# Assuming 100% Dilution, How Much Radioactive material Can Appear on California Beaches?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-100-dilution-how-much-radioactive-material-can-appear-on-california-beaches/678320>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 8, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-100-dilution-how-much-radioactive-material-can-appear-on-california-beaches/678320 "2014-01-08T22:24:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-100-dilution-how-much-radioactive-material-can-appear-on-california-beaches/678320/1 "2014-01-08T22:24:43Z")

</div>

Assuming that the radioactive materials released from the Japanese nuclear power plants (at Fukushima) all wash into the Pacific Ocean (and they mix with all of the ocean water), what concentrations of this stuff will be present at the California coast?  
I know that much of the heavy stuff will sink to the bottom, some (like Strontium) will get into the food chain.  
This stuff should be arriving in March-how likely is it to be present , in dangerous concentrations?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-100-dilution-how-much-radioactive-material-can-appear-on-california-beaches/678320/2 "2014-01-08T22:28:07Z")

</div>

> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> …how likely is it to be present , in dangerous concentrations?

Zero.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-100-dilution-how-much-radioactive-material-can-appear-on-california-beaches/678320/3 "2014-01-08T22:52:26Z")

</div>

> [@beowulff](#):
>
> Zero.

You neglect homeopathic radioactivity. 😛

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-100-dilution-how-much-radioactive-material-can-appear-on-california-beaches/678320/4 "2014-01-08T22:56:06Z")

</div>

[Snopes link](http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/fukushima.asp) on this topic.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-100-dilution-how-much-radioactive-material-can-appear-on-california-beaches/678320/5 "2014-01-08T23:30:28Z")

</div>

I’d be fascinated to hear how ralph would define his term “100% dilution”.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-100-dilution-how-much-radioactive-material-can-appear-on-california-beaches/678320/6 "2014-01-09T00:53:19Z")

</div>

> [@Smeghead](#):
>
> I’d be fascinated to hear how ralph would define his term “100% dilution”.

That was my question too after reading the title. However, he seems to imply all of the material dissolved in all of the oceans and fully mixed. (I am going to ignore the comment about stuff settling out. If it is dissolved it ain’t gonna settle.)

However, you would be waiting a long time for the mixing to occur. Thermohaline circulation of the world’s oceans is estimated to take 1600 years for a round trip.  
Not the same length of time as cooking a[Heisenroast](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=711938), but not far off it for practical purposes.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-100-dilution-how-much-radioactive-material-can-appear-on-california-beaches/678320/7 "2014-01-09T01:41:36Z")

</div>

Not to mention that if it’s “100% diluted”, then talking about it “arriving in March” is completely nonsensical.