Mysterious helicopters are community news gold. So we're kind of ruining things by posting this but, be warned. The Washington State Department of Health says a low-flying helicopter will be traveling over our area sometime between July 11th and the 28th:
The measurements will be used to determine what normal radiation levels are various locations. The data will provide a baseline that can be used for comparison should there ever be a nuclear accident, the Department of Health said.
After the recent nuclear reactor accident in Fukushima, Japan, Japanese officials measured radiation levels in the surrounding area, but could not tell how elevated they were because they had no pre-accident measurements for comparison.
State radiation experts expect to find natural radioactivity and material produced by licensed radioactive material users such as hospitals, the Department of Health said.
(Photo of the Bell Helicopter that will perform the aerial survey.)
Flights to measure baseline radiation levels will begin over the Seattle and Bellevue area and then move to other parts of Kind and Pierce Counties. For any Black Helicopter types out there, know that a grant from the Department of Homeland Security helped pay for the survey.
You can learn more about the program here http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/rp/rep/aerial.htm
A helicopter flying over some urban areas of King and Pierce counties will gather radiological readings July 11-28, 2011. The U.S. Department of Energy's Remote Sensing Laboratory Aerial Measurement System will collect baseline levels of radioactive materials. The helicopter's equipment can detect the presence of radioactive materials that emit gamma radiation such as cesium and radioactive iodine. The baseline would be used in the event of a radiation emergency to compare radioactive contamination to the normal levels found during this study. The Washington State Department of Health Office of Radiation Protection is overseeing the project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The helicopter will fly a grid pattern spaced about 600 feet apart at an altitude of 300 feet, flying at 70 mph. The results will be provided to local agencies from the surveyed area by year-end. Some of the data may be withheld for national security purposes. The state Department of Health has been planning this project since 2009.
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Radiation-Seeking Helicopter Will Be Flying Low Over Seattle Area Starting Next Week
How are everyone's paranoia levels doing? Got enough obsessive fear in your life? 'Cause if not, you can always look to the sky and imagine all the worst-case-scenarios for why there's a radiation-measuring helicopter flying around. The helicopter, which is operated out of the U.S. Department of Energy's Remote Sensing Laboratory Aerial Measurement System, will be flying low in parts of King and Pierce county from July 11 to 28.
According to a Q&A on the Department of Health's website, the reason for the measurements have nothing to do with the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi in Japan.
Are you doing the survey to find out how much radioactive material came from Japan? This project is looking for radioactive material that exists in our environment. The survey isn't focused on radioactive material from Japan. The amount of material from Japan was extremely low and will not be detected by equipment on the helicopter.
Did the nuclear reactor damage in Japan lead to this project?
This project isn't related to the disaster in Japan. It began in September 2009, well before the earthquake in Fukushima. The helicopter flyover is part of a multi-phase project to improve our state readiness to respond to radiation emergencies.
The actual reason for the measurements is apparently to establish a baseline level with which to measure other radiation levels with.
(Yeah, right.)
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(Do yourself a favor and don't believe everything the media tells you. No matter where you live!) Blessings!-Missygirl*
