Following the March 11 nuclear power plant disaster in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture it was revealed that the Environmental Protection Agency’s RadNet radiation detection network has several serious drawbacks, including a lack of maintenance and equipment that is often improperly calibrated. Such a system is essential for informing and protecting the American public during such a catastrophic event that has spread radiation throughout the northern hemisphere.

Emails between EPA officials during the George W. Bush administration suggest plans to obscure radiation reporting in the event of a nuclear disaster. The EPA’s unpreparedness for such an event was intensified when in late March 2011 the Nuclear Regulatory Agency arranged for nuclear industry lobbying firm NEI to provide radiation monitoring data to the NRC. Under the plan, the NRC would then forward it to the EPA. On April 14^th the EPA’s RadNet unexpectedly returned to regular monitoring activities. Thus rigorous testing of food, water, and air throughout the US came to an end.

A national or international terrestrial radiation detection network is not difficult to establish or maintain. Indeed, laypersons at the Radiation Network use Geiger counters, a simple computer program, and the internet to provide an international, around-the-clock monitoring service that has surpassed the EPA’s RadNet.

Sources:

Article Title: RadNet or SadNet? The EPA’s Failed Radiation Detection System
Article Author: pstuph.wordpress.com
URL: http://pstuph.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/radnet-or-sadnet-the-epas-failed-radiation-detection-system/

Article Title: The EPA Took RadNet Down Because They Were Getting Data From “Other” Sources
Article Author: Lucas W. Hixson
URL: http://enformable.com/2011/11/march-23rd-2011-the-epa-took-radnet-down-because-they-were-getting-data-from-more-reliable-sources/#comment-3596

Article Title: US Radiation Monitoring May Have Been Handed Off to Nuclear Industry Lobbyists
Article Author: James Corbett
URL: http://fukushimaupdate.com/us-radiation-monitoring-may-have-been-handed-off-to-nuclear-industry-lobbyists/

Article Title: Fallout
Article Author: Michael Kane
URL: http://www.collapsenet.com/free-resources/collapsenet-public-access/item/723-fallout

Article Title: Confirmed: EPA Rigged RADNEt Japan Nuclear Radiation Monitoring Equipment To Report Lower Levels Of Fukushima Fallout
Article Author: Alexander Higgins
URL: http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/05/19/confirmed-epa-rigged-radnet-japan-nuclear-radiation-monitoring-equipment-report-levels-nuclear-fallout-22823/

Student Researcher: Alyssa Barbieri
Faculty Advisor: James F. Tracy

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