This post to the Nuclear Free DKos group is to link you all to some very good information I compiled for an article to my web publisher and officially got up on the web today. I'd reproduce it in full, but that violates copyright (hahaha), so here's the link from the website Top Masters In Healthcare…
15 Ways to Limit Radiation Exposure
Please click on it. These are all tried-and-true methodologies that we as health physics personnel in the nuclear industry have used to good effect even in the wake of meltdowns to limit exposure to workers, and of course to ourselves. They involve some work, and if you're anything like me you aren't all that fond of work. But whenever you hear about fallout and/or increased or increasing levels of any dangerous isotopes in your area, it is most definitely worthwhile to put in the extra effort it takes to ensure your family's relative safety.
One thing that the disaster at Fukushima has taught us is that once it's out, there's really no escape if you don't live in a cave somewhere south of the equator. And even then it's just a matter of time [see: Australia: Radiation cloud 'not harmful' (a bit of deceptive nonsense from the "No Danger to the General Public" crowd). It's not over yet no matter what TEPCO or any of the NuclearNations crowd has to say, they'd much rather you suffer and eventually die quietly than to notice that they're dumping known serious carcinogens on us carte blanche.
I myself live a lifestyle that is definitely not geared towards being perpetually 'safe' from nuclear contamination. My house - a 100-year old chestnut cabin - "breathes" and I've always liked that it does. I have two dogs and three cats that come and go pretty much at will, and are known to track in all sorts of 'stuff' from the environment. I have carpeting in our main living area, which is as all carpeting is a regular dust magnet. I have taken to using the shop-vac in these last months to deal with the dust because my regular vacuum probably kicks out as much as it sucks up. Good for leaf parts, twigs and actual chunks of mud/dirt, but NOT good for fine dust particles. The water filtration of a shop-vac is much better for the purpose. We haven't been keeping our shoes at the entry so we don't bring dirt indoors. Bad, bad Joy! But we have taken to slickers and hats in the rain, and keep those in the mud room downstairs when not being worn. I didn't rake the fall leaves this year, just let them compost normally and hope not to have too much trouble when spring fires inevitably happen. Which present toxic hazards all their own…
But I am sort of anal about keeping surfaces clean, and sponge the tables and counters, desk areas and other surfaces at least twice a day. Have done this with the "invisible pile" method described ever since I first learned and tutored the method back in the wee early '70s. I also always rinse food cans and opener before using it, rinse pots, pans, dinnerware and utensils before using even though they've been clean in a closed cabinet. Habits that serve well for all sorts of dust, radioactive or not. Given how much particulate contamination comes from coal plants - some of that radioactive too - it wouldn't hurt to make these habits part of your normal routine.
Covering the couch with a clean sheet and letting the dogs sleep there might be totally gauche in your circle, but it will help protect the dogs from more contamination than they'd normally get by having their noses to the ground on a constant basis. Sleep above-ground - the more distance between your mouth and nose and the accumulative level of the floor, the better.
The biggest issue we've all got with the continued fallout from Fukushima (and plants much closer to home) is that the 'authorities' don't trust us enough to tell us when to take precautions. Or, maybe they just don't care about us and our children, and don't give us timely information because it would only serve to remind us they're dumping crap on us. Regardless of their reasoning, they are dumping crap on us. Every day, all the time, 24-7. We can take some reasonable precautions to limit our exposures. Don't necessarily have to practice everything all the time, but when news does leak that levels are up, we'll at least be able to do things more effective than just "Duck and Cover" under our desks like the sitting ducks they believe we are.
Anyway, the info in the above link is good. Print it out and tape it to the fridge, or just keep it handy. Send the link to your friends, feel free to talk it up big time to everyone you know who is paying attention and would appreciate some actual helpful info. The worst thing about the real hazards of our nuclear age is that the 'authorities' keep far too many secrets and make us feel helpless when we really don't have to be. Even in France researchers have confirmed that children living close to nuclear plants - 'normally' operating plants at that - have a 50% greater risk of leukemia.
We should all know of ways to protect ourselves, because 'they' aren't going to do so, no matter what.