Nuclear radioactive Japanese cars stopped in Russia

[Ingenieur7]

The Russia Times reports:

300 radioactive Japanese cars stopped at Russian border
Published: 20 July, 2012, 01:48
Edited: 20 July, 2012, 08:12

Russia, Vladivostok: A sign with the nuclear hazard symbol stands in front of cars from Japan which were halted by customs officials in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok on April 14, 2011 (AFP Photo / Gennady Shishin)

Russian customs officials have stopped the smuggling of nearly 300 radioactively contaminated cars at the Japanese border as part of an ongoing operation monitoring imports following the disaster at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant last year.
"We have inspected 150,000 vehicles as part of this monitoring mission. Three hundred units that have been seized indicated a level of radioactivity,

 

[dan330]

does the USA check imports from Japan for this?? what about stuff shipped to other countries to be used in making other products that get sent to USA?

 

[!on]

I read that in Japan cars are driving around & their air filters are accumulating much radioctive particles.

Imagine having to check goods with a geiger counter, then having to quarantine the area? I've bought things from Japan in the past... consumer electronics.... hmmm

 

[Ingenieur7]

It's unknown whether US customs officials still check for nuclear radiation in Japanese products.

It's best the stay away from Japanese products and buy more European, Korean and Taiwanese products.

 

[!on]

Very sorry for the Japanese if their economy fails because of it.

I'm in no way religious but it bothers me somewhat that religion has predicted certain things (mostly metaphorical imo) & we see certain things being played out in front of us. Radiactive ores should stay in the ground & I believe it's radiation that's being described as "Hell On Earth", not fire, which can be extinguished very easily compared to isotopes with shelf life of thousands of years.

What also concerns me is this "I'm alright Jack" mentality when talking of Chernobyl, Fukushima, various nuclear diasters & weapons tests. Sure, people who are hundreds of miles away didn't drop dead right away, but take a decomissioned power station like Trawsfynydd in Wales, there was more leukemia & cancer near there & it was operating normally! Indeed, advice was not to eat welsh lamb because of radiation spreading from Chernobyl across Europe. Then there was DU particles from Iraq spreading in Sahara winds up to Europe in the summer. And ofcourse, half a century of abusing the planet with nuclear tests.

I believe it's time to stop 'cheating' & leave the "Hell" in the Earth. It's only because of OPEC that we can't use the sea, wind & sun* for electricity, because the US dollar is based on oil, but it's mostly for automobiles so we have to have nuclear!!!

*I saw on a gadget show scientists have come up with a new method of genereating electricity from UV & IR, so it works at night as well as in sun light. See how this gets brushed under the carpet .

 

[Speed Daemon]

Where exactly is the border between Japan and Russia? For the life of me, I can't figure this out!

 

[Bob Maxey]

*I saw on a gadget show scientists have come up with a new method of genereating electricity from UV & IR, so it works at night as well as in sun light. See how this gets brushed under the carpet .

If it works on UV and IR, it still needs a source. Something needs to generate the UV and infrared. Get back to me when they find out how to create power from the darkness. Light is just one part of a large spectrum.

 

[Speed Daemon]

It's unknown whether US customs officials still check for nuclear radiation in ... products.

Unknown? Really? After all the ballyhoo, press coverage and feature stories, nobody at all remembers that ALL of our ports of entry have a whole lot of very expensive, taxpayer-funded radiation detectors? You know, to keep all those dirty bombs out?

You can't sneak in a clay pot into the US without setting off a radiation alarm, for crying out loud. If any country has the energetic particle paranoia level set to eleven, it's the US of A.

 

[Shinji01]

Actually, we already have gaiger counters on sale in any major supermarket and pharmacy in Japan already, and as long as your not right near the nuclear plant, the count has not gone up .
Still, moms with small kids are able to check for any abnormalities in food or whatever.

I personally think its a slipperly slope because, unleses you know exactly what the numbers looked like before the earthquake, you have nothing to compare your readings too. For all you know, your house might have had higher readings from before due to waste from years go. Even bananas are radio active too...

I think all countries should learn from this and keep track of their reading from before any real disasters.
Especially if you are living near nuclear reactors and nulcear powered/ related facilities. Seriouslly, how do we know that all nuclear powered ships and submarines etc are not leaking as we speak? How do you know that the closest nuclear power plat near you has been letting out a leak? As long as you don't know it doesnt happen, but it doesnt mean you are safe where you are.

As for me though, I am willing to stay in Tokyo because I dont plan to have kids, and I wont regret dying from cancer decades later when cancer is one of the top three causes of death int he first place.
It would be like swearing off sex and any physical contact because of worrying about risks of getting HIV.
Exports from japan is suffering from before the earthquake anyways due to the Yen being so freaking strong.

Ah, we live in a sucky day and age. LOL

 

[Speed Daemon]

Actually, we already have gaiger counters on sale in any major supermarket and pharmacy in Japan...

You're in Japan?

Can you tell me where your border with Russia is? It looks like Japan is made up of islands to me, but the article clearly says "border"...

 

[!on]

If it works on UV and IR, it still needs a source. Something needs to generate the UV and infrared. Get back to me when they find out how to create power from the darkness. Light is just one part of a large spectrum.

Let me google that for you.

Fair enough the first few results are for photovoltaic cells under development in Japan. Sure it's not the same thing I saw on TV though, which was more of a 'silver blanket' type affair. Did I mention I saw this on the Gadget Show, not a science documentary. OK so this is about harvesting the last light of the day but the spin was "after dark".

New Solar Panels That Work At Night | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building