If you want to debate the finer points of radiation measurement, go do it with one of those guys claiming to find 100,000 cps in rainwater.

[climb2fly]

@AluminumStudios Yep, same result: your counter multiplies the number of detected counts by a constant (based on gamma-only efficiency for Cs-137).

I have used enough Geiger counters and had build and taught people to build enough Geiger counters, FYI.

I agree that "soil should NOT be putting out this many beta or gamma", problem is how much is "this many"...

If you wrongly measure your temperature to be 45°C, I agree "it should not be that high" when in fact it was 37.8°C ...

[akaider]

thanks for the report, all japanese & people worldwide should know about this

[freedomfighterone]

Get out of that country! It's insane that people are still living there with all that radiation!

[walan4pix]

Thank you again for such a great video William! Perhaps you can annotate the video with the "acceptable levels" when zooming in on the Geiger counter levels to quickly compare. (for those of us less familiar with the numbers)

[AluminumStudios]

@walan4pix Great idea, done.

[bellesalvia]

Glad to have found your channel. You're the first Jvlogger I've come across commenting on the radiation topic from a personal standpoint. I was beginning to wonder why most Jvloggers were not talking about the contamination issue. Is there some consensus to just avoid the topic, at least publicly? Though I can sort of understand the Japanese outside of the directly affected areas feeling overwhelmed and too depressed to tackle the subject especially in English on You Tube.

[ziledevara1]

they just found cesium in baby powder...this situation is so serious and media tries to cover it up

[AluminumStudios]

@ziledevara1 *baby formula powder I saw! Meiji makes lots of chocolate, yogurt, and other products too and I will be good money they use the same milk ingredients, or sources for many of them. I'm glad I've been buy Hershey's chocolate at the import store rather than Meiji and stopped eating yogurt. When will this insanity end! BTW - their statement was "it's safe" NO ONE OUTSIDE OF JAPAN SHOULD BUY OR EAT FOOD FROM JAPAN ANYMORE. IT'S ONLY GETTING WORSE AND WORSE.

[AluminumStudios]

@theonlyexpert Taking a glance at that site, they don't seem like anything more than your everyday Britta filters at 10x the price. Forgive me but I am removing your comment as it includes a URL and I don't want to advertise for them.

[theonlyexpert]

@AluminumStudios Thats incorrect, I have this filter and can attest to the quality of water it produces. Britta is made in china garbage compared to this, and Britta doesn't even remove fluoride.

They use a zeolite in the cartridge which has been used by nuclear industry for decades to absorbs radioisotopes by ion exchange. I would recommend you read up on that as Zeolite was used in Chernobyl, 3 Mile Island and now in Japan.

[AluminumStudios]

@theonlyexpert Forgive me, I've had to deal with spam comments so I'm quick to judge comments that promote products. I know zeolite is being used in the water decon system at Fukushima. Coincidentally, I grew up near TMI >_<

[AluminumStudios]

@theonlyexpert Radiation isn't a "thing" as much as an emission from substances like cesium-137 and strontium-90 which are themselves similar to potassium and calcium respectively. I'm skeptical of a company that says their filters "remove radiation" as that is a bit of a misnomer. Any good filter should catch the common radionuclides that are of concern. Forgive me if you mean well, but I am very sensitive to companies that try to profiteer off of this situation.

[Sworldpeas]

Hi William thank you for all you do, it is greatly appreciated. Will you please do a follow up video with the results your friend finds in the soil? I am very interested to find out. Thanks.

[TajMahal736]

Good job. It is so sad that no one seems to care about such an important subject.

[LiquidSmooth]

WOW! That is crazy high!

So After 40 days, they basically exceeded what use to be the maximum dose a NUCLEAR WORKER was aloud for a whole year.

Thanks for the video. We have grandparents that live not too far from Tokyo and was wondering how bad it was there.

[withorwithoutyou8]

thx its bad we shoud've all known that when no one country came to help them. All countries should have banded together.

[bbqneko]

With radiation beyond officially boundaries, and debris and contaminated food spreading it further, few cancer victims will win court cases against TEPCO or the government; the 'control group' (uncontaminated Japanese) will be compromised and plausible deniability created.

Japan has already been contaminated by above ground nuclear testing and leaks, and we are swimming in carcinogens. Secrets serve the masters.

Time to take the red pill and see "how far the rabbit hole goes."

[guardianofmiyagi]

I agree with this result. Contamination-level of Kanto-Area, Tokyo and Saitama and Chiba, is severer than that of Miyagi. Almost all people don't know this fact. Radioactivities have directly hit the lands near Toyko.

Thank you for your video.

[antiprotons]

Thank you for taking the time to show us what you have found and helping to show the world what is really going on in Japan. I hope that the testing will be fruitful, but with samples that hot, I cannot imagine that it won't.

Good job!

[MsMilkytheclown]

Wow! Serious!

[conrad152]

Excellent video!

[MrColt45acp]

thanks for posting!

[tomkatke]

Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

[ahamatmabrahman]

Ben Fulford should watch this video

[ronmamita]

Thank you for taking the risks to share vital information that can save lives and change public policies.

I am re-posting your video and information in hopes that everyone will be aware and create change globally as we ALL are in the same ship (Earth-ship) and in this respect we are all one.

LOVE & Peace

(GLOBALLY)

[AluminumStudios]

@ronmamita Thank you for your support and encouragement. Please feel free to link to my video and use the "share" button to share it. But I prefer to take direct responsibility for my work and ask that people don't download then re-upload my videos to other channels or sites. Other than that is fine though. I hope you understand my feelings.

[ronmamita]

@AluminumStudios ok, will do.

[a10fjet]

nice to see there are still some free minds over there in japan

[oystla]

If you send via normal mail it will probably be stopped by US mail office, and you will be prosecuted for sending dangerous material... You need to send it as special post with marked as radioactive and what the purpose is.

[AluminumStudios]

@oystla The recipient and I are both concerned about that. They have rather sensitive equipment and only need a small sample which will not be more active than a piece of uranium glass, fiestaware ceramic, or a lantern mantle, so I think the main problem will be what to do with the large portion I don't send!

[theicediamond7]

this smacks of eugenics. the children will be decimated. be safe. thanks for being there you got balls

[prickett233]

get your geiger counters in plastic bags to stop them from becoming contaminated!

[MrHeiwa07]

Where are you located William? Osaka?

[AluminumStudios]

@MrHeiwa07 Fortunately I live further away in Kyushu.

[upsidedownfuji]

Incredible video. I wonder if something more sinister is going on with the national government here concerning having locals live with radiation. Seems like one large-scale experiment is happening here.

I commend you on taking the samples and sending them for further testing in the US. I wonder how those results will be used and if/when they will be published.

Please keep these videos coming. It must be pretty difficult disposing the left over dirt now that you know how hot it is. Good luck!

[StillNoGuitar]

Thanks for sharing with us and for supporting Japanese people.

About storage: Maybe you can get some sheet lead from a local roofer or tinsmith. Just wrap around with two layers so beta radiation is no issue anymore.

About disposal? Well... Send it to Tepcos headquraters.

[reptilespantoso]

send it to fairewinds too (Arnie Gundersen) !!



[BadMadChicken]

Sure, no goverments are testing for this kinda things annyways.

[joggler66]

Will the samples get into the US by mail, express delivery or whatever just like that?

[AluminumStudios]

@joggler66 The recipient has sensitive equipment and only needs a small sample. The small portion I will be sending won't be anywhere near the activity of the box I received. I think it certainly would be a problem if I tried to send all of it!