Hamakua Hilo Kailua-Kona Ka'u Kohala Mauna Kea North Kohala Puna South Kona Volcano 
By 
Stephanie Salazar
Minuscule levels of radiation have been detected in Hawaii’s milk supply.
Radiation has been a concern since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami that damaged nuclear power plants in northern Japan.
State Environmental Health Division Administrator Lynn Nakasone said Hawaii’s milk is totally safe and that while the levels are up slightly, the trace amounts of radiation found in Hilo’s milk that was tested this week are far below the FDA warning thresh hold.
Big Island milk is regularly monitored, but health officials say levels of radiation in milk were measured at 18 picocuries per liter, too small to have any health impact. The Federal Drug Administration’s warning threshold is 4,700 picocuries per liter.
Hawaii has monitoring stations to track radiation levels in the air, and Nakasone said those levels have been slowly dropping.
The state Health Department hopes to begin testing catchment water at several sites, including two sites on the Big Island, by next week.
Radiation from the Japanese power plant blasts last month prompted the state health department to quickly advise the public against ingesting potassium iodide or KI as a precaution against possible radiation exposure. Officials say it it is NOT an effective precautionary measure. However, the health department web site has posted radiation information related to the 2001 japan earthquake and tsunami on its web site (http://hawaii.gov/health/BT/Radiation.html)
The release of radiation occurred from two nuclear reactors in Japan that were damaged in the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
facebook comments:
The 18 picocuries of readiation in Big Island milk were reported not by Hawaii’s Department of Health, but by the EPA, according to the EPA website. The DOH issued no warning, it came from the EPA. It’s not clear what the DOH is monitoring besides the radiation detector on their roof. Your report notes that they wil BEGIN to monitor catchment water.
Also, warnings against using potassium iodide pills are based, as I understand it, on their potential side effects, not on lack of effectiveness. To say that they are not effective could mislead people should a situation arise where they are needed. You should verify this and revise your report if necessary. In other words, right now there is no need for the precaution, and there are risks in taking the pills.
Thank you for your comments, Larry. You are correct on both points. Stephanie verified the info, which originally did indeed come from EPA, with Nakasone. We apologize that our story was unclear on these points, we appreciate your clarification.
I believe this story originated from the folks behind the Hawaii Daily News “Site” and then was picked up by other sites. I would think twice before believing much from that site.
Dear State Employee Unionized MORONS…Reactor 4 in Japan is the BIG issue. It is the only one that was / is fueled with PLUTONIUM!!!! That has a half life of 250,000 years! Stop lying and withholding the TRUTH!!
Chernobyl affected people within 1000 miles…with serious physical effects. If you draw a 1000 mile diameter around the location of reactor 4 in Fukushima….Japan is HISTORY….dependent upon prevailing winds.
I am damned tired of false reporting and idiotic talking heads that KNOW NOTHING of what they are asked to report, and do not even question the garbage they are being fed to report.
Japan Nuclear Radiation In Hawaii Milk At LEAST 600% Above Federal Drinking Water Limits!
http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Japan-Nuclear-Radiation-In-Hawiaa-Milk-800-Percent-Above-Federal-Drinking-Water-Limits.png
I am a concerned parent who has done some research of online sources and think these links contain valuable information for anyone seeking more information that is not just rehashing the standard mis-information we have been fed by our government and the nuclear industry.
http://www.care2.com/causes/real-food/blog/radiation-levels-no-longer-negligible/
http://www.youtube.com/user/groobiecat?feature=mhum#p/u watch all 4 segments of this documentary
http://www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/frameset.php?pageid=http%3A//www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/press/060411.php
http://www.baycitizen.org/japan-disaster/story/government-under-fire-radiation-milk/1/
http://www.fairewinds.com/updates Check out all the video on this website. He is a veteran in the Nuclear Industry
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=24349
Best of luck to us all and please view, share the links, and discuss with friends and family.
Mahalo
Our county officials once again are either ignorant or deliberately misleading us. In this article they only mention that “levels of radiation in milk were measured at 18 picocuries per liter, too small to have any health impact” this is only the measurement for Iodine 131 which has a half life of 8 days. What they fail to mention is that Caesium was also found in high amounts and those have a half life of between 2-30 years! Another article states these numbers are WELL above EPA standards! C
Come ON Big ISLAND empower your readers with the truth!
New EPA milk samples in Hawaii show radiation in milk at 800% above limits for Cs-134, 633% above limits for Cs-137 and 600% above EPA maximum for I-131 for a total of 2033%, or 20.33 times, above the federal drinking water limits.
Of the isotopes detected, radioactive iodine has a half-life of 8 days outside of the human body and 100 days inside of the body. The C-134 ha a half-life of 2.0652 years and the c-137 has a half-life of 30.17. C-135 with a half-life of over 2.3 million years is not reported as detected.
http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Japan-Nuclear-Radiation-In-Hawiaa-Milk-800-Percent-Above-Federal-Drinking-Water-Limits.png
And this is only Milk…. it would be great if at least ONE agency would tell us what is in our water right now.
The half-life of I-131 is supposed to be 8 days so I think Steve’s idea of a 100 day half-life ‘inside the body’ is a miusunderstanding.