How can we detox or mitigate radioactivity in the soil?

Geoff,

I am very glad that Australia is, so far, safe from radiation from Fukushima, but as you doubtless know, the reactors are still emitting radioactivity on an ongoing daily basis, and it is coming down in the rain. I live in Portland, Oregon, where we are being zapped.

How can we detox or mitigate this radioactivity?

I have heard that when the soil is highly mineralized, the plants are safer, that sufficient calcium protects the plants from taking up strontium 90; potassium protects against cesium; iron protects against plutonium; and healthy iodine protects against radioactive iodine. What do you know about this?

It has been informally observed that biodynamic farms appear not to have radioactivity in the soil.

Miso protected people against radiation when bombs were dropped on Hiroshima, and so perhaps soil micro-organisms help to mitigate the effects.

Do you know specific techniques for detoxing soil with zeolites? I want to know exactly how that is done.

Boron protects against radiation, but I have been warned that plants only need a small amount of boron, and that adding too much would hurt them.

Do you know of people who are researching this subject?

Thank you for any help you can give us.

I love what you are doing, and wish you all blessings.

Pamela Melcher

I too would like to hear of this, as I find it concerning, and am still disappointed with the lack of news coverage.

Hi Pamela
there is some interesting info here: http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/pubs/index.htm

The natural system of decomposition through composting locks up toxins even radioactive over time through the life carbon pathways, you need to speed these processes.

You new to you fast pioneer weeds, crops and trees to mob up toxins then increase the decomposition cycles to lock into the carbon molecules forming long chain carbon based molecules and after a few cycles the toxins become inert.

There is some very interesting research already done this.

Cheers Geoff Lawton

Check out www.permaculture.org.au/permies

Geoff,

Thank you so very much for answering. I will check out what you refer me to.

What you say makes sense, and I was guessing that something of that nature would help. It resonates with the Japanese people's experience with miso, and what is seen on biodynamic farms. Intuitively I always felt that something like this made the most sense, especially as the soil microorganisms help the plants take up the good minerals they need. I imagine they show intelligence in making the healthy minerals available.

Plus, I am SO vastly much happier myself around humusy soil, which of course helps a lot.

Our Earth Mother is amazingly able to heal herself, and I am happy to help her.

I am breathing more deeply.

I am in the process of putting massive amounts of polycultural mulch on the 1/4 acre on the outskirts of Portland where we are starting a food forest, and planting many comfrey plants, and some elaeagnus trees and shrubs. I will expand the range and number of such plants. I also have ready access to second growth forests that have been reforesting for about 100 years, where I can respectfully, with care for the ecosystem, gather some soil that will hold beneficial micro-organisms. I am also learning to make compost tea, and about Korean natural farming, where they cultivate good soil organisms in large numbers. Although I am sorry that this woman was ill, a former owner of this house and land was ill for many years and let the back yard run wild, so there was a lot of regeneration of this land which was a dairy farm until about 1980. There is more humus than would otherwise be the case in the soil. Humus building fascinates me and I love working on it.

I am one who is very proactive and does not allow myself to be victimized. AND I share what I learn WIDELY. I have this feisty streak where I actually enjoy challenges like this.

Paul Stamets has a lot of info about using mushrooms to mop up radioactivity, but the problem of what to do with the radioactive mushrooms remains.

Obviously there will be more and more research on this, due to the need.

No nukes. I have done activism for 50 years to stop all forms of nuclear anything. I have NEVER seen this level of opposition to nuclear power, so I see this as the tipping point, although I wish it had come sooner, like in July of 1945, or that this had never happened.

Many Thanks and Many Blessings,
Pamela Melcher

Geoff, I would love it if you would do a dvd on this subject. I am ready to place an order.

Thanks again,
Pamela

I remember reading something about mushrooms or some type of funghi being possibly used to mop up radiation. Must try to find an article.

Read this: http://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/how-mushrooms-can-clean-radioactive-contamination-8-step-plan

Thank you, Angie. I appreciate your suggestion and will check out the information that you sent me.

Health for All.

Pamela Melcher

When ruminants eat radioactively contaminated pasture, they pass a fair amount into their milk unless you add vermiculite and iodine to their food. The vermiculite bonds to Cesium and Strontium so most of he contamination is then passed into their pellets. The supplemental iodine binds to the thyroid sites so radioactive iodine can not. Also make sure their calcium and phosphorous levels are right, again blocking potential bonding sites. Be meticulous about maintaining healthy gut flora in you and your animals with tons of probiotics, then use the milk to make long aged cheeses so it can cool down even more. I researched the hell out of this right after Fukishima.

Thank you, Greg.

Would adding vermiculite to soil tie up cesium and strontium int the soil, so that it does not get taken up by plants?

Health for All.

Pamela Melcher

I'm not sure you'd want to tie it up. The lighter elements wash out quickly into the sub soil. All the data I've seen shows an exponential decay curve on bio availability, so time is your best indicator of how hot things are. Where are you? Are you dealing with Fukishima radiation (light elements) or Nevada or Santa Susana test site radiation (Heavy elements)? Some places like those downwind of the Nevada test site (St. George UT for example) or from reactor meltdowns (San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles CA) are too hot to ever be reclaimed so I'd treat them like an urban industrial lot, using only container gardening and raised beds with clean soils and imported water.

Greg,

I am in Portland, Oregon, where we got zapped a lot by the worst of Fukushima, and still get zapped by every rain, as Fukushima spews out radiation every day, even though the media does not tell us.

We get radioactive iodine coming down in every rain, as well as cesium and strontium, a little plutonium, and who knows what else (there are many more nasty radioactive whatever they are called than those 4. Those are to most numerous ones.)

I want to eat food that has not incorporated radioactivity into its structure, or, if that is impossible, at least, minimally incorporated it.

I appreciate any suggestions you may have.

Health for All!

Pamela Melcher

Greg,

So, in practical terms, I was wondering if I mixed the top several inches of soil with vermiculite, whether the vermiculite would draw the radioactivity into itself and then it would not get into the plants.

I would love to see research results on this.

Health for All!

Pamela Melcher

Hello to all. I am new to the forums.

There is some research done about charcoal (biochar) being used to remove toxins from the soil or to reduce their bioavailability. Recently I found one about radioactive materials but it was in Japanesse (spelling?). I think it has to be made in a certain way to have such effect.

Also, in collapsenet.com there was a free list of foods and food suplements that help to get many radioactive elements out of your system, it was written by a naturopatist I think.

I have to go now, but Ill try to find links latter, or maybe someone will bet me to it. Hope this helps

BC

this shows some different uptake levels in plants

http://www.scopus.com/record/display.url?eid=2-s2.0-59149087159&origin=inward&txGid=1DCF1BA05D4F5B668E53A54148177E57.zQKnzAySRvJOZYcdfIziQ%3a4

I remember a story, about[German?] soil contaminated by water leaking from a nuke reactor [60's?], the area was treated by importing a specific type of fast growing large formed earthworm, earthworms being heavy metal collectors,
Initially it was a big success the facility could handle the [now concentrated ] radio-activity, however the earthworms migrated out of the target area !

Today this sounds made-up, but I'm posting it here for what its worth !

I was just reading the impressive results of using apple pectin to bind radioactive elements in Chernobyl. They said something in one article about pectin also being valuable to cows, and I'm thinking if I were in your place (geographically) with your concerns, I'd be planting some apple trees if I had dairy animals! Cows don't mind eating the more sour fruit you often get from unnamed varieties that come up on their own from apple cores. And those have higher pectin. (plums and other fruit can also have high pectin). Citrus peels also have high pectin and my animals all LOVE to eat the peels, especially from mandarin oranges where there is very little of that bitter white stuff.

http://farmwars.info/?p=8597 (apple pectin article)

I found one seed company that sells apple seeds from an applesauce company for planting. I think they'd make great pasture trees, if you don't want to try to save your own apple seeds!

http://www.treeseedsforsale.com/common-apple-tree-seeds.html This entry is for red delicious seeds, they have another one that's mostly Fuji apple seeds.

Thank you very much, Renate.

Be safe. Be well.

Pamela Melcher