J & J Ranch, Stone Mtn, GA

Interview w/ Dr. Gerhard Wotawa, CTBTO radionuclide unit & head of ZAMG (Austria) forecast models (emphasis added): “[‘Low levels’ of radioactivity from Fukushima] can of course spread over all the areas of the world. But it will not pose any significant health risks beyond the immediate areas of the reactors, and some hundreds of kilometers to a few thousands of kilometers… Rain would release the radiation from the atmosphere and will directly put it on the ground. Very long-lived radionuclides like the cesium will stay around there 20, 30, 40, and more years, and could affect agriculture… The radionuclides can be easily washed out of the atmosphere — and in the pathway from Japan to the Pacific Ocean, and across the Pacific Ocean — supposedly there will be precipitation of the rain and most of the particles will be removed by the rain… We assume that there’s a lot of radioactivity now coming into the water from the plant… In reality there may be some health effects, but it depends very much on the level of radioactivity that comes out of the atmosphere.” >> More from Wotawa: Fallout in California 1,000s of times higher than expected for several days after Fukushima explosions

Martin Wright, Radiation Protection Senior Engineer at Diablo Canyon Power Plant (Calif.) – Monitoring for Japan Nuclear Accident (pdf), 21st Annual Radioactive Effluent Technical Specifications and Radiological Environmental Monitoring Programs Workshop:

Diablo Canyon in San Luis Obispo, California (150 mi. N of Los Angeles) — Rain Event, Mar 24, 2011

• Iodine-131 = 522 picocuries per liter (pCi/L)
• Iodine-132 = 19.90 pCi/L
• Cesium-134 = 23.40 pCi/L
• Cesium-137 = 25.40 pCi/L
• Gross Alpha = 5.27 pCi/L (BBC::”Inside the body… Alpha radiation is the most dangerous” — Also detected on Mar. 19 and 21 , none since Mar. 24 peak)

San Luis Obispo, Calif. — Vegetation from private garden, Apr 14, 2011

• Iodine-131 = 67.71 pCi/kilogram (pCi/kg)
• Cesium-134 = 171.60 pCi/kg
• Cesium-137 = 154.10 pCi/kg

Atascadero, Calif. (~20 miles inland from Diablo Canyon) – Miner’s Lettuce (salad green), Mar 27, 2011

• Iodine-131 = 347.00 pCi/kg
• Cesium-134 = 256.00 pCi/kg
• Cesium-136 = 22.60 pCi/kg
• Cesium-137 = 260.00 pCi/kg
• Total Radionuclides = 886 pCi/kg or 33 Bq/kg(83% of Ukraine’s Cesium-137 limit of 40 Bq/kg. I-131 and Cs-134/136 decay much faster than Cs-137 and are likely no longer detectable in food, and don’t require a specific safety limit However, they are considered just as harmful as Cs-137, if not more so.)

Watch Wotawa’s interview here