Bananas are famous for being a common food that everyone eats without concern, but which also contain a measurable amount of naturally occurring radioactive potassium. I took this as a standard of comparison. Bananas are also good for comparison because they are imported. The reading on the latest batch of bananas was 0.003 - about 7 times lower than the recommended limit of 0.020. The bananas we had last week measured 0.007.
mikan 0.001 |
yogurt 0.001 |
domestic pork - 0.001 |
imported pork (if you can trust the label) - 0.002 |
dog food - 0.002 |
backyard soil - 0.004 |
backyard patio - 0.004 |
the scene in August 2011 |
gamma dose rate of the hotspot 0.62 microsieverts/hour, January 26, 2012 |
beta flux density of the hotspot 0.107 |
What is better than my small-scale amateur measurements is the monitoring done by Greenpeace Japan. Such independent, non-government monitoring is an essential part of establishing food safety. The large supermarket chain AEON has eagerly got on board with Greenpeace, seeking its stamp of approval for adopting high standards of monitoring the food sold in its stores.
A couple of questions about beta flux density measurement : (1) are you removing the geiger tube back tray and (2) are you covering the geiger counter with any plastic to avoid contamination from adhering to the counter ?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delayed response. Yes, I remove the back tray when doing beta flux density measurement, and I usually cover it in plastic when doing other measurements.
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