watermatters

• Workshops Answer Questions about Monitoring Radioactivity from Fukushima.

  Monday, November 26th, 2012

  The immediate question on everyone’s mind regarding radioactivity is “have my water (and air) been affected by fallout from Fukushima?” The workshop on Nov 19, 2012 was about ‘Local Monitoring of Radioactivity in Relation to the Fukushima Daichii Incident’. The presenter of this workshop, Rudy Pante, is a nuclear chemist and also the water chemist in charge of testing Metro Vancouver’s drinking water. His opinions, expressed in his workshops, are his own and do not reflect those of Metro Vancouver. When asked if there is current cause for alarm about elevated radionuclide levels in our Metro Vancouver drinking water, his informed response was a definitive NO, that the levels are currently very, very low.

  The next question, on the minds of those who are paying attention to the ongoing instability at Fukushima, is “what precautions are in place to monitor our local radionuclide levels in the event of a major destabilization at Fukushima or even the Hanford nuclear plant in Washington State?” Unfortunately, the position of Health Canada and local officials is complacent.

  Rudy Pante’s workshops are an attempt to shed some light on this topic of radionuclides and nuclear fallout. These workshops are not about risk levels. They are about understanding radioactivity and how to correctly detect and measure it.

  The next workshop is entitled:
  INTRODUCTION TO PRACTICAL GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETRY
  Monday Dec 3, 2012
  9:00-11:00 AM

  BCIT Burnaby Campus
  3700 Willingdon Ave
  Room 141, SE14 (Library)
  Burnaby, BC
  (best approached from Wayburne Drive)

  For registration and details contact:
  rudyplaza51@yahoo.com

  Posted in News & Initiatives, The Future of Water, Vancouver Water, Water and Health

• Vancouver Workshop: Local Monitoring of Radioactivity from Fukushima

  Tuesday, November 6th, 2012

  This workshop (Nov 19) promises to be a unique opportunity for getting answers to lingering questions and concerns about the possible effects of radiation from Fukushima on Metro Vancouver’s water supply.

  The initiative for this event comes from one individual named Rudy Pante, who is the water quality chemist responsible for testing contaminant levels in Metro Vancouver’s drinking water.

  Rudy Pante is an accredited expert* in radiological monitoring whose professional career has involved international experience at various nuclear power plants. He will deliver this workshop which may include informed and insightful comments on hot topics such as:

  • Have the long-lived radioisotopes from Fukushima (such as Cs-137, Co-60) been detected in B.C.and on the west coast of North America?
  • Have they been detected in drinking water sources in 2011 & 2012?
  • If they have been detected, why have major media and government regulators been silent about them?
  • Why are there different isotope regulatory limits in USA, Canada, & Europe?

  Although parts of this workshop will undoubtedly be quite technical, it will also cater to those of us who are bewildered by nuclear isotopes and radiological calculations. Rudy is a wealth of expertise with a strong social conscience. He says: ‘The more questions from attendees that I can answer, the “happier” I will be.’ However, he also adds that his opinions are his own and do not reflect those of Metro Vancouver.

  Date
  19 November 2012
  10am – 12 noon

  Location
  BCIT Burnaby Campus
  3700 Willingdon Ave
  Room 141, SE14 (Library)
  Burnaby, BC

  Registration
  rudyplaza51@yahoo.com

  Cost
  $25

  Methods of payment
  Cheque payable to: Plaza & Pante Consultants
  15062  60 Ave
  Surrey BC, V3S 5X6
  PayPal: Rudy Pante
  e-pay RBC Royal Bank: Rudy will send number upon email inquiry

   

  *Rudy Pante’s current position:
  Water Quality Chemist, Water Quality Control Section-Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant & Coquitlam Ozonation Plant
  Credentials: BS Chemistry & MS Chemistry-University of the Philippines-Diliman
  Previous Work Experience:
  Kelogg, Brown & Root
  PNPP1 (Philippine Nuclear Power Plant)
  PAEC (Philippine Atomic Energy Commission)
  Trainings:
  Westinghouse Advanced Reactor Centre, PA
  Indian Point-3 Nuclear Power Plant, NY
  CEGB (Central Electricity Generating Board), UK
  Instructor: EOCP (Environmental Operators Certification Program)

   

  Posted in News & Initiatives, The Future of Water, Vancouver Water, Water and Health

• Post Fukushima radiation – effects on Metro Vancouver drinking water

  Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

  Since the catastrophic tsunami and nuclear accident at Fukushima on March 11, 2011 watermatters has been in repeated contact with all levels of government, health authorities, academics, scientists and lay people seeking current local test data concerning radionuclide levels in Metro Vancouver’s water. It has been of particular concern to us as Metro Vancouver is supplied by surface water from snow and rain (not ground water), collected in three open reservoirs – Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam.

  Testing for radioactivity in Metro Vancouver’s drinking water

  Shortly after the initial incident at the Fukushima power plant on March 11, Metro Vancouver started water sampling to test for various radioactive isotopes. These samples were taken from the intakes at each of our three reservoirs and sent to the Saskatchewan Research Council. The SRC is one of only two facilities in Canada with the equipment necessary to do this specialized testing – an expensive process. The test results are posted on Metro Vancouver’s website.

  By early May 2011, local authorities deemed it unnecessary to continue this sampling (and posting of results) because test results were indicating that any changes in radioactive isotopes levels were negligible. This decision appears to have been made by provincial health authorities, probably in consultation with Health Canada, local scientists and radiation specialists.

  Radiation continues to leak from Japan

  Meanwhile, it was coming to light via alternative media and professional sources that the state of affairs in Japan was (and continues to be) far from stable. Earthquakes and typhoons continue to threaten Japan.  Radioactive waste continues to leak into the Pacific Ocean, raising questions about how much of this contamination might affect radioactive levels in fish.

  Testing for radioactivity in Canadian fisheries

  In August the Canadian Food Inspection Agency tested twelve fish from different sources and reported all were below Health Canada action levels for radioactivity. We contacted the CFIA for more details and were told that of the twelve fish tested in total, ten were salmon, two were tuna. The species tested were Pink, Sockeye, Chum, Coho and Spring salmon, and Albacore tuna. The twelve fish tested were all wild. These fish were taken at various points in the coastal waters off of Vancouver Island including the Georgia and Juan de Fuca Straits, from deeper waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island, and from various mainland rivers.

  Casual local rainwater testing shows no recent unusual levels of radiation

  We recently contacted the SFU nuclear scientist whose samplings for radioactivity in local rainwater and seaweed made the news in March. He evidently continues to casually test radionuclide levels when it rains. (This activity is not part of his professional mandate.) We spoke with him shortly after the last very heavy rainfall in September about which he reports that he found “nothing”, referring to detectable radionuclide levels. He expresses no concern about the situation, saying that we already live with a significant level of radioactive isotopes inherited from nuclear testing in the sixties. Also contributing to ambient levels is background radiation from naturally occurring ores in our environment and from cosmic radiation.

  Official positions based on points of view or actual local data?

  All local, provincial and federal government and health authorities with whom we have spoken regarding this issue have consistently asserted that we are not at risk here in BC. It has been our impression that most of these individuals have no in-depth understanding about nuclear radiation. Even with those trained in radioactive impact, their stance relies heavily, if not entirely, on the position and findings of remote official sources beyond their own jurisdiction. The situation is complicated by the mind-bending equations needed to interpret radioactive measurements in Bequerels and Sieverts.

  Japan incinerating Fukushima’s nuclear debris

  Most recently we have learned that rather than containing the radioactive debris from Fukushima, the Japanese government is now planning to transport massive amounts of it to other parts of Japan to be incinerated. There are serious concerns that this will expose the rest of the Japanese population to radioactive contamination and increase the possibility of radionuclides reaching the Canadian west coast via air currents.

  On-going potential for radioactive contamination warrants continued local testing

  People around the world are fast losing their trust in the decisions that officials make on our behalf – a powerful unravelling that especially characterizes this year, 2011. Given that the situation in Japan is not stable, that contamination continues to leak from the site of the accident and that Japan is planning to incinerate massive amounts of contaminated nuclear debris from the Fukushima accident, we feel that continued local testing of our water supply is warranted, if simply to show people that there is, indeed, no current spike in radiation levels.

  To this end we have been in touch with various local, provincial and federal departments pointing out that it would be in the interests of all concerned to continue to test our local water supply and to publish scientifically based local data showing that there continues to be no need for concern. If the test results don’t support this then we need to know that too.

  The Japanese people can certainly use all the support we can give.

  …………..
  
  Resources:

  Citizen’s group initiates radiation monitoring
  Frustrated by the lack of satisfactory data from official sources, the following citizens action group has initiated its own radiological testing:
  Canadian Collaborative for Radiation Awareness & Monitoring

  Nuclear scientists concerned about lack of disclosure

  • Arnie Gundersen
    Mr. Gundersen is a nuclear engineer and a former nuclear industry executive, US expert on nuclear energy and nuclear industry problems.
  • Professor Chris Busby
    Busby sits on the European Committee on Radiation Risk. He is personally testing for radionuclide levels in Japan, reports that his detection methods are finding dangerous levels of plutonium, strontium 90 and uranium in Japan that are not being reported by the Japanese government.
  • Finnish scientist’s theory about Fukushima
    Interesting…!

  Government contacts
  Some government officials and health authorities involved in decision-making and public relations regarding radioactivity and drinking water:

  • Dr. Patricia Daly
    Chief Medical Health Officer
    Vice President, Public Health
    Vancouver Coastal Health
    601 West Broadway
    Vancouver, BC., V5Z 4C2
    604.736.2033
  • Richard A. Taki MA,CPHI (c)
    Regional Director, Health Protection
    Vancouver Coastal Health
    #1200-601 West Broadway
    Vancouver, BC., V5Z 4C2
    P: 604.675.3809  F: 604.736.8651
    email- richard.taki@vch.ca
  • Dr. Abderrachid Zitouni, PhD
    Provincial Radiation Protection Specialist
    Environmental Health services/Radiation Protection
    British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC)
    655 West 12th Avenue, BC V5Z 4R4
    Work: 604-707-2450
  • Lauren Bergman
    Environmental Impact Specialist
    Radiological Impacts Section
    Radiation Protection Bureau
    Health Canada
    Ph: 613-960-5603
    Fax: 613-960-5604
    Email: lauren.bergman@hc-sc.gc.ca
  •  John Lynch
    Canadian Food Inspection Agency
    Executive Director
    Food Safety and Consumer Protection Division
    CFIA
    1-800-442-2342.

  Radiological Parameters in Drinking Water
  Water samples may be screened initially for radioactivity by measuring Gross Alpha and Beta activity.  Compliance with the Canadian drinking water guidelines may be inferred if measurements for gross alpha and beta activity are less than 0.1 Bq/L and 1 Bq/L respectively.  If the measurements exceed the limits, additional radiological testing for natural and manmade isotopes such as Cesium 137, Iodine 131, Lead 210, Radium 226 and Strontium 90, as listed in the guideline may be required and can be carried out by SRC Analytical.

  Health Canada’s Radiological Guidelines and Parameters
  Health Canada’s Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality
  Health Canada’s radiological monitoring data
  How radiological guidelines are calculated

  The formula for calculating the Maximum Acceptable Concentration (MAC) is provided as:

  MAC (Bq/L) =        ________  0.1 mSv/year      __
  730 L/year x DC (Sv/Bq) x 1000 mSv/Sv

  Where:
  0.1 mSv/year is the dose constraint used for drinking water
  730 L/year is the drinking water consumption rate for Canadians
  DC (Sv/Bq) is the dose coefficient for ingestion recommended by the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP) 72 (1996)

  In order to calculate the dose from a given activity in Bq/L, you have to re-arrange this equation.
  To calculate dose, you would use the follow equation:

  Dose (mSv/year) = Activity (Bq/L) x DC (Sv/Bq) x 730 L/year x 1000 mSv/Sv

  Posted in Vancouver Water, Water and Health

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