Many of us in the West Coast are concerned not only for the recent earthquake and tsunami tragedy in Japan, but also about whether the radiation leaked from the Japanese nuclear reactors might reach us. Should one be concerned about the radiation levels in Vancouver?
 
Radiation is measured using the unit sievert, which quantifies the amount of radiation absorbed by human tissues. One sievert is 1,000 millisieverts (mSv). One millisievert is 1,000 microsieverts.
 
Below are the radiation dose received from different types of exposure and the health dangers posed by different amount of radiation levels:
 

Type of Exposure	Dose Received
Dental X-ray	0.01 mSv
Chest X-ray	0.02 mSv
Cosmic radiation (from sky) at sea level	0.24 mSv/year
Terrestrial radiation	0.25 mSv/year
Natural radiation in the human body	0.40 mSv/year
Average individual background radiation dose (Vancouver, BC)	1.19 mSv/year
Average individual background radiation dose (United States)	3.0 mSv/year
Smoking 1.5 packs/day	13- 60 mSv/year
CT scan (adults)	15 mSv/scan
Current average maximum limit for nuclear workers	20 mSv/year
CT scan (newborn)	30 mSv/scan
Background radiation in parts of Iran, India & Europe	50 mSv/year
Lowest carcinogenic level (lowest level at which any increase in cancer risk is clearly evident)	100 mSv/year
Elevated limit for workers during Fukushima emergency	250 mSv/year
Criterion for relocating people after the Chernobyl accident	350 mSv/year
At one point, radiation levels near the Fukushima nuclear plant	400 mSv/year
The cumulative amount would probably cause a fatal cancer many years later in five out of every 100 persons	1,000 mSv (1 sievert)/year

  
 

Radiation Dose	Health Risks/ Radiation Sickness
0 – 250 mSv	Minimal/No Risk
250 – 1000 mSv	Some people feel nausea and loss of appetite; Bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen damaged.
1000 – 3000 mSv	Mild to severe nausea, loss of appetite, infection; More severe bone marrow, lymph node, spleen damage; Recovery probable, not assured.
3000 – 6000 mSv	Severe nausea, loss of appetite; Hemorrhaging, infection, diarrhea, peeling of skin, sterility; Death if untreated.
6000 – 10,000 mSv	Above symptoms plus central nervous system impairment; Death expected.
10,000 mSv	Incapacitation and death.

Authorities say we should not worry about the radiation in B.C. They said the radiation will be so minuscule they would pose no health risk and the radioactive plume will eventually disperse around the Northern Hemisphere. 
 
According to Dr. Epstein, ND one should not take potassium iodide on their own, high doses of potassium iodide suppresses the thyroid gland and is used clinically to suppress hyperactive thyroid function. 
 
The body can repair radiation-induced damage when the radiation exposure is spread out over long periods of time. If you want to do something to protect yourself, eating sea vegetables like arame, dulse, hijiki (sea grass), kelp/kombu, nori, wakame and miso can increase the iodide content naturally in our body to protect our thyroid glands from radiation destruction. Taking high-quality antioxidants is also a safe option to provide a natural shield against the ionizing radiation. Last but not least, let’s all pray for the Japanese people and help them get back to their normal life in whatever ways we can. 
   
References

• Are you worried about radiation exposure?
• Comparison of iodine content of seaweed by genus, geographic location and study.
• How much radiation is dangerous?
• Liposoluble antioxidants provide an effective radioprotective barrier.
• Radioprotective effects of miso (fermented soy bean paste) against radiation in B6C3F1 mice: increased small intestinal crypt survival, crypt lengths and prolongation of average time to death.
• Potassium iodide for radiation exposure?
• Radiation “nothing to worry about” in B.C., says experts