Japan & Radioactive Products!

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retroborg

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Japan & Radioactive Products!

After the tragic events that occurred this March in Japan and lead to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, recent studies revealed that it’s now on a par with Chernobyl! A very large part of the country was covered with radioactive particles & radiation carried by the wind & water, the sea was contaminated with the radioactive waste from the power plants and even the Tokyo public water supplies were contaminated! As a result many local Japanese heavy industry factories like SONY, Canon, Toshiba, etc… ceased production and closed down and only restarted production recently.

It’s obvious that edible & biological goods, like fish, vegetables, meat, soya, noodles, etc… from Japan should be avoided, but what about other mechanical / electronic / paper, textiles & non-biological products made in Japan like TVs, digital Cameras, consoles, computers, cars, DVDs, comics, clothes, etc… or even older / used products like video games, books, DVDs, computer / console hardware, etc… that had been stocked in Japan?!
Shouldn’t all these also be considered dangerous for public health as their parts (or as a whole) could have been exposed to radiation and contaminated with radioactive particles that recently covered the entire country and surrounding area?!

For example how safe would it be to buy one of these, which is made in Japan:
http://www.canon-europe.com/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_Camera/PowerShot/PowerShot_S95/

I would really like to get some valid scientific answers concerning these queries and even get some valid scientific / encyclopaedia links that will clear up these matters.

Thanks in advance.
 
First of all, one reason many plants were shut down, and still continue on a rationed basis is their power supply, its been drasically reduced obviously, and survival and reorganization comes first.
Alot of the radiation will never effect anyone even in Japan, as much of it has already disapated, and since most raw materials dont come from Japan, most things wont have the radioactive elements inside them either.
None of this a blanket statement regarding the radiation, but while its best to take caution, its better to use common sense and not be alarmist
 
Radiation is funny. It is not like biological hazards. After a while, the energy will begin to diffuse some-what and the energy will be transferred to other elements at lower joules ratings.

Also, some to most of the atoms that are going through fission have already stabilized to lower radioactive elements or lead. the chance that radiation in the products that we will have possibly will be equivalent to the same amount of energy as a full day of sun.
 
When you buy that new Japanese car just give it a good wash and you will be right.

Just don't lick the upholstery or rund the airconditioner / heater with the windows all of the way up.

 

retroborg

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Question:

Do Beta & Gamma radiation & particles always have a short decay time (short-lived / short half-life) & high energy, while Alpha radiation / particles is the exact opposite?
Is this a scientific fact or does it depend of whether its a high-energy particle or not and Does it go like this?

Alpha Radiation = low energy / long half-life, low penetrating power.
Beta Radiation = Higher Energy, shorter half-life, higher penetration
Gamma Radiation = High Energy, short half-life, high penetration

Or are there alpha radiation / particles that also have a High Energy, short half-life, high penetration like Beta & Gamma?
 


The material has a half life and not the radiation, the material will give off the three kinds of radiation above in quantities related to the source material. The energy and penetrations are correct. As time progresses the material changes into another material at a speed dictated by he halflife and the overall qty of radiation emitted is related to the quantity of radioactive material left.
 
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Complicated, roughly speaking Gamma rays range from ~100KeV enrgy and up. Alpha particles are around 5MeV (typically). Beta -energy varies from 1MeV to aound 20MeV (iirc, I know it is a range around the energy of the typical alpha particle).

The penetration power of the beta particle comes from its size. An electron is incredibly small compared to the 2-neutron, 2-proton alpha particle so if it carries the same energy it is moving a LOT faster.

To give an analogy a bullet has roughly the same energy as a baseball/cricket ball at 100mph, the baseball will bounce of your head. The bullet ..... won't.

The beta particle is the bullet / alpha baseball.

Gamma rays are dangerous for other reasons. HUGELY simplified they tend to 'miss' the atoms in your body. Most gamma rays will pass straight through a body without touching anything. It takes a direct hit on the atomic nucleus to stop them and since atoms are mostly empty vacuum this quite rare. When they do hit they transfer a lot of energy, and this hit can easily be on an atom/molecule deep within the body, wheras alpha particles rarely penetrate the first layer of skin and beta rarely more than 1mm.

Decay times are different beasts entirely. This is a measure of the stability of the radioactive atom producing the radiation so for example Caesium 137 half-life 30 years- beta emmission, Iodine 131, also a beta emitter half-life only 8 days.

(KeV/MeV kilo and mega electron volt - an ev is a measure of energy equivalent the the enrgy gained accelerating an electron through a potential difference of 1 Volt.)
 
short answer is No ... primarily due to the composition of the various classes of ionizing radioactive particles.

I could be wrong though because i do not have a degree in this area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionizing_radiation

Isotopes with a half life greater than 1000 years ... the real nasties

http://astro.berkeley.edu/~dperley/areopagus/isotopetable.html

List of nucleides and type of decay (what your interested in) ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclides

Please donate to our moderator christmas party ... this years special guest will be badge on guitar ...

 
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