It’s here folks:  radiation from the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has reached California.  The Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley reported yesterday’s radiation measurements as:

Results Log
3/20 (4:15pm): Rain water results show trace levels of radioactive iodine (I131,I132), cesium (Cs134, Cs137), and tellurium (Te132). The amounts show that the activity we are observing originated from any of the three operating reactors that was shut down since I-131 and Te132 half-lives are less than 10 days and the spent fuel from unit 4 had not operated for > 130 days.The calculated exposure to the public is so low that the consuming of ~500 liters of this water would only increase dose by the same amount received by taking a cross-country airplane flight.

Somehow, I don’t take comfort in the analysis to a plane flight. Geez, what a toxic world we live in!

Yesterday, I did gain some comfort when writing a review on a new children’s multivitamin , which contained potassium iodide.  It gave me some relief, considering the shortages in this country, that we had some in our home. I was even more pleased when I looked at the current multivitamins we have to see if they had any iodine.  I was happy to see they do, and even better, it is sourced from kelp!

I take comfort in the kelp-sourced iodine in my children’s current multi-vitamins, and I take comfort that their bodies may not be as deficient as I originally feared. With the addition of extra seaweed in our diets , I think my children are relatively protected, at least more so if they weren’t talking their vitamins.