Streaming Meter Reading
The American response to the alarming radiation leaks from Japanese nuclear powerplants has been an increased vigilance regarding higher radiation levels. Some of the response has been inappropriate, such as taking iodine pills – the radiation levels over American soil have barely upticked. But interest in radiation levels and monitoring equipment has waxed, as manufacturers have been hard-pressed to keep up with recent demand.
One novel resource for residents of the Los Angeles area is live streaming of an active radiation detector by EnviroReporter.com. Residents can see for themselves the radiation readings in real-time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Called the Inspector, the device sits indoors in a West Los Angeles location. It is indoors so that it can be physically secured and lit. The Inspector doesn’t have to sit outside; it can detect the gamma radiation emanating from Japan just as easily indoors. Gamma radiation pierces through just about anything, except for lead.
Another reason to leave the Inspector indoors is to protect it from radioactive iodine contamination. Nuclear fallout is rich in iodine-131, which not only emits gamma radiation but also beta radiation.
If the Inspector was outside when a nuclear cloud passed by, the beta-emitting radioactive iodine might contaminate the device. Precautions are also needed to avoid placing radiation monitors above concrete, which contains low levels of uranium that could upset proper readings.
If you get hooked on watching the Inspector, you should become aware of a few of its quirks. First, you will see its numbers jump around from time to time. The principal reason is that solar radiation is essentially random, and the Inspector picks up this type of radiation. Also, radiation emanating from earthbound uranium and radium is picked up by the Inspector. These sources can cause a momentary spike in readings.
Like a Geiger counter, the Inspector displays counts per minute (CPM). The normal range in its present location is between 40 and 46 CPM. Such readings are consistent with pre-Japanese-accident readings. If readings started to rise and remained elevated, concerns might be raised.
Another caution is to be aware of the ten-minute averaging feature of the Inspector. The device will add up the CPM for the last ten minutes, then divide by ten to get an average. This explains why you might have seen readings suddenly jump tenfold, say from 45 to 390, and then dip back down again. To allay confusion and alarm by this feature, the Inspector is taken off camera during the averaging calculation, which is then reported immediately at EnviroReporter.com’s Radiation Station.
