Monthly Archives: March 2013

Data 11/12 to 2/13

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On 11/5 for 9 d, 20h at home

High Low Average Total
32 3 13 200K

On 11/9 at Anneke’s for 1d 13h

High Low Average Total
29 5 15 35K

On 11/9 on water at Sportsman

High Low Average Total
17 2 8 619

On 11/21 at home for 1d, 19h

High Low Average Total
30 4 16 42K

On 12/2 for 2d 13h at home

High Low Average Total
29 2 12 47K

At Vernon Public School  in doors for 1h

High Low Average Total
23 7 13 843

On 12/13 at home for 11d 6h

High Low Average Total
30 1 12 221K

On 1/7/13 at home for 24d 15h

High Low Average Total
33 2 12 461K

On 1/7/13 on dirt in snow bank at Vernon for 7 m

High Low Average Total
15 9 11 99

On 1/24 at home for 15d 23h

High Low Average Total
32 1 13 302K

On 2/15 at Vernon Public School for 17m

High Low Average Total
19 2 13

On 2/15 at vigil at gates of Yankee Vernon for 1h23m

High Low Average Total
21 6 13 1093

On 2/22 at Mike’s in Brattleboro for 1h26m

High Low Average Total
22 5 12 1096

During mid November levels at home and at Anneke’s rose to 15-16 CPM for no apparent reason,

and previously higher levels in Vernon reverted to normal.

Data from 8/12 to 10/12

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On 7/31/12 I started at Sportsman’s Marina in Hadley, using the Geiger counter on the water in a dry bag. The sample time was 11 min, and the water was 80

High Low Average total
17 3 8 107

At Vernon school inside the car for 46 minutes

High Low Average total
20 0 10 474

At Vernon police station for 10min

High Low Average total
20 9 15 163

Downtown Brattleboro, in car for 55m.

High Low Average total
30 5 13 758

At river in Brattleboro, water 78, for 15 m

High Low Average total
21 7 11 183

At Hinsdale boat launch, water 80, for 14 m. Water low, cooling towers being used

High Low Average total
17 6 9 133

At Northfield boat launch, water 80, for 11m

High Low Average total
15 5 10 121

The river was warm, the cooling towers were being used. Presumably the river was not being used.

Samples over the water were minimally lower.

On 8/20 for 13 d, 1h, at home

High Low Average total
32 0 13 251K

On 8/24 at Head of the Meadows, in Wellfleet, Cape Cod

High Low Average total
28 2 12 63

On 8/28 at DAR Lower Lake, in Goshen, MA while kayaking for 47m

High Low Average total
23 5 12 589

On 9/6 for another round of water sampling. At Sportsman’s for 12 m

High Low Average total
16 2 7 96

At Northfield boat launch for 16 m

High Low Average total
17 5 11 194

At Hinsdale for 17m. Cooling tower in heavy use. Photo taken

High Low Average total
23 6 11 200

At Hinsdale at boat launch for 1h 50 m

High Low Average total
18 2 10 1130

At North Walpole, Pine St, boat launch for 50 minutes

High Low Average total
21 2 11 574

At Vernon Public school for 26 m

High Low Average total
21 7 15 405

The water counts are slightly lower, and the school count is slightly higher

On 9/15 for 6d, 17 h at home

High Low Average total
31 2 13 129K

On 10/17/12 for 14 d, 2h

High Low Average total
29 2 13 286K

On 10/22 I decided to see whether the above water samples were too close to land because the water was not deep. I would take samples on shore, out in the water, rowing my Alden shell, and then back at land. Sportsman’s land for 11 m

High Low Average total
20 7 13 151

For 18 m on the water, water temp 56

High Low Average total
18 3 8 164

For 16 m on the land

High Low Average total
18 6 11

At Northfield on land for 11m

High Low Average total
19 6 12 142

On the water for 17m, water temp 58

High Low Average total
4 8 158

On land for 8m

High Low Average total
18 10 14 117

At Hinsdale on the land for 8m

High Low Average total
16 5 11

On the water, water temp 56, for 25 m

High Low Average total
4 10 265

On land for 8 m

High Low Average total
22 9 13 117

At Brattleboro on the land for 8m

High Low Average total
17 10 13 118

On the water for 19 m, water temp is 54

High Low Average total
14 4 8 171

On the land for 10 m

High Low Average total
24 4 13 148

At Walpole NH boat launch, on the land for 10m

High Low Average total
20 7 12 131

On the water for 20 m, water temp 54

High Low Average total
14 4 8 136

On the land for 8 m

High Low Average total
21 10 15 135

At Vernon public school for 12 m

High Low Average total
23 11 15 191

At put in below Vernon dam, on the land for 9 m

High Low Average total
20 8 11 112

On the water for 15 m, water temp is 58

High Low Average total
13 6 8 136

On the land for 10 m

High Low Average total
14 6 11 122

These data suggest two ideas. First, there is a suggestion that the water from Vermont Yankee at Vernon is heating the water from 54 at N Walpole to 58 just below the dam at Vernon, and that there is some cooling by the time the water gets to Northampton. Second, by taking the time to get in a boat and get out into the middle of the river, that the counts are consistently lower. Taking samples from the edge of the river reflect land values.

On 10/24 at home for 2d, 1h

High Low Average total
30 4 15 44K

These results are high, and the size of sample is large. I wonder what happened?

On 10/26 on the water at Sportsman’s for 1h 23m

High Low Average total
16 2 8 739

On 10/29 on the water at Sportsman’s for 1h 15m

High Low Average total
16 3 8 645

Again, this shows lower results by going out in a boat on the river. Water serves as a moderator of radioactivity and this is suggested above.

Data from 5/12 until 7/12

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On 5/23/12 I collected data in my bedroom in Northampton, MA. It is on the ground floor of an old industrial brick building. The results identify the CPM, or counts per minute, as follows:

High Low Average total

26

7

12

Later that day I went to Anneke’s porch in Florence, MA, for 28 minutes:

High Low Average total

19

8

13

I drove to Vernon, VT, by car with the Geiger Counter in my car, for 50 minutes

High Low Average total

20

3

10

546

Parked outside of the Vernon, VT Post Office. It is across the road from the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Reactor. There was no flow from the tall stack. 13 minutes

High Low Average total

21

7

16

210

Below the dam at Vernon for 11 minutes

High Low Average total

18

5

16

152

At Vernon Elementary School, across the road from VermontYankee, for 9 minutes

High Low Average total

23

12

18

179

After the first day it seemed that the counts near the Nuclear Reactor were higher than in Northampton.

On 5/24 indoors at home:

High Low Average total

30

3

14

18K

On 5/26 at home for 1:37 hours

High Low Average total

26

5

14

1.3K

Over rain collected outdoors:

High Low Average total

23

11

16

342

On 5/27 at the Peace Pagoda, sample time 1:52 h

High Low Average total

26

7

15

1801

Time: On 5/28/12 at 17:51 for 40 minutes

Place: Anneke’s porch in Florence, MA

High

Low

Average

total

23

6

14

581

On 5/28/12 in doors for 2:46 hours

High

Low

Average

total

24

6

13

2239

On 5/28 on porch at home in Northampton, MA for 2h 22m

High

Low

Average

total

27

8

17

2412

On 5/29 over bowl of rain water for 14 minutes at home

High

Low

Average

total

21

12

16

233

On 6/1 at 20:34 for 2d, 1h, sampling at home

High

Low

Average

total

29

4

14

42.9K

On 6/13/12 at home

High Low Average total

25

4

14

3.8K

On 6/14 at Maines field, where the excess snow in Northampton is dumped in the winter, for 13 minutes

High Low Average total

21

10

14

193

On 6/23 in front of Court in Northampton for 1:01 hour

High Low Average total

26

5

14

892

On 7/7 at home for 14d 6H

High Low Average total

32

2

13

276K

I decided to sample the water along the river and measure temps as well. If there was tritium being leaked, would it be possible to detect? I placed the Geiger Counter in a dry bag and floated it in te water.

On 7/12 water at Sportsman water temp 80F, 8 minutes

High Low Average total

16

6

8

63

At Northfield Mountain waterside for 7 min, water temp is 83

High Low Average total

10

5

8

59

At Northfield boat launch for 8 m, water temp 85

High Low Average total

18

10

14

117

At Hinsdale boat launch the cooling towers are being used, for 13 minutes, water temp 86

High Low Average total

16

5

12

173

At Brattleboro bridge, water only 2 inches deep, water temp 90, for 13 m

High Low Average total

15

7

11

93

At Vernon Elementary School for 11 minutes

High Low Average total

23

9

17

197

At Vernon below dam, water 82, for 7 m

High Low Average total

19

5

10

90

At Vernon above dam for 7 m, water 82

High Low Average total

14

4

10

82

On 7/19 at home for 6d, 19h

High Low Average total

32

1

13

130K

On 7/19 on the water above the nuclear reactor for over one hour

High Low Average total

20

0

4

308

On 7/22 at home for 3d, 3h

High Low Average total

31

0

14

63K

On motor dock at Sportsman, to be sure the water was deep enough for 7 m

High Low Average total

10

4

7

57

These data suggest that readings are lower over the water than land and that changes in tritium would be difficult to detect with a Geiger counter.

On 7/24 in Ruth’s basement in Hampton, NY for 25 m

High Low Average total

37

12

23

604

Next, on Ruth’s first floor for 15 m

High Low Average total

18

7

14

220

I recommended to Ruth that she get radon screening for her basement

At Tim’s house in Brooktondale during a thunderstorm for 38 minutes

High Low Average total

24

9

17

659

Maybe picking up more rays from the storm

On 7/31 at Sportsman’s Marina in Hadley, MA, water is 80, for 11 m

High Low Average total

17

3

8

107
Link
It is widely believed that the problem of radioactive waste in with the ash residue.   However, gases are regularly released from nuclear reactors into the atmosphere.  It is part of the regular cycle of nuclear power plants.   Consider the dust that falls out of the sky onto the earth.   Radioactive particles are attached to the dust, and may be detected with a Geiger Counter. Here is a link to a video in which there is clear demonstration that radioactive fallout travels with rain and dirt. http://youtu.be/7x5HtI02AKE