Radiation, Umbrellas, and Iodine- Oh My!

Thank you to everyone who’s been concerned for us after the tragedies in Japan. Rest assured, we are very much safe and sound and far (1800 miles) from the chaos on that unfortunate island. Of course, you know what they say about what happens when a butterfly flaps its wings- we are experiencing some soft ripple-effects of this wing beat.

 

Mostly, it’s in trivial things. For instance, people are afraid of the rain. Umbrella’s have always been in vogue in China, whether it’s rainy or sunny. However, people more cautious of the rain now. The fear, of course, stems from the fact that radiation may travel through the atmosphere and use rain to molest nearby countries. One of my students told me that her mother has ordered her to use an umbrella whenever she goes out of doors, no matter how light the rain may seem. The other students seemed to be in consensus about the soundness and familiarity of this advice.

 

The strangest part of the radioactive mania in China, however, is the depletion of the salt supply. People are stocking up on iodinated salt to offset possible radiation. I think that the stores are now finally becoming able to maintain their stores of salt as people are coming to realize that consuming enough iodine via salt is impossible since the sodium intake would kill you first.

 

How are things on the other side of the ocean? I heard for a while that there were fears of weather patterns and ocean currents taking this butterfly to the other side of the pacific. How are people coping there?

 

Hugs and Loves!