Radioactive Iodine Found in Boston Rainwater

Fears over radiation spreading to the United States from the crippled Japanese nuclear power plant in Fukushima after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit on March 11 are still rising. After the EPA announced that radiation still had not reached levels of concern in the U.S. from Japan, though radiation had indeed spread, more news came today that could cause more problems. Radiation from the power plant is now showing up in rainwater, specifically in Massachusetts.

Today, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced that radioactive iodine-131 was found in rainwater samples that were originally collected at a monitoring station in Boston as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) RadNet radiation monitoring system that has stations all over the United States. The Dept. of Public Health stated that the levels of radioactive iodine found in the rainwater were still relatively low, but until the issues at the Fukushima power plant are addressed and stabilized, radioactive iodine could possibly still be in rainwater. The good news is that while iodine-131 could still remain in rainwater, it will most likely be low and won't be at a level of concern in terms of human health.

Additionally, even though radioactive iodine from the Japan nuclear power plant in Fukushima was found in Massachusetts rainwater, it still hasn't shown up in the air. Luckily, radioactive iodine-131 has a half-life of about 8 days, which means in 8 days, half of the iodine will have already decayed into a non-radioactive form of iodine, making is much less harmful. The iodine-131 found in Massachusetts is currently 25 times lower than the state maximum allowed level and rainwater isn't likely to cause any harm to residents who may use rainwater as a drinking water source or for those who use it for watering their plants.

Radiation from the power plant has been detected at several monitoring locations along the West Coast. Earlier this past week, the EPA found trace amounts of radioactive tellurium, cesium, and two different types of iodine (iodine-131 and iodine-132) that came directly from Japan. The monitoring stations where the radioactive substances were found were in Washington and California.

For now, levels of radiation from the Fukushima power plant are not at levels of concern in the U.S. and the Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health is reassuring residents that RadNet monitoring stations continuously monitor levels of radiation from different sources, including air and rainwater. The RadNet system also notifies scientists when levels are of concern so that they can take the appropriate actions.

Rachel Krech provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.