Concerns About Alaska

[Ashland]

Hello all...Hoping I can get some unbiased feedback on cruising to Alaska this season...We have a family cruise booked (northbound YVR-ANC) and now "a" family member is becoming very alarmed about the water (drinking, bathing etc) onboard due to the high radiation levels that some news agencies are reporting that are reaching Alaska and the west coast from Japan..Please help with your opinions..Thanks so much.

[bearbait]

I live in Alaska, drink the water often, and do not glow at night. No radiation here.

[Glaciers]

You’ll always be able to find information to support the kind of news you’re looking for, regardless if it’s accurate or not. There are actually more articles out there that indicate there is no threat of what you have mentioned. I have not heard of anyone even discussing it up here.

[huskyguy]

You won't find that sort of "information" on any legitimate news site.

[Northern Aurora]

I live in Alaska, and am thunderstruck that someone is concerned about radiation levels in Alaskan waters. I am really curious as to where your relative is hearing this information.

 

I subscribe to our local newspaper, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, read the online newspaper the Alaska Dispatch, and weekday nights listen to "Alaska News Nightly," which a statewide radio news program on our local NPR station. None of these news sources is reporting anything about radiation levels, from any source (Japan or elsewhere), in our waters.

 

Since commercial fishing is a major industry here, water quality is extremely important in this state. While it has been some time since I've had to read anything official about our fishing industry, I do know that several years ago the Alaskan fleet which fished out of Kodiak was the second largest American fleet, as defined by the tonnage of their annual catch. Around the same time the Alaskan fleet as a whole was the third largest fishing fleet in the world, again as defined by the catch tonnage. If there was any legitimate concern about radiation in our waters, this would be incredible news. We would have a panicked industry, and legislators would be screaming for some sort of intervention or federal assistance.

 

Hope this information helps to reassure your relative.

[randolph]

True, the internet can be good or bad depending on your predisposition. However, the main stream media may not be as forthcoming to actuality when it is not in accordance to the powers that be. Due diligence and your own research may be prudent. Glow little glow worm glitter glitter.

[donaldsc]

I live in Alaska, drink the water often, and do not glow at night. No radiation here.

 

Just think - if you did glow in the dark, you would be able to cope with the long winter nights in Alaska much better. You could save a lot of money on flashlight batteries then.

 

Don't you ever wonder where people get these crazy ideas. They probably believe that if you read it on the internet, it must be true.

 

I guess that you can in fact fool some of the people all of the time.

 

DON

[Ashland]

Thanks so much all of you for taking the time to respond :)

[Arusha]

Snopes.com has debunked maps and recent articles that have been circulating on the Internet:

 

http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/fukushima.asp

 

http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/fallout.asp

[bones774]

I know of no specifics of the water quality in Alaska and i'm sure the internet spreads lotsa of rumors but it is only common sense that with all those reactor cores melting to the center of the earth(just a bit of drama) and not being able to be controlled by the japanese with tons of radioactive water being dumped into the pacific hourly there will be consequences.

[bones774]

Snopes.com has debunked maps and recent articles that have been circulating on the Internet:

 

http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/fukushima.asp

 

http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/fallout.asp

 

and when EPA Commissioner Whitman declared that "the air is safe to breathe" around ground zero did u believe that? You didn't have to be a scientist to know better.

[randolph]

SNOPES refuses to disclose who actually funds it. Some have aserted that the democratic alliance (George Soros) is the backer. Makes one wonder.

[Chenega]

Hello all...Hoping I can get some unbiased feedback on cruising to Alaska this season...We have a family cruise booked (northbound YVR-ANC) and now "a" family member is becoming very alarmed about the water (drinking, bathing etc) onboard due to the high radiation levels that some news agencies are reporting that are reaching Alaska and the west coast from Japan..Please help with your opinions..Thanks so much.

 

Just returned from a four day trip to the LA area including Disneyland, Anaheim, and the surrounding area. There are far more dangerous things to your well being down there than anything a visitor on a cruise ship will encounter up here.;)

[Ashland]

Just returned from a four day trip to the LA area including Disneyland, Anaheim, and the surrounding area. There are far more dangerous things to your well being down there than anything a visitor on a cruise ship will encounter up here.;)

Mickey, Minnie and I are glad you made it home unharmed ;)

[Itasca]

tWater aboard ship is desalinated, probably by distillation , that should reduce any trace contaminants.

[bones774]

tWater aboard ship is desalinated, probably by distillation , that should reduce any trace contaminants.

 

Distillation will not remove radioactivity, not that I am saying there is any!

[donaldsc]

Hello all...Hoping I can get some unbiased feedback on cruising to Alaska this season...We have a family cruise booked (northbound YVR-ANC) and now "a" family member is becoming very alarmed about the water (drinking, bathing etc) onboard due to the high radiation levels that some news agencies are reporting that are reaching Alaska and the west coast from Japan..Please help with your opinions..Thanks so much.

 

My opinion is that you should tell the one family member who is bringing up all this stuff is that they have 2 options -

 

1) Go with us; or

2) Stay home.

 

DON

[Itasca]

Quote

"Distillation will not remove radioactivity, not that I am saying there is any! "

 

Actually it will, Google it.

 

The principle radio-nucotides from Fukushima are isotopes of strontium and cesium.

The desalinastion methods, distilation and reverse osmosis, which remove the chemically similar sodium, magnesium, and calcium in seawater should also reduce the strontium and cesium.

[bones774]

Quote

"Distillation will not remove radioactivity, not that I am saying there is any! "

 

Actually it will, Google it.

 

The principle radio-nucotides from Fukushima are isotopes of strontium and cesium.

The desalinastion methods, distilation and reverse osmosis, which remove the chemically similar sodium, magnesium, and calcium in seawater should also reduce the strontium and cesium.

I did google it, it's complex, some methods will remove some radioactivity, but one method does not remove all.

Anyway, the water wouldn't bother me for that short time and that small amount but if you have someone asking those questions you might wanna leave them behind.

[LoriPhil]

If they remain unwilling to let go of the concept have them bring or purchase bottled water for the cruise. Pricey, but it could provide some psychological comfort. If they do elect to cruise they need to just enjoy it and let it go but if they can't keep from continuously talking about it while onboard, it may be best if they don't go. It's too expensive a trip not to enjoy or worse - to spread personal fears to others to cast a shadow on their experience as well. Sorry - just my opinion there.

Edited January 12, 2014 by LoriPhil

[huskyguy]

Alaska Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins from Sitka has posted a brief but interesting rebuttal to these stories - http://akdemocrats.org/kreiss-tomkins/010814_newsletter.htm

 

Despite what I said about these stories not coming from any legitimate news source, it was actually Canada's national broadcaster that added fuel to this fire back in November - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/radiation-from-japan-nuclear-plant-arrives-on-alaska-coast-1.2335668

[bones774]

1)They either don't know or are not telling the truth about the amount of radioactive water entering the Pacific Ocean.

2) When they admit the water off Japan is radioactive, take that as a conservative estimate.

3)Do you think they would put someone in front of Congress that would say "If the pollution keeps up, in time it will effect us all including marine life" ?

4) How much gov't funding does that speaker get?

[Sea-level]

Posted already but what the hey...

 

Straight scoop This guy has the best summary I've seen and HAS done his homework.

 

Nobody here in Southeast Alaska has had any problem so far. But if your captain decides he isn't going to Alaska I'd get concerned. haha.....J/K

 

:)

[randolph]

Good article, thanks for the post.

[donaldsc]

Hello all...Hoping I can get some unbiased feedback on cruising to Alaska this season...We have a family cruise booked (northbound YVR-ANC) and now "a" family member is becoming very alarmed about the water (drinking, bathing etc) onboard due to the high radiation levels that some news agencies are reporting that are reaching Alaska and the west coast from Japan..Please help with your opinions..Thanks so much.

 

Define "high radiation levels". One problem with radioactivity is that we have instrumentation that can detect radiation at far below the level where it is hazardous but significantly above the normal background level.

 

As an example, suppose the normal background level for radiation is 2 and the level where it is hazardous is 50. If the radiation level increases from 2 to 6, this is 3 times the normal level and it is definitely high. However, looking at it from the hazardous viewpoint, it is about 1/10 of the level it has to reach to be hazardous.

 

Also, most exposure levels are set very conservatively so if the hazardous value is set to 50, the true hazardous level is probably 500.

 

You need to know at least a bit about science before you can intelligently read anything in the general press on scientific matters.

 

My prior comment stands - tell the worrywart to either stopping bothering the rest of the group with their irrational worries or stay home.

 

DON

Edited January 14, 2014 by donaldsc