By far, the greatest amount of interest in my post, Kelp: A Prophylactic Protocol for Radiation Emergencies, has been from the international community. It is apparent that there is a great deal of concern for the health risks involved for people in North America in the path of potential fallout. I hope to shed a little light on the real risks involved.

The first things that people think of are Chernobyl and/or Three Mile Island. Chernobyl was an unmitigated disaster in which an operating reactor exploded and then subsequently burned uncontrolled for some 10 days. Three Mile Island is most notable for being in close proximity to populated areas in the U.S. As such, both nuclear events have a heavy emotional footprint in large numbers of people.

Memories aside, what’s important in assessing the risk of any situation are facts, not fear. There are health risks involved with radiation exposure. That said, people need to realize that our sun itself is a massive fusion reactor and that we constantly see exposure. Our sun itself is the primary source of so-called “background radiation” and is the basis of the definition of a millisievert.

The current situation in Fukushima poses no risk whatsoever to people in North America. People have panicked themselves there and, on the west coast, have bought up practically every bit of prophylactic potassium iodide available. While I am an advocate of preparedness for any eventuality, there comes a point where certain preparations are simply not contextually appropriate for the risks involved.

My article about kelp was intended primarily for people in Japan and, moreover, for people who are within an approximate 300 km radius of “ground zero”. It was intended to empower people to be in control of their health (the entire point of this blog and the services I offer via Living Intentionally). To that end, it’s been successful; a lot of visits from Japanese IP addresses.

Since the situation here simply will not become a Chernobyl-like catastrophe, let’s look at a reasonable worst-case scenario (complete meltdown of one reactor and subsequent explosion):

  • A 50-km/30-mi. exclusion zone would likely be completely adequate to protect people’s health. The reactors are not in operation and, therefore, any reactions will not be of a runaway variety. Explosion and, therefore, dispersal of radioactive material would be limited.
  • The longer operators are able to continue pouring seawater and boric acid into the containment chambers and spent fuel pools, the cooler the fuel becomes. If they are able to keep a serious accident from occurring for another 10 days, the risk of subsequent explosion will be greatly diminished.
  • Prevailing winds in the area blow out of the west in an easterly direction. Most radioactive particles would fall harmlessly into the ocean.
  • Exposure to radiation is subject to Newton’s inverse-square law: As you double the distance from the source of radiation, your exposure is quartered. As it is now, radiation in Tokyo at its highest was less than half of a single chest x-ray, and that is for those who spent the day outside exposed to it. Those who normally work inside for a living got practically nothing whatsoever.

The best equivalent I can think of for dispersal of material toward North America is Asian Dust, a phenomenon whereby sand from Mongolian deserts is whipped up by winds and distributed over wide areas. Most of that dust has a relatively small distribution area on a global scale. More importantly, the “point source” is huge and the amount of material is also huge. Still, the environmental impact on North America from this phenomenon is only significant on occasion.

The point source of a radiation leak is measured in metres whereas the Mongolian desert is bigger than some European countries. Due to dispersal characteristics, global wind patterns and the inverse-square law, the real risks of radiation from Japan in North America are less than the radiation dangers from tobacco smoke.

Seriously.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll be honest and say that I’ve been eating my kelp regularly. I’m also sending my kids to Okinawa to hang out with their grandparents until the situation resolves. Why? The biggest reason is that their schools have been (prematurely) closed and they’re bored out of their minds. Getting them out of the house and letting them enjoy a different setting for a time will let us parents relax a bit more. I’m not, however, wildly concerned about their health. Yes, I’d be happier if they’d eat their kelp, but I need to once again make it clear that I don’t think it’ll be necessary. I’m eating kelp, but I’m not doing anything to import potassium iodide tablets. I have the immune system of Superman. Even in a worst-case scenario, I’m not likely to be exposed to enough radiation in Tokyo to have a significant impact on my health.

People have been marvelling at how optimistic and calm I seem in the face of great adversity. Honestly, there’s no adversity we’re facing here in Tokyo. The biggest issue is fear. People are hoarding food and supplies. Just try to find toilet paper here. It’s crazy. Just try living in a household with three females and a shortage of toilet paper. Now there’s some stress for you. 😉

10 Comments
  1. I know it has been said before but I think we need to be clear on the difference between “radiation” and “particulate”. A lot of peoples overreactions stem from confusing the two. The former is what puts the power plant workers, helicopter pilots, et al, at immediate risk. Indeed, the inverse-squared law applies. Thankfully, it applies to the sun’s radiation too!

    The particulate (comprising largely of radioactive caesium and iodine) is the only thing of concern outside of the 50km zone as it gets carried on the wind and “falls out”. This is not radiation, per se, but toxic substances; albeit radioactive ones. Iodine will protect the thyroid from sudden failure due to radioactive iodine, but does nothing to protect you from any residual particles that can, in principle stay in the body for a very long time. This is nasty stuff to get into the food chain. While I don’t know if it falling into the ocean is “harmless”, my rational mind says that I might want to avoid eating fish for a while. But only if there does happen to be a major plume of radioactive dust injected into the atmosphere. I say “if” for a good reason. So far the emissions have been pretty minor.

    At first I wasn’t particularly worried for my own safety down here in Shizuoka (160 km SW of Tokyo) but when I started hearing all the hoopla about a run on iodine tablets and Geiger counters in North America I decided to take a look at the the jet stream and how such particulate might find it’s way to North America. Sure enough, the jet stream would carry this right across to Hawaii and then on to Canada and the US. You folks over there will have plenty of warning if there is a cloud of the stuff heading your way, so just relax already!

    So while I was radian about jet streams, I was surprising to learn was about something called the Ferrel cell. You can read about it here but a picture is worth 1000 words so have a look here too.

    In theory a major release of radioactive particulate might loop like a ferris wheel, some being picked up by the jet stream (as was the case with Chernobyl) and some coming back down to the lower atmosphere somewhere in the Asian subtropic and head back north. Yep, Shizuoka is in the path. Still, I am not going to get stressed out about it because, just as with Hawaii and beyond, there will be plenty of warning.

    It’s all academic until your government tells you to close your windows and stay inside. For now, do nothing but try to help the relief effort for the earthquake survivors and pray for the Fukushima power plant workers who are risking their own lives to prevent a major catastrophe.

    And don’t start taking iodine tables unless there is an immanent danger! These are not supplements! They can cause serious damage to your health, which is why (in Japan, at least) they require a prescription. Under NO circumstances should you consume elemental iodine (such as tincture of iodine) it is highly oxidizing and will do more to hurt you than any amount of radioactive fallout you are likely to be exposed to.

    Now one last thing to worry about: I forgot to renew my passport and it expires in 5 days.

    • Thanks for the informative and well-reasoned post, Stephen. 🙂

      I don’t think that the Ferrel cell is an issue in terms of fallout from Fukushima to the more southerly parts of Japan. The reason for this is that at the northern placement being the polar jet stream means that particulate from up ~60th latitude is brought down into the 30th region. Yes, that’s very close to where we are, but it’s important to consider the prevailing Westerlies. The footprint of the cell will have a circulation flow that starts from a northerly point and circulates over a southeasterly direction.

      The significance for us is that we’re subject to get particulate carried over from Mongolia and Eastern Russia. Anything from Fukushima would not reach the polar jet stream and circulate down to us. That would happen farther east from Japan. We’re primarily concerned, therefore, with low-level winds, which are highly unpredictable and can move in any direction. It is this mechanism that will disperse radioactive material.

      Regarding radiation versus particulate, there are some minor concerns by which localized and strongly irradiated earth at ground zero gets picked up and dispersed by the wind by mechanisms such as soil erosion. It’s not quite as simple as “beta and gamma particles here, cesium and iodine over there”. Irradiated earth can, to a smaller and longer-term degree, be distributed in much the same fashion as radioactive cesium and iodine isotopes.

      As you say, it’s not really of significance until you’re told to batten down the hatches. 🙂

      Oh, and good luck with the passport!

  2. Nice blog.
    It’s very good to see that there’s people who can make a reasonable analysis of the situation.
    I live near Tokyo. I’m not in panic because of the radiation.. But I’m almost in panic because of the irrational panic and rumors I can see on the net.

    Sorry about my english…

    • Thanks for the kind words, Marcelo. (Your English is fine!)

      It’s often said that the only thing that we should fear is fear itself. I think there’s a lot of truth in that expression. Fear paralyzes our ability to think clearly and to make rational decisions. In times of crisis, our ability to think critically can be vital to our well-being.

      I hope you’re not suffering too many inconveniences as a result of the events going on. Yesterday, they announced possible widespread blackouts and the result were millions of people cramming onto the trains at practically the same time. I got badly crushed getting onto the train at Yoyogi-Uehara station. Ouch!

      • The worse part for me was when the seibu sen just didn’t work.
        In the first time it was virtually impossible to understand the groups and to go to work without trains or taxis.
        The place I live was listed in 3 different groups, so I didn’t know when the blackout would happen…

        Fortunately, things are getting better and now I know when the blackout will happen and when the trains will not run.

        And I think the people will stop to buy everything on market and convenience stores in a few days.

        I just think they (tepco?) should have some kind of a defined rules to proceed in cases like this. If there’s something like this, maybe it should be possible to avoid a lot of inconveniences like you had in Yoyogi. People would just know what to do and how to proceed.

        • In the beginning, our address was listed in both group 2 and 5. I think there was a lot of confusion and it took them a few days to get it sorted out. For me, it was a little inconvenient on three different days to prepare for a power failure only for it to not happen at all.

          As it is now, I think you’re right about things running more smoothly from now on. And this experience will give everybody a better understanding of how to proceed in any future events.

  3. Trane I thought this might be interesting for you … if you are not familiar with his work ..
    Lyn

    A Hathor Planetary Message
    Through Tom Kenyon

    Medicines of Light:

    Protection and Healing from Radiation Poisoning, Neurotoxins, Bacteria and Viruses.

    With the earthquake in New Zealand, followed by the earthquake in Japan, it is clear that you have entered a more complex phase of the Chaotic Node.

    We wish to impart a method for protection and healing from radiation poisoning as well as other physical conditions. We call this Medicines of Light.

    This is obviously related to current events unfolding in Japan, however, as future earth changes unfold, you may face similar challenges in your near future from other locations around the world.

    This method will assist you to both protect and heal yourself from exposure, not only to radioactivity, but also to neurotoxins and to mutating forms of bacteria and viruses. From our perspective you can expect to see an increase of these in your near timeline.

    The method involves connecting to your Celestial Soul, the BA. This action is to connect to the realms of light that are a part of your being.

    Everything that exists in your cosmos can be viewed as a qualification or energetic expression of light—even your densest forms of matter are essentially a form of light.

    In this method you connect to your Celestial Soul, holding the intent and expectation that it will impart to you an energetic that protects and/or heals you. You send this intent to your Celestial Soul with the emotional vibration of appreciation or gratitude. This is simply the vibrational resonance that activates this higher aspect of your being.

    Once you send this intent conjoined with appreciation or gratitude to your BA, you shift your awareness into your heart chakra, receiving the energetic of healing or protection into the heart chakra. You might experience this energetic as a form of light, or as geometric patterns, or you may feel the sensation of a descent of energy. You may also experience this energetic simply as a thought/feeling.

    Once the energetic is received in the heart chakra, it is ready to send.

    For this phase you will need some pure water, since water holds this type of information extremely well. Holding a container of water in your hands, through intent, you send this energy that is in the heart chakra down the arms into the hands and through the chakras that are in the center of each palm. The energetic enters the water through this pathway.

    We suggest you amplify this energetic by repeating the procedure three times, for a total of three times—two more times in addition to the first. You then drink the water. The water permeates the water element of your body, and the healing and protective qualities eventually enter every cell.

    Through this action you are qualifying light, causing it to descend through the central pathway of your body into your heart and sending it into the water element. The consciousness of the water receives this energetic, and when you drink it, the body receives it.

    If you find yourself in a situation where you have been exposed to radioactivity you would engage this procedure as we have described it, qualifying the energy that descends from the BA to protect and heal you from any possibility of radiation poisoning. If you have other means to protect yourself, you should obviously engage these as well, but even if you are left with nothing but the tools of your own consciousness, you can protect and heal yourself.

    If you have been exposed to neurotoxins you would do the same. If you are in the midst of an epidemic that involves bacterial or viral infections, we advise you to do the same.

    As you collectively enter more deeply into this more complex and intense phase of the Chaotic Node, bacteria and viruses will mutate faster. This method will allow you to protect and heal yourself from these mutating life forms.

    It is important to understand that you are creating the protection and healing through the powers of your own consciousness. You have direct access to your own light realms. You have the sovereign right to engage the light realms on your own behalf and on the behalf of your loved ones.

    If you find yourself in one of these difficult situations we have described, we suggest you take the Medicine of Light—which is the water that you have charged—several times a day, as your intuition guides you.

    The physical ramifications of the earthquake activity in Japan and the resulting tsunami are very difficult to deal with. But we wish to shift our attention from the physical to the mental, emotional, and spiritual effects created by such a disaster,

    Due to the fact that you are in a Chaotic Node and energies from deep space conjoined with solar flare activity are affecting your energy bodies, you, as a collective, are more affected. What we mean by this is that witnessing the suffering of your fellow humans shatters the heart. There is a recognition that their predicament could easily be yours. This recognition can create an opening in your heart, and it is through the heart—your heart—that higher states of consciousness are realized, and so the earthquake in Japan is, in many ways, an earthquake of the collective heart.

    The times before you are not easy. From our perspective, increased earth changes are upon you. But one result of such events is that you are shaken to your roots and the mass hypnosis pauses for a moment. And in such utter and surrealistic devastation, many of you see very clearly that your civilization rests on tenuous grounds. We mean this both literally and figuratively.

    And so our advice for this phase of the Chaotic Node is to learn and master the ability to create Medicines of Light for yourself, so that when the time arises, you know how to engage this power of protection and healing that you possess in your very nature. And we suggest you navigate through these times not only with your minds, but with your hearts—and let your hearts be touched, for it is through your hearts that you will ascend the spiral pathway to your own greatness.

    The Hathors

    March 16, 2011

    ——————————————————————————–

    Tom’s Thoughts and Observations

    I have been channeling the Hathors for about twenty years now and started posting their Planetary Messages in February of 2003. And in all that time I have never sensed in them such an urgency to post one of their communications. Usually, I am given several days to dwell on and contemplate their messages before writing my comments. But that luxury does not exist in this moment. They have asked Judi and me to post this particular message as soon as possible, and so I will make my comments brief and to the point.

    The central message here is that all human beings have the ability to create what the Hathors call Medicines of Light. And this type of medicine has an inherent capability and potential to protect and heal us not only from radioactive poisoning, but also from the effects of neurotoxins, as well as bacterial and viral infections.

    The method is simple and to the point. Since some of you reading this may be new to the whole idea of a Celestial Soul (or BA), let me clarify its location and how to engage it. The BA, or Celestial Soul, is an aspect of your own consciousness that is outside the constraints of time and space. Some of you might refer to the Celestial Soul as the Higher Self. But whatever you call it, your Celestial Soul exists in what the Hathors call the light realms, and this aspect of you is engaged whenever you send it appreciation or gratitude.

    Your BA does not have a location in time and space since it is transcendent to both.

    But it does have an entry point to your energy field, which is about arm’s distance above your head. If you were to raise your hands over your head and touch your fingertips together, your fingers would be in the vicinity of this entry point. And this is where you place your attention in the first phase of their method for creating a Medicine of Light. (Do note that placing of your hands above your head is only for orientation purposes. You do not actually put your hands over your head when creating the Medicines of Light).

    Once you place your awareness in the area of your BA point, you hold in your mind the qualification of light you wish to receive. Let’s say, for example, that you have been, or will be, exposed to dangerous forms of radioactivity and are in danger of radiation poisoning. After focusing your attention on your BA point above your head, hold the intent that the energy that descends from your BA will be an energetic of healing and/or protection from radiation poisoning.

    You then send the feeling of appreciation or gratitude upward from your heart chakra to the BA point above your head—as you hold the intent or qualification that the energetic imparted to you from your BA will protect and/or heal you from radiation poisoning.

    Next you shift your attention from your BA point to your heart chakra (in the center of your chest beneath the sternum) and then wait to receive the energetic of protection and healing from your BA.

    Those of you new to this may need to send the intent or qualification along with the feeling of appreciation or gratitude to your BA several times before you notice a response. But just keep sending this intention joined with the feeling of appreciation or gratitude upward to your BA until you feel a descent of energy. When you feel the descent of energy from your Celestial Soul, shift your awareness to your heart chakra. Allow your heart center to receive this energetic of protection and healing.

    You then place your hands around or over a container of pure water and send this energetic received from your Celestial Soul into the water. The energetic of healing and/or protection that has entered your heart center will move down your arms and into the water through the two chakras that are in the center of the palm of each hand.

    Repeat this process for a total of three times. Then drink the water.

    If you are in a precarious situation, the Hathors advise that you create a Medicine of Light several times a day and drink it according to your intuition.

    As the Hathors point out, Medicines of Light have many more applications than just protection and healing from radiation poisoning. You can use these to protect and/or heal yourself from neurotoxins, as well as bacterial and viral infections. Although they did not mention it, I asked the Hathors after they gave this message if the method would work for other physical challenges such as cancer. And they said that Medicines of Light could most definitely be created in the same way to deal with this type of situation—as well as others.

    Obviously, if you are dealing with a serious situation such as radiation poisoning, exposure to neurotoxins, and/or epidemics of bacterial and viral infections, you will want to avail yourself of all medical remedies. In other words, this method is not meant to replace medical or public health solutions, but is meant to be an adjunct, something you can do yourself—for yourself.

    After giving their message, I asked the Hathors about making Medicines of Light for those who are unable to do it for themselves, like children and pets. They said that you would use the same method, except for the fact that you would qualify the intent for the child or animal you are going to give the Medicine to. For example, if you were creating a Medicine of Light to protect or heal yourself from radiation poisoning, you would send the thought that the energetic you are going to receive from your Celestial Soul is for your own personal protection or healing. If you were going to do this for a child or a pet, you would send the thought that the energetic you are going to receive from your Celestial Soul is for the protection or healing of the being you are going to give the Medicine to, i.e. your child or your pet.

    It is here that I would like to interject something. It is far better to teach someone how to create a Medicine of Light than to create a dependency. The ability to create Medicines of Light is an inherent ability in all human beings. It is part of our multidimensional legacy. And to empower someone to do this for him or her self is a service to his or her mastery.

    I would personally hate to see this method being used by “healers” to create Medicines of Light for others under the guise that they have some special powers that others do not. This method for creating Medicines of Light is a human birthright, and my feeling is that it should be shared with all persons.

    There is much that I would like to share about this simple method for creating Medicines of Light, but philosophical and metaphysical observations will have to wait for another time.

    The Hathors are insistent that we post this information and circulate it as quickly as is possible.

    ——————————————————————————–

    ©2011 Tom Kenyon All Rights Reserved http://www.tomkenyon.com

    You may make copies of this message and distribute it in any media you desire so long as you do not charge for it, do not alter it in any way, credit the author, and include this copyright notice.

    Our mailing address is:

    Tom Kenyon
    PO Box 98
    Orcas, WA 98280

    Copyright (C) 2011 Tom Kenyon All rights reserved.

    • Nice, Lyn. Thanks for sharing that. 🙂

      • Tom Kenyon has composed and produced some really interesting music .. a huge variety of it directed to entering our internal space and healing. His voice ranges over 4 octaves [when he uses it]. He doesn’t post more than 3 times a year and it’s usually worth while.

        I hope it helps. You are very much in my thoughts at this horrible and unsettling time. I hope your family was able to leave .. and frankly I would feel better if you left for awhile too.

        Lyn

        • I really appreciate the kind thoughts. My two youngest kids were, indeed, able to leave this week and are happily with their grandparents. My eldest will be leaving Monday. Next week is going to be a busy one for me, I’m afraid. No rest for the wicked, they say. 😉

Leave a Reply to Trane Francks Cancel reply