High radiation detected in L.A. rainSurprise storm showers measure three times background, exceed CHP HazMat levels

A fast moving thunderstorm system blew through Southern California Friday bringing with it more than much needed precipitation. The rain read hot for dangerous beta radiation.

Radiation exceeding 3.3 times background levels was detected and videotaped by EnviroReporter.com at its Radiation Station Santa Monica at the western edge of the Los Angeles basin. It is the hottest precipitation detected at the station since March 2012 when ocean mists topped 500 percent of background.

“Just when I thought it was safe to step out into the rain again,” said Dale Ramicone of Radiation Station Glendale California in an email to EnviroReporter.com. “That little surprise shower even had a bit of lightening in it! When you asked for a sample, I didn’t really expect to find anything all that significant. My wife arrived minutes later, and I took a sample from the rain still remaining on edge of the windshield. The Inspector ten minute sample counted 121.2 CPM [Counts Per Minute] way above background which was 37.9 CPM.”

Ramicone’s reading nearly matches that of Radiation Station Santa Monica’s highest detection with the hot Glendale water coming in at 3.20 times background. That is above the California Highway Patrol’s tripwire for a radioactive material exceeding triple normal radiation readings.

According to government documents obtained by EnviroReporter.com, the CHP considers any substance radiating more than three times background hot enough to trip its Hazardous Materials protocols. This information was gleaned from a Nuclear Regulatory Commission “Event Notification Report for December 16, 2011.”

“On 12/8/11 at 1430 PST, the Nevada Radiation Control Program (NRCP) received a call from the Alternate Radiation Safety Officer (ARSO) for Renown South Meadows Medical Center, that a truck carrying linen had been detained by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) at the Truckee inspection station after setting off a radiation alarm,” the report read.

“The NRCP contacted the CHP and were told that they had surveyed the truck with a Ludlum meter and measured .400 millirem per hour (or 400 microR/hour) outside the trailer,” the report continued. “The CHP said that their protocols dictate that anything above three times background is treated as a hazmat incident and must have proper packaging and manifest.”

CHP emergency measures include suiting up personnel in impermeable outfits with ventilators, commonly known as “moon suits.” Those precautions were not evident in the greater Los Angeles area as the storm drenched thousands of people caught unawares of the impending rain.

High levels of beta radiation in rain are especially of concern when children and pregnant women are exposed to the hot water which can cause blood cancers, including leukemia, and a host of ailments introduced courtesy of the Atomic Age. Cesium-137, strontium-90 and plutonium 239/240 are beta emitting radionuclides of particular concern because of their lethality.

Ramicone’s radiation station streams live radiation readings around the clock and has been seen by tens of thousands of viewers. The Glendale station is part of nine EnviroReporter.com-affiliated radiation detection branches which have generated over 2,733 special radiation tests and reports since the triple meltdowns began at the destroyed Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan March 11, 2011. There is still no control over that disastrous situation with no end in sight as hundreds of thousands of gallons of highly radioactive water continue to spew into the Pacific Ocean every day now for close to four years.

This invaluable radiation stations data is in addition to over 4,351 reports, analysis and tests conducted by EnviroReporter.com in California and across the United States. We have also organized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s radiation detection for easy access and clarity in RadNet Air Monitoring. Only 34 out of the agency’s 124 beta monitors across the nation were functional Friday, a dismal 27.5 success rate.

The surprise storm, which circulated counterclockwise through Southern California and Arizona before depositing its toxic cargo on Los Angeles, originally blew onshore from Pacific waters off of Baja California, Mexico. After pelting these desert climes with radioactive rain, the system rumbled eastward across New Mexico and Texas carrying its hot load.

“This is troubling nearly four years after Fukushima nuclear meltdowns,” remarked Ramicone. “Clearly, there’s radiation still coming from somewhere, and it’s washing out of the atmosphere. Notably, not every rain shower contains it. Finding out exactly what kind of radiation it is, and determining its source is the most important thing now. Radioactive isotopes don’t just vanish because we’re not thinking about them.”

RELATED: February 2, 2015 EnviroReporter.com NATIONWIDE RADIATION REPORT

13 Comments

  1. Nice that our news media and publications TOTALLY IGNORE this catastrophe !!!!

  2. Caloundra (Queensland Australia) 19th March 2015 – We are presently in the largest Geomagnetic solar storm in a long time, a G4.

    http://sccc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Geomagnetic_-storm_18_19_March_2015.png

    It has not significantly affected the background levels here,
    see 24 hour chart,

    http://sccc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Caloundra-Australia-24-hour-local-radiation-background-chart-180315.jpg

    and day average chart.

    http://sccc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Caloundra-local-average-background-radiation-levels-March-2015.jpg

    This proves that background here, near sea level, is not greatly influenced by solar storms. At least to a G4 solar storm level rating.

  3. March 18, 2015
    9:45 pm INT RSSM BG: 40.5 CPM^^
    9:30 pm INT West Los Angeles Basin RAIN SAMPLE: 89.4 CPM^^ which is 2.2 TIMES BACKGROUND. Aberrent storm system came in over Radiation Station Santa Monica from the northeast, which was unusual. So is the significantly higher than normal reading.

  4. If you’re a Downton Abbey fan, you’ll recall the episode when the kindly village doctor tells a patient, “Harsh reality is always better than false hope.”

    But here is some genuine hope for helping with this harsh reality:
    Regular intake of iodine (Lugol’s solution, 2%, or Iodoral pills) can safely prevent absorption of radioactive iodine. drsircus.com/medicine/iodine/iodine-rescue

    Full article: http://www.sonomacountygazette.com/cms/pages/sonoma-county-news-article-2078.html

    My chemistry professor friend Jerome encourages parents to provide protection from radioactive iodine by giving children Lugol’s 2% Solution in a few tablespoons of juice.

    Little kids would get 1 drop a day (3 mg), bigger kids need more, 2 – 3 drops (6-9 drops), high school kids would need an adult dose of at least 4 drops (12 mg) a day. These are conservative amounts, doctors in the old days (when iodine was a genuine miracle remedy for many illnesses) would give up to 300 drops (900 mg) a day for TB patients

    One of the leaders in iodine research, Dr. Guy Abraham, with 4000 patients in one study, notes that the best results occur with dosages of 12.5 to 50 mg (less for children), and those with diabetes need up to 100 mg (33 drops) a day.

    Since most people are very deficient, you can double the dosage for the first week.

    J.C. Crow is a trustworthy company that sells Lugol’s 2% iodine solution online (for $14, or $9 at Amazon). Keep it in the fridge.

    What shall it be, Harsh Reality or False Hope?

    Hugs,
    Grandma Lauren

  5. @Speaktrue et al: KitemanSA is a pro-nuker troll who has been banned from numerous sites for his/her frothing and personal attacks. This troll’s apparent Facebook page even displays this telling image called “Green is the New Red.” Need I say more about this hateful troll who can’t spell? Well, yes. I included his comment to show just how desperate pro-nuker trolls are to debunk any notion nuclear power is dangerous going so far as to say, in KitemanSA’s case, that Chernobyl will actually save lives. Being called names by such a person is an honor, Speaktrue.

  6. @Susan: 1) The Inspector Alert nuclear radiation monitor took a ten-minute reading, as I said on the recording. Divide by ten to get Counts Per Minute. 2) Who knows? You would if you had an Inspector and tested it yourself – we are in Southern California. 3) If you mean KI (potassium iodide), then the answer is NO.

  7. Speaktrue,
    Maybe it would be good if you were to start emulating your name.
    The international media give the Fukushima radiation more attention than it deserves.
    We are not in dire’s neighborhood by a lloonngg way.
    If the Pacific is dying, it is due to CO2 that nuclear power prevents.
    Clouds are pink for many reasons, none of which are cesium or strontium.
    The die offs do not correlate with radiation.

    PLEASE get informed. Use sites OTHER than this one that doesn’t seem to realize that rainstorms frequently bring down radioactive material. The have ben forever. This is a natural phenomenon. Radon seeps out of the land and ocean. It decays to other things. Those things get concentrated during a dry spell. Rain the washes it from the air. Radiation surge. Big woop. Go to the beaches in SoCal. You will frequently find areas where the sand emits well over 100 CPM. If the freaks you, perhaps you should never visit a health spa.

  8. Could you please explain in this rainwater measurement radiation 3x that of background radiation? In the video you say background is 39 and your meter is measuring 1321. Wouldn’t that be 33.87 x background radiation? Question 2) What were the radiation levels for the huge rain storm in Northern California on December 11th? Question 3) Should we be taking iodine? If so, how much? I eat sea vegetables from the Atlantic ocean daily.

  9. Excellent video. Highly recommend watching! 😉

    The TRIPLE MELTDOWNS at Fukushima have not stopped. The overall emissions from these Nuclear nightmares are not easing up anytime soon.

    IMO – The ongoing out of control China Syndromes are getting progressively worse.

    A Radiation Tests PLAYLIST by STOPnukesNOW
    Compiled for almost 4 years. Now over 100 videos 🙂
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL52dVhJvvM&list=PLD33AEE01FE5EBB75&index=101

    I am convinced the Media Blackout Control will never cease. The only way that I can see that the ‘control’ can be countered is by an ancient communication skill called ‘word of mouth’, also known as ‘talking eye to eye’. It’s just not as fast or instantly gratifying as twitter or instagram, but it works. 😉

    I guess it all depends on how quickly word of mouth information can spread vs the spread of Fukushima’s nonstop FALLOUT. (?)

  10. Great reporting!

  11. NATIONWIDE RADIATION REPORT

    High radiation detected in L.A. rain

    The system that brought hot rain to Southern California January 30, covered in High radiation detected in L.A. rain, chugged east through the American southwest and southeastward over Mexico.

    Dale Ramicone of Radiation Station Glendale California had virtually the same amount of beta-emitting radiation in his rain sample, 3.2 times background coming in at 121.2 Counts Per Minute (CPM) that we did at Radiation Station Santa Monica California. Our results were 3.3 times background at 131.7 CPM.

    We noticed several interesting phenomena with the storm’s advance over Arizona. During the rains, beta radiation levels in Phoenix and Tuscon actually went down. This may be due to the fact that the storm system could have washed out the high airborne radiation while it was raining. The EPA RadNet stations are air sensors, after all, and seemed to pick up less beta during the precipitation.

    The object of our attention is beta radiation. Once again, several significant beta stations have gone offline while a couple of crucial ones are sputtering to life.

    Readings of 100 CPM or more indicate significant beta radiation activity. Three times background readings could mean a hazardous situation exists and protocols discussed and reported on in EnviroReporter.com since March 11, 2011 should be noted. See that below the tilde symbol (~) before some rad readings means mathematically approximate.

    Since November 23, 2014 (below in archives), Montgomery AL hit ~170 CPM December 16 but has settled down around 50 CPM in the last few days; Anchorage AK also hit a four month high reaching ~165 CPM December 13 which is the first time it has reached that dubious milestone since EnviroReporter.com began tracking its beta radiation totals in this increasingly active area; Fairbanks AK also hit a four-month high inching past the previous ~245 CPM October 31, topping ~255 CPM Christmas Day 2014; Phoenix AZ in the Grand Canyon State is getting hammered with beta rads and hit a four-month high November 27 with ~735 CPM; Tuscon AZ, which nearly topped 450 CPM October 31 also hit the beta jackpot November 27 with a solid 700 CPM in an area where folks move to breath the clean and dry desert air; Little Rock AR has been settling down and hovered just under 100 CPM February 1; Fort Smith AR hit 250 CPM December 1; Anaheim CA‘s beta graph started working August 7 then went dead completely August 15, and now has been back since November 25 showing three 300 CPM days in this latest period; Fresno CA smashed through previous highs hitting ~970 CPM November 11 and then the graph died December 2 leaving a huge hole in California airborne beta monitoring; Bakersfield CA has gone off the charts – in excess of 1,000 CPM – half a dozen times in early to mid-November, and then blazed though 1,000 CPM again in this latest period seven times; Los Angeles CA‘s beta graph stopped in March 2014 but the gamma seemed quite jumpy in late December through mid-January 2015. A January 10 RSSMC triple HEPA filter debris test found hot dust coming in at 10.1 times background; Riverside CA‘s graph gave out September 15 after repeatedly slamming through the ‘Oh NO!’ threshold of 250 CPM and has stayed out leaving Southern California in the dark about a basic need-to-know environmental concern; San Bernardino County CA hit a four month high of ~345 CPM January 21; San Diego no longer has a working beta graph because it died January 15 after months of erratic fits and starts; Hartford CT is back to humming along at low numbers with ~22 CPM February 1; Washington DC was just ~35 CPM yesterday but hit 150 CPM twice December 17 and 26; still not one beta monitor out of five works in Florida which is why EnviroReporter.com editor Denise Anne Duffield and I don’t buy Sunshine State citrus; Augusta GA no longer has a working beta graph in a very active environment, unfortunately, giving out August 25, 2014 never to return; Ft. Wayne IN has exceeded 200 CPM twice for this reporting period which is actually an improvement; Baton Rouge LA‘s four-month high was hit November 10-11 with ~290 CPM but it has settled down registering ~35 CPM February 1; Orono ME is the farthest functioning beta station away from the triple meltdowns at Fukushima Dai-ichi, Japan, and this lovely town has the lowest readings sometimes down into the single digits for days at a time; Baltimore MD‘s beta and gamma graphs are now ‘on’ and functioning properly which is great news and shows that the New Year is getting busy with four days over 100 CPM; Worcester MA blew through ~320 CPM September 28 and has spiked three times in November over 200 CPM and then its beta station died December 9 and then briefly be reborn Christmas Day only to die, for good, the next day; Grand Rapids MI got up to ~315 CPM December 1; St. Paul MN was blowing through 300-350 CPM regularly before its beta station died October 16 not to return in a place where beta has soared since the triple meltdowns began according EnviroReporter.com’s extensive archive of beta readings for this important upper Midwest center; St. Louis tested ~310 CPM December 16, a four month high; Lincoln NE hit a four-month high January 3 soaring to ~460 CPM; Concord NH hit ~195 CPM December 17; Albuquerque NM also hit a four-month high December 17 with a whopping ~860 CPM; Buffalo NY tested at ~210 CPM November 18 and jumped around going over 100 CPM half a dozen times in the latest period; New York City NY is not functioning as it hasn’t for years but its gamma gross count is sort of jumping around like LA’s gamma is – just one difference, NYC’s gamma is much more active which is one thing New Yorkers can brag about: they’re hotter than Los Angelenos; Syracuse NY showed ~160 CPM November 26 and then the beta graph died December 1; Charlotte NC topped 220 CPM Christmas Eve bringing with it the gift of a four month high though the graph died January 13 so who knows now; Raleigh NC hit ~170 CPM July 24 and cut out and still hasn’t come back on, a real loss in the South but we do have Radiation Station Harrisburg North Carolina for occasional rain radiation tests including one November 17 which showed hot rain radiating at 9.9 times background; holy Toledo OH was ~210 CPM December 17; Corvalis OR is trending higher in 2015 with ~205 CPM January 9Pittsburgh PA was ~215 CPM December 16; Puerto Rico‘s beta graph doesn’t work but the gamma remains low and steady; Amarillo TX hit 1,000 CPM January 7 and 15 at one of the hottest sites in the country for reasons not fully understood; Dallas TX goes Texas-big topping 350 CPM twice in the period before the monitor mysteriously began registering in the single digits January 20 until now; Ft. Worth hit a four month high with 360 CPM January 20; Salt Lake City UT‘s beta station is still down since a huge beta increase over 200 CPM in early May 2014 and remains offline in a state that could use the now-available Mitt Romney’s guiding hand to get that beta station up and atom; and Madison WI hit a four-month high November 25 charting ~460 CPM and was only ~40 CPM February 1.

  12. Speaktrue is right — there IS a blackout. Search and try to find 3 words about the Fukushima meltdown steadily making its way here — you won’t find squat.

    We have another rain event coming at the end of this week (Feb 5-7, 2015). Two things can be safely predicted:
    (1) That rain will be hot.
    (2) The University of California at (Bought by Chevron — er, I mean Berkeley) will look at its monitors and not say a damned thing.

  13. There is an international media blackout about this
    whole issue ! We are in a dire situation, the pacific
    is dying, we have pink Cesium and Strontium clouds
    we have horrible mass die offs – please get informed

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