Spiderwort From My Oregon Herb Garden

Ionizing radiation - Chromosomal damage

Back in 2011 Japan Fukushima nuclear disaster happened. The world was in shock and freaking out and so were we over on the Pacific Northwest Coast. A 9.2 earthquake literally tilted our earths axis. The ensuing tsunami destroyed coastal cities and Fukushima Nuclear power plants. Fukushima Nuclear Disaster | Increased Thyroid Cancer in U.S.

A pack of 14 potassium iodide pills costing $14.00 were selling on eBay for $350 dollars. My husband and I were living in Eugene Oregon at the time. I immediately thought of our thyroid health and went on eBay to buy some potassium iodide and was blown away at the skyrocketing prices. You only need these tablets if you are hit with extreme amounts of radiation. You are only allowed to take the tablets for a short amount of time. Too much iodine will destroy the thyroid rather than protect it. It's one of those minerals we can't live without but only need small amounts for our endocrine system to function correctly. There is a toxic form of iodine that is radioactive given off by nuclear bombs and nuclear power plants that destroy our thyroid. Potassium Iodide protects the thyroid from damage. Thank goodness this type of radiation has a short life.

Panic Buying After Fukushima Nuclear Plants Are Damaged

We didn't experience a huge radioactive cloud like I was afraid of but we are now experiencing ongoing doses of low grade radiation from Fukushima dumping radioactive coolant waste water into the Pacific ocean and the meltdown of core materials polluting ground water years after this horrible accident. Japan is so far away but as the wind blows radiation can hitch a ride on dust particles taken up by cloud formations and the Pacific oceans currents, eventually reach the Pacific West Coast and the rest of America.

However, the corporate news said we had nothing to worry about. But I don't trust the corporate news. So I went over to my health-food store and bought some iodine made from seaweed and started taking a prescribed dose every day and made my husband do the same. I told all my relatives to start taking daily iodine supplements as well. During my initial research I found out that daily iodine doses increase IQ, protect the thyroid and general health of our endocrine system. So in a small way the disaster brought new insights for increasing health and well being.

Six Years Of Fukushima: Six Lessons

I also bought some Spiderwort seeds to plant that summer in my herb garden. When radiation rides the winds it doesn't fall evenly, it falls in sporadic patches here an there. I thought if I planted spiderwort all over my little hobby farm I could detect radiation without having to buy those expensive radiation detectors that were selling on eBay along with the expensive iodine pills. My Spiderwort plants grew like crazy, almost 3 foot tall with tons of flowers. Non of my flowers stamens, the male reproductive part of a flower turned pink after the Fukushima disaster. Radioactive fallout does not fall like rain, it falls in clumps. So I would need to plant spiderwort all over my two acre hobby farm to monitor radioactive fallout. How to grow and care for you Spiderwort

The corporate news kept reassuring us that all was well during Japan's horrible earthquake and nuclear disaster, however corporate news has a bad reputation regarding following governments and corporate sponsors agenda and it's own bottom line. Spring arrived, I planted my garden and also my spiderwort seeds. The plants grew like weeds and I was impressed with the plants vigor and beauty. The spiderwort plant is indigenous to the East and Midwest Plains of America

In Situ Monitoring With Tradescantia Around Nuclear Power Plants.

Definition: In situ; often not italicized in English is a Latin phrase that translates literally to "on site"

Tradescantia is the Latin name for Spiderwort.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster

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