Question: Is there any radioactivity in Eugene's water resulting from the meltdown of the three nuclear reactors in Japan?
Answer: The Oregon Health Division collected water samples on behalf of EWEB, Springfield Utility Board and two other local water suppliers on Thursday, March 24. They collected samples from the river at Leaburg, in the raw water coming into EWEB's water treatment plant, in the finished water stream at the output of the plant, and in a sample taken from a location within the distribution system. The results were all "non-detect." They measured for Iodine 131 and 129, Cesium 137 and Strontium 90.
Here’s another good one that was valid in April of this year:
"The estimated biological effect from the trace amounts of radiation (iodine 131 and cesium 137) currently detected in Oregon from the events in Japan is less than .00016 millirems. To put this into perspective, a person would need to be exposed to this level all day, everyday for more than 100 years, to equal the exposure from one chest X-ray."
Another comparison is a cross-country flight which exposes a person to 5 millirems. A person would have to be exposed to the reading in April every day for 85 years to get an equivalent exposure.
