11 Reasons Not To Panic
1. You get more radiation going through security at the airport than you’re getting right now on the West Coast. Nuclear Safety Consultant Cham Dallas, professor at the University of Georgia, said on CBS News, “The people in California can rest easy. The amount of radiation that you’re getting now, or are liable to get in the near future from Japan, would be less than you would get in a TSA screening. It’s just not a hazard right now. I can’t see how that’s going to change in the immediate future.”
2. This is not Chernobyl or Hiroshima. While nuclear reactors are at risk, nothing nuclear has melted down yet. No nuclear bomb has gone off. Dallas said, “Right now, and in the immediate future, I cannot possibly see any scenario that would result in any hazardous levels of radioactivity getting to California. Unless this thing really deteriorates a lot more than — than is even conceivable right now.” So chill out, people. Nothing’s happening here, right now. And it’s very unlikely that we’ll ever be at risk from this particular event.
3. Japan is VERY VERY VERY far away. 5000ish miles, actually. And radiation leaks from a power plant like this don’t usually affect more than a 10-20 mile radius around the power plant. So if you’re hanging out right near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant site, get the hell out. Otherwise, stop panicking, send prayers to Japan, and thank your lucky stars that you’re safe.
4. Radiation doesn’t travel well. Radioactive particles don’t just hang out at super high doses in clouds of cancer-and-radiation-sickness-inducing concentrations. “Things would have to get kind of ‘end of days’ for us to see even a little bit of it here. We’re talking extreme,” Jordan Scott, a spokesman for the California Emergency Management Agency told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re just too far for anything to really reach us. A majority of the materials that would come out of there in a meltdown would dissipate within miles of Japan.”
5. Some people love to panic. Choose not to jump on the crazy-making bandwagon. West coasters are stockpiling potassium iodide for no good reason. Why is that? Are our lives so friggin’ boring that we have to create adventure so we can feel like we’re Jack Bauer in TV’s 24? Must we create hysteria just so we know we’re alive? We did this with the anthrax scare, when people were stockpiling Cipro. We did it with swine flu, when they were hoarding Tamiflu. Now this. Stop it people. You’re hurting your wallets more than you’re helping yourselves.
6. Remember, fear sells. Ebay auctioneers are raking it in on iodide sales right now. Alternative health care providers are scaring you into spending money so you can feel safe. When you’re afraid, you’ll spend anything to feel protected, even if it’s merely a placebo.
7. Potassium iodide only protects the thyroid. If you’re going to live in fear, you better be prepared to be much more afraid, because the thyroid is the last of your worries. What about the rest of your body? What about radiation sickness that can leads to fatigue, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and skin changes such as swelling, redness, itching and radiation burns? What about leukemia? Lymphoma? These simply can’t be prevented, so why freak out?
8. If there’s reason to panic, we’ll have plenty of warning. It’s not like a nuclear bomb might be coming our way any minute now at the speed of light. If some untold nuclear meltdown happens, it will be more like a hurricane than a tornado. We’ll have plenty of time to get the hell out of dodge and take the necessary precautions.
9. We’re all exposed to radiation every day. According to the World Health Organization, between environmental exposure and medical procedures, the average person is exposed to about 3.0 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation per year.
10. Emotional stress is more likely to kill you than some theoretical radiation cloud that might hit the West Coast. When you freak out, cortisol and epinephrine levels rise, leading to higher blood pressure, decreased immunity, high blood sugar, and other changes that can increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke or succumbing to infections or cancer. So take a deep breath. Meditate. Listen to guided imagery. And let those stress hormones fall back to normal. It does a body good.
11. You never know when your time is up, so be here now. When an unexpected earthquake hit Japan last week, people died. On the day before they died, some were worrying about how they would pay for their retirement ten years from now in the face of a falling stock price. Some held grudges about long-past wrongs. Some dreamed of doing things they were too afraid to pursue. Others were probably afraid of earthquakes or a tsunami or nuclear disaster. You could be in a car accident. Your number could be up tomorrow. Don’t waste your life worrying about what might happen.
So What Can You Do?
I know you might feel helpless when you can’t control the outcome of a potential disaster. So I understand why you might be nervous. It helps to feel like you’re doing something. So what can you do to protect yourself and your family?
* Meditate. It calms the mind.
* Dissociate from your fear. Recognize that fear comes from a primal biological part of your brain that has a tendency to revert to fight or flight mode.
* Count your blessings. Think about what the people in Japan must be feeling. Be grateful for your life. Focusing on gratitude calms the mind and attracts good things into your life.
* Watch the news for further updates. There is no government conspiracy trying to hide disaster from you.
* Eat healthy, iodine-rich foods (assuming you don’t have thyroid issues), such as sea vegetables such as kelp, yogurt, fish, shrimp, eggs, and strawberries.
* If things change and health officials announce that we are in danger, follow their recommendations and take potassium iodide pills in recommended doses if necessary. But don’t go selling your soul to stock up on supplements.
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