Highest Yet: Cesium-137 levels in Northern California soil hits post-Fukushima peak — UC Berkeley blames nuclear weapons tests 50+ years ago

Published: September 7th, 2011 at 1:49 pm ET
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UC Berkeley Food Chain Sampling Results Log, September 6, 2011:

We tested a topsoil sample [...] from the Sacramento area. [...] In addition, a soil sample from Sonoma county was tested. This sample had been collected in late April but we had not had the chance to test it until now.

One interesting feature of the Sacramento and Sonoma soil samples is that the ratio of Cesium-137 to Cesium-134 is very large — approximately 17.6 and 5.5, respectively. [...]

The best explanation is that in addition to Fukushima fallout, we have also detected atmospheric nuclear weapons testing fallout in these soils. [...]

Topsoil sample, farm in Sacramento, Collection Date 8/16:

  • Cs134 @ .147 Bq/kg
  • Cs137 @ 2.59 Bq/kg (70.2 pCi/kg)

Topsoil sample, farm in Sonoma County, Collection Date 4/27 (Just tested recently: “We had not had the chance to test it until now” -UCB):

  • Cs134 @ .347 Bq/kg
  • Cs137 @ 1.905 Bq/kg

Previously, the highest amount of cesium-137 detected was 1.53 Bq/kg. It was from early April, the very first soil sample UCB published regarding Fukushima.

Published: September 7th, 2011 at 1:49 pm ET
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40 comments

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  1. University Researcher: U.S. topsoil with up to 8,000 pCi/kg of cesium from Fukushima — Over 10,000% higher than highest levels found by UC Berkeley November 1, 2011
  2. ‘Scientists don’t know why’: Cesium-137 in soil near Chernobyl has half-life of 180 to 320 years, not 30 years as is typical August 22, 2011
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  5. 600 km from Fukushima: High levels of cesium detected in Osaka Bay soil -Report January 16, 2012

40 comments to Highest Yet: Cesium-137 levels in Northern California soil hits post-Fukushima peak — UC Berkeley blames nuclear weapons tests 50+ years ago

  • squodgy

    So, if they now blame fallout from ’50′s weapons testing on part of the reading from the April post Fukushima sample….how come it hasn’t been recorded during the 50 odd years it MUST have been there????


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    • enemoe

      I don’t think anyone has been testing for the last 50 years.


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    • Pallas89juno Pallas89juno

      squod exactly and a very logical question.


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    • Lil

      Previous studies show all states except California/Oregon having elevated Cesium from 50′s Nuclear Weapons testing.


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    • americancommntr

      In studying studies on phosphorus in river sediments in Missouri, certain layers of flood-deposited sediment are datable using bomb test fallout radionuclides, to the year.

      And here’s a thought. In one video by an anti-nuclear activist, she asserts HAARP has been used to keep the jet stream farther north than usual all summer, so not so much fallout will deposit on the US lower 48. Ostensibly, HAARP is being used to heat up the atmosphere and create a ‘dome’ of high pressure, which keeps the jet stream to its north, but also caused a hot dry summer, and worsened the Texas and SW drought.

      If this is true, it brings to mind 1980 and the same weather situation that year, except which was much worse in terms of extent over the Midwest. That period started in mid-June and lasted well into the next spring.

      What if the two were both due to HAARP like technology. If true that this summer’s weather was HAARP caused, to keep fallout to the north (it falls in rain), then maybe something happened in 1980 or late 1979, producing nuclear fallout, and the weather was manipulated then for the same purpose? Just a thought.


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      • truthseek truthseek

        Thought it myself… really very plausible. Modulating the ionosphere on such a .massive. scale cannot be predictable or good. I have greatly struggled with (doubt any) notions of (atmosphere seeding) chemtrails, however their potential use could stage excite the upper atmosphere to enhance coupling the whole process.

        The point IS – there are way more questions which arise… than things which makes sense or that *we* with certainty, know of. My impression is that the HARRP energizes – stretches – *lengthens* the ionosphere and as if to say it snaps back down in an ultra low frequency infrasonic wave in the plane of the earth, we are talking colossal forces regardless of **the exact mechanism.

        **with so darn many brilliant people here, perhaps someone can help me, (others here) to better understand the dimensions at play here. Better explain HARRP as another variable in the global events unfolding…


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  • Not only has the American Baby Boomer Generation Polluted the Planet, they have also polluted the next generation with Mind Control…

    8 Reasons Young Americans Don’t Fight Back: How the US Crushed Youth Resistance

    “”The ruling elite has created social institutions that have subdued young Americans and broken their spirit of resistance….”"

    http://seenoevilspeaknoevilhearnoevil.blogspot.com/2011/08/8-reasons-young-americans-dont-fight_05.html

    red red wine


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    • dpl dpl

      The gameboy generation needs a wake-up call
      The boomers did selfishly pollute the planet with over privileged undeserving self centered
      spoiled children.
      You are railing against your parents not your masters so grow up.
      I suggest rehab for your other problem.


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  • dharmasyd

    The UC Berkeley Radiological Air and Water Monitoring (BRAWM) team:

    I’ve not found their data to be very helpful to me. I live in berkeley, and this is the best piece I’ve seen by them.


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  • Lacsap Lacsap

    Governments are lacking the responsibility to take care of people animals plants short, the whole planet.. Took them only 70 years to destroy everything..


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  • larry-andrew-nils

    i’m living through this.

    i’m living.

    through this.


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  • Pallas89juno Pallas89juno

    UC Berkeley, once again, scientists are lying. Everyone ought remember that it is at U.C. Berkeley that Plutonium was first created in useable (for nuke bombs!)quantities from UCB’s “Cyclotron”, from which Tritium continues to contaminate “nuclear free” (signs in Berkeley) particularly in Strawberry Canyon. It was Berkeley scientists that gave Plutonium it’s name and, as a joke (believe it or not), “Pu” symbol in the periodic table. U.C. Berkeley has been in nuclear bomb and nuclear power sciences, since the Manhattan Project days from the ground floor and just as intimately associated with Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos Labs to the present.

    Today UC Berkeley has a $100 billion dollar, 10-year research grant from British Petroleum and most of it’s research funding overall is from the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense (DOE and DOD), which are both toxic, fascist covert agencies, of the 18 such in the U.S. U.C. Berkeley overall is NOT a “liberal” institution. It’s student body, since CA abandoned Affirmative Action in the 1990′s, is not particularly diverse and is very yuppy and soulless in nature, of course with exceptions both in instruction and students. The UCB administration itself is a notorious decades long abuser of labor and non-tenured instructional staff, working very hard to pay less than poverty wages, no matter how many years of seniority are accumulated by such non-tenured or non-executive level staff. In addition, U.C. Berkeley languages departments are where a lot of CIA hiring, direct from college, occurs on a daily basis. Remember the three “hikers” who “accidentally” bungled into Iran? They’re most definitely CIA. U.C. Berkeley, for many reasons is not to be relied upon, at face value, for any data regarding covert business consortiums and organizations related to nuclear sciences, where such information would effect the public health.


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  • Edward

    RadiationNetwork.com – Nevada is staying way over 150 for some time now. Anyone know what’s going on? Wednesday september 7 2011


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    • Edward

      Correction the high reading is in New Mexico.


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    • Hot Tuna Hot Tuna

      I saw it at 171 CPM before they deleted it.


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      • lam335 lam335

        I don’t know, but last week Toledo, Ohio, hit 456 cpm and Indiana hit 250, or thereabout.

        By the way, there were some very high numbers in the states surrounding New Mexico in the weeks BEFORE Fukushima–do a search covering 2/21 to 3/11 for cities like Fort Worth, San Angelo, and San Antonio, TX, and Colorado Springs and Grand Junction, CO. Several other cities were in the 100s and 200s. I know they have higher natural background radiation in Colorado, but I didn’t think it was that much higher.


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    • Mack Mack

      @Edward – I personally have no idea, but I found the link below on UC Berkeley’s forum where they state the EPA RadNet spikes are due to Radon decay products:

      http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/5481

      Also, one of Jeff McMahon of Forbes’ blogs lists 4 places to monitor radiation. It would be interesting to compare what they’re finding.

      http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2011/03/28/three-sites-where-you-can-monitor-u-s-radiation-levels/

      Update: RadiationNetwork.com is now showing ZERO for New Mexico.


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      • lam335 lam335

        Mack–Thanks for this Berkeley link. This information re: Iodine and Cesium is very helpful:

        “If a large amount of these were present, the gamma-ray data would show large rises in only some of the energy ranges. The signature for Iodine-131 would be a large increase in Gamma Range 3 without much of an increase in any other energies. The signature for Cesium-134 or Cesium-137 would be a large increase in Gamma Range 5 without a large increase in any other energies. I have circled those two ranges in the plots above. Both energy ranges clearly track closely with all the other energy ranges, which is exactly what we would expect from Pb-214 and Bi-214, but not what we would expect for radioisotopes from Fukushima.”


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    • Fires burning in Sierra Nevada Mountains. (possibly…) Burning of the underbrush, which we now know had fallout, ‘may be’ sending the radiation airborne again. We had heavy rain and snow pack to.

      But, alas, no one thought of testing the soil or underbrush before setting our prescribed fires in the National Parks. How negligent is that? They will most likely say, “well, the EPA said there was nothing of concern…”. Passing the buck to cover for stupidity is no excuse.

      …or, maybe Fuku is spewing more and they just haven’t told us yet. Ya know, like last time.


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    • I noticed the weather is cooling here fpr three days here in Fl.
      Would Cooled cool weather allow the isotopes to fall from the atmosphere above more readily ?


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  • Hot Tuna Hot Tuna

    I think I remember Texas hitting over 900 two weeks ago. Majia was on it, but she must still be on vacation.


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  • lam335 lam335

    the 456 was on 9/2/11 in Toledo, and Ft. Wayne, IN, hit 289 on 9/1/11


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  • lam335 lam335

    Another strange thing about the EPA radnet data: a couple of weeks ago I tried to look up data from around 3/17 to 4/1 and there was no data for almost every city that I looked up. More recently, I tried a few of those cites again, and this time it brought up data, but the numbers were incredibly low, mostly 20s and 30s, without any indication whatsoever of a spike at the time when the worst of the FUK plume was passing over. Very curious . . .


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  • Sickputer

    That’s because their data is whatever they want it to be. Bogus mainly.


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  • Edward

    There is an explanation for the high readings in New Mexico on the radiation network site… click on messages.


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