But it’s fine, everything’s fine; so don’t worry your pretty little heads and go about your business as if this isn’t real news, as if we shouldn’t all be humming “It’s a Small World After All.” It’s just a tiny bit of radiation; a “trace” is the word The Observer used. What’s a trace? Nothing really. It’s like a pinch or a dash; adds a hint of spice but it’s barely noticeable. So, again, you probably shouldn’t even be paying attention to this warning. No, go back to your regularly over-booked schedule.
(Everything’s always fine, isn’t it, when large corporations are in charge of messaging? Anyone else notice that phenomenon?)
You may be wondering how radiation ended up in Charlotte (wasn’t it supposed to float to Southern California?) and how Duke Energy discovered it. Well, folks, Charlotte is sandwiched between two nuclear energy plants — one on Lake Norman and one on Lake Wylie — and, you’ll be glad to know that companies that own such plants conduct regular tests for radiation. So, while conducting tests near those plants the “barely there” radiation was discovered in our area.
And, uh, word is the radiation has traveled all the way from Japan … because it’s a small world after all, and what one country does affects the rest (and everyone in them). See, we can divide ourselves behind boundaries all we want but the reality is that we all share the same planet and Mother Nature doesn’t recognize arbitrary lines.
It will be interesting to watch the news as the nuclear disaster continues in Japan. For instance, are other nuclear plants across the nation and world also picking up on itty bitty bits of radiation in their surrounding communities? If you run across those news stories, please share them in the comments. I feel like I watch national and international environmental news pretty closely, and I’m not seeing similar stories elsewhere … but maybe I’m simply missing them.
Further reading:
- Analysis: No easy fix for U.S. nuclear waste nightmare — Reuters
- Safety Concerns Often Amount to Status Quo at U.S. Nuclear Industry’s Aging Reactors — Scientific American
- Scientists agree radiation poses long-term risk, but they are unsure how great — Philadelphia Inquirer
America, the Disney Land of the universe, where we pretend everything’s perfect until it melts down:
This article appears in Mar 22-28, 2011.
If this bothers you, you should read about the results of live nuke explosion testing done above ground. The radiation from the power plant is nothing compared to the amount of radiation produced from these explosions and we are not all running around with 3 arms and 13 toes today.
There are actual studies that show a certain amount of radiation is probably good for you. The rocky mountain area has about 3 times more background radiation than normal but 1/3 the number of cancer cases. Not that I would want to purposefully be exposed to extra radiation but it is worth mentioning.