Computer components post Fukushima

Anyone that lives in Cornwall, Devon area has a higher the normal amount of radiation (thinks it's twice) in their system because the bedrock gives off radon (If you go walking on the Moors a lot this increases again).

This level is still 25% or less below that allowed by guys on the nuclear submarines which again is lower then the guys you were on sub in WW2.

Fact of the matter is anything that could be dangerous to our health would be picked up because of dirty bomb checks.

Yes the level of radiation has prob increased but that level is still WAY below safe levels.

I have stood within 3 feet of a sub nuclear core and I'm not glowing :)
 
I don't share your concerns, and you have provided an interesting discussion, but failed to convince me that I should share the aforementioned concerns with you. So thanks for the interesting post, but there is little point in spending your whole life worrying about things like this as it's largely out of your control, as is getting hit by a drink driver for example. You're more likely to get sick or die in a multitude of different ways, and whilst I agree it may be prudent to check for severe radiation, there's nothing to indicate that this is the case. I hope you're wrong.
 
cmndr_andi said:
Ok, i think this is my last post in this thread - since it has literally nothing to do with PC components. If you want to have a discussion about the effects of the nuclear meltdown, radiation in general or the nuclear industry then the place for this thread is in the "General Discussion" part of this forum, not "General Hardware".

As for hard numbers, this Taiwanese newspaper said on April 5th:



In comparision, the yearly dose of background radiation in Cornwall is around 7.8 milisieverts (ie 0.89 microsieverts per hour)- hence the radiation due to the dust was 2.5% the background radiation in cornwall (and only for a short period - not throughout the whole year).

If you want some none-scaremongering PC-related advice then please feel free to make a new thread and I will try my best to help. If not then I reckon this would suit you.
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That's just as I expected, nothing reputable to support your claim.

You claimed and I quote;

"The levels of radiation in the areas you mention... peaked at levels lower than the standard background radiation levels in Cornwall and Aberdeenshire"

You stated that as fact, when in reality all you had to support your claim was a forecast from the Atomic Energy Council, whose role it is to oversee, promote and encourage the use of civil nuclear power, likewise with the IAEA who began trivialising the events at Fukushima while they were still unfolding.

It took TEPCO three months to admit there had been a full meltdown at the Daiichi site, it was also revealed they knew there was a full meltdown underway at unit 1 within hours of the earthquake. They concealed this from the Japanese public and the international media for 3 months.

Now unless you can provide any data following Taiwan's exposure to fallout (which wouldn't be one sole, individual occurrence either I might add), then your claim is nothing more than the incredibly disingenuous misinformation I initially interpreted it as.

And just to substantiate my last claim (new Japanese government 'safety' levels are quoted, numbers and data included);

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc6FPIK1VaY

And FWIW I don't intend to 'scaremonger', but as you might have noticed it's hard to remain neutral, the facts relating to such a sensitive subject as this are never laid out and allowed to be interpreted by the individual, they're misrepresented and they're skewed by those with vested interests and poorly concealed agendas.

The effects of low level radiation on the human body are widely disputed, and you'll find vastly contrasting opinions in the public domain depending on who is given the pedestal and their political persuasion.

Cold hard facts are hard to come by when it comes to nuclear. One that can't be disputed however, is that fact that internal exposure to radioactive substances is much more harmful than an equivalent dose of external radiation exposure. In the case of internal exposure, the much maligned Linear no-threshold model isn't fit for purpose as it makes no allowance for internal exposure.

That is the key fundamental point here, and that is what seperates an event like this from comparisons with background radiation. And that is what threatens to contaminate exports from within the region.

Surely that isn't a difficult concept to grasp?


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And for the benefit of the other poster, it isn't a random username, and yes I'm a blue :)
 
Well short of fabricating your own capacitors, transistors and integrated circuits etc and basically building all your own electronic equipment ...I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish here ? ...I'm sure most people are aware of this but there isn't anything we can do about it so there is little sense in worrying too much about it.

Since even devices made elsewhere in the world most likely use some components made in the the vicinity of Japan if not in Japan it's self it really does more or less preclude avoiding the remote possibility of growing a 3rd ear on your back and your children coming out like Tubbs and Edward.

In answer to your question, no I'm not really worried about it. I'm much more worried about other issues, such as weather or not we really will get a referendum on weather or not Britain should stay in the EU and weather or not the government will actually abide by it ...and I'm even more worried that it might not come out in favour of us leaving the EU. I'm also rather worried about the state of the Eurozone, and what the likely series of controlled debt defaults starting with Greece will actually mean for our own economy. I am also worried by the exchange rate ...although I have been worried about that for about the last 2 years. After these initial concerns I am also generally worried about the state of modern Britain, what's happening to it, where are we heading, what shape will the future of Britain take ...how will our towns and cities look in another 10, 20, 30 years ...and when all the Dolphins finally have had enough of us ransacking the Earth ...will they thank us for all the fish or just ****** off without a word ...leaving us to explain to our children why they can't swim with them anymore.

Of all the things weighing on my mind currently, being irradiated by an electronic item that was contaminated in the fallout of the Fukushima disaster isn't all that high on my 'lose sleep over' list.
 
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Moeks said:
Well short of fabricating your own capacitors, transistors and integrated circuits etc and basically building all your own electronic equipment ...I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish here ? ...I'm sure most people are aware of this but there isn't anything we can do about it so there is little sense in worrying too much about it.

Since even devices made elsewhere in the world most likely use some components made in the the vicinity of Japan if not in Japan it's self it really does more or less preclude avoiding the remote possibility of growing a 3rd ear on your back and your children coming out like Tubbs and Edward.

In answer to your question, no I'm not really worried about it. I'm much more worried about other issues, such as weather or not we really will get a referendum on weather or not Britain should stay in the EU and weather or not the government will actually abide by it ...and I'm even more worried that it might not come out in favour of us leaving the EU. I'm also rather worried about the state of the Eurozone, and what the likely series of controlled debt defaults starting with Greece will actually mean for our own economy. I am also worried by the exchange rate ...although I have been worried about that for about the last 2 years. After these initial concerns I am also generally worried about the state of modern Britain, what's happening to it, where are we heading, what shape will the future of Britain take ...how will our towns and cities look in another 10, 20, 30 years ...and when all the Dolphins finally have had enough of us ransacking the Earth ...will they thank us for all the fish or just ****** off without a word ...leaving us to explain to our children why they can't swim with them anymore.

Of all the things weighing on my mind currently, being irradiated by an electronic item that was contaminated in the fallout of the Fukushima disaster isn't all that high on my 'lose sleep over' list.
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Brought a smile to my face. At least you're sincere and don't try and pass off fictitious nonsense as fact.

Fair play.
 
Ok Mario, I will sell you my PC which is Fukushima radiation free for £2000.

Seriously if your that worried, buy 2nd hand. Just not off a smoker, would probably be worse for you than the "radiation" .


















*ps mods, this is not a serious offer don't want to break MM rules :/
 
iNPUt said:
Ok Mario, I will sell you my PC which is Fukushima radiation free for £2000.

Seriously if your that worried, buy 2nd hand. Just not off a smoker, would probably be worse for you than the "radiation" .


















*ps mods, this is not a serious offer don't want to break MM rules :/
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Lets call it 4k, deal?

Seriously though, I probably will get all the parts together eventually anyway, I don't really have much choice but to.

It just bothers me that the manufacturers and retailers can't provide the assurances I'm after, it's the uncertainty which is making me uncomfortable

I know I'm going to have to put aside these worries, but I really don't see why I should have to. The retailers should be able to provide guarantees about the safety of their products, and if they can't, then they shouldn't be selling them.

Meh. Here's to leukemia...
 
1. get life insurance
2. get the biggest mortgage you can
3. buy your radioactive Japanese components
4. wait for the cancer to kick in
5. get diagnosed
6. get you mortgaged payed off by the insurance
7. get chemotherapy
8. go the rld in holland, germany, rio de janeiro, thailand etc





please dont take me seriously =)
 
When a post starts by saying the poster has been doing their own research the chances are, unfortunately, that they are about to troll or they have some agenda of their own which they will cherry pick the data to be presented to try and meet.

The OP says that Toshiba are the only people that have conceded there is an issue ... But actually from what you have said all they have conceded is that that they have been asked by customers if there is an issue ... Not whether there is an issue or not.

As usual with these threads there is no point with actually presenting any evidence that debunks the OP's claims as they will not listen anyway. As a qualified physicist who has been following what happened in Japan with interest I would say that from the things I have read that this isn't something which you should be worried about (and no, I am not going to bother looking up sources as I am not going to waste my time on it).

The OP appears to have an anti-nuclear, anti-Japanese agenda which has been carefully wrapped up into a thread about computer parts in attempt to make it plausible on this forum.
 
What exactly is your agenda here, as it's certainly nothing to do with your own health concerns?
Odd post and odd responses.
 
Mario Balotelli said:
I've done a little independent research recently, and I've learned that UK retailers of electrical components exported from south-east Asia have taken no further precautions following the nuclear accident at Fukushima. Every retailer assured me of the safety of these components (as you'd expect), but they all conceded that it's essentially been business as usual and no further safety measures have been put in place to ensure these exports are not compromised by radiation originating from the Fukushima site.

This is despite there having been three full nuclear reactor meltdowns in the heart of the region which produces the vast majority of the world's electronical components. This is despite the reactors releasing radiation into the atmosphere, daily, for 6 months.

I wish to custom build my own pc soon, but this uncertainty over the safety of the components I'll need to purchase is concerning me.

Motherboards - made in Taiwan (just south of the Japanese coast)
Cases - made in Taiwan or China
Cpu fans - made in Taiwan/China
Graphics cards - made in Taiwan

All the leading manufacturers like Asus, Corsair and Cooler Master are based in Taiwan, and the industry as an entity exists solely in south-east Asia.

That includes Japan of course. They supply and manufacture capacitors for almost all the recognised brands.

It concerns me. Am I alone in this worry?

I'm aware of examples of contaminated exports reaching Europe, not that long ago there was a shipment of cars from the region which was bound for Russia but was rejected upon the discovery of signifcant amounts of radiation desposition.

This is an issue which the industry is doing its utmost to conceal and trivialise, but what is the truth and how great, or insignificant, is the threat?

http://vimeo.com/28766748

This is what poses the threat of contamination. Physical elements like Caesium and Strontium which are as fine as dust particles or even smaller, yet not only do they carry the toxicity of a heavy metal they're also highly radioactive.

Theoretically, whilst these 'hot particles' are airborne in high concentrations within the region, what's to stop them from landing upon items manufactured there?

http://enenews.com/nuclear-fallout-...heir-clothes-and-cleanse-nuclear-contaminants

Again theoretically, but how unfeasbile is it that a motherboard manufactured in Taiwan could have an amount of the said 'hot particles', however small, on its' components? Should that motherboard then be placed inside a desktop pc, and be exausting air contaminated with the said 'hot particles' on a daily basis into a poorly ventilated room, that poses a threat to anyone it that room - does it not?

The above scenario is entirely theoretical, but how far-fetched is it - really?

I don't believe it's that unrealistic, and I do believe that if it wasn't - we wouldn't know about it.

Anyone else share my concerns?
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This is actually quite amusing. You and this sort of home-brewed research are the exact reason why most governments maintain strict protocols when it comes to anything regarding radiation. Since the start of the cold war there has been is very disproportionate level of fear by the general public towards radiation. The mere mention of it can cause panic, so governments keep it under tights wraps. They do this more to make the public feel safe than to actually limit exposure. We are subjected to radiation all the time and we survive. Chernobyl spread radiation all over Europe and yet we survive. Our planet has hosted dozens of above ground nuclear tests and yet we are still here. Yes it is dangerous, and no one is denying that, but the amounts that our enviroment has been subjected to is negligible. There is no conspiracy to sell off irradiated computer parts. There never was a significant threat to begin with. I don't expect you'd believe that thou, as paranoia clouds all rational judgement.
 
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Hey Mario I hear someone is cutting a tree down somewhere! Quick to the Greenpeace mobile! (Tinfoil hat not included)
 
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