RAdiation in Japan

[Vaughn]

The water will be (probably always has been) highly filtered. Since it is not the H2O that is actually radioactive, but instead the particles in it, it might be able to be filtered/distilled enough to use in film manufacture. Of course this will concentrate the radioactive particles.

The drinking water in Tokyo has been declared unsafe for babies to drink due to radioactivity, and thus already contains enough radioactive particles to cause problems in making the film.

[Sevo]

The Fujifilm plant is quite near Mt. Fuji - besides being 100km off the opposite end of Tokyo, the water around there will contain elevated levels of natural radioactivity from recent volcanic activity, so they probably are already de-mineralizing their process water.

[Jim Michael]

You can't assume that all radioactivice contamination is particulate in nature since a substance could dissolve in water. For example (and not to be confused with the current situation) in the positron lab we used a solution of Na 22 chloride in water in order to create positron sources for experiments.

The water will be (probably always has been) highly filtered. Since it is not the H2O that is actually radioactive, but instead the particles in it, it might be able to be filtered/distilled enough to use in film manufacture. Of course this will concentrate the radioactive particles.

[Drew Wiley]

Can't imagine them using tap water for anything but industrial effluent.

[Vaughn]

Thanks, Jim...did not know that. And since it is a radioactive iodine that is the problem, perhaps this is dissolved in the water and not particulate in nature.

[Sevo]

Likely, but any filtration used for such a purpose will have a demineralization/desalination stage which would catch that.

[Vaughn]

On another forum it was mentioned that the iodine would have to be precipitated out.

[Ole Tjugen]

I-131, the radioactive isotope in question, has a half life of 8 days. It decays to Xe-131, which is both stable and non reactive. That means that after a month there will only be 1/16th of the radioactivity left.

That means that this is a temporary problem which will go away on its own in a (relatively) short time.

[Drew Wiley]

What is a relatively short time? The disaster in question isn't even resolved yet. How
this will impact production of sesitized materials is one kind of problem, how it will
disrupt mfg in Japan in general due to energy and logistic issues is another. I just
bought enough Fuji paper to tide be over awhile.

[Kirk Keyes]

in order to create positron sources for experiments.

Cool - I love antimatter!