British Columbia reports miniscule amounts of radioactivity from Japan

The Toronto Sun reports that the BCCDC has detected a 0.0000005 millisievert increase of radioactivity over backround levels on the Canadian west coast.  Apparently, they way they are presenting this information is by singling out isotopes detected in free air that have specific signatures which indicate that they originated from Fukushima.  Xenon 133 and a few other noble gas isotopes found in concert are very indicative of reactor core venting, and i'm sure sensitive equipment can pick this up.

Based on reports thus far, it really doesn't seem like appreciable amounts of fission products are reaching the jet stream and crossing the Pacific Ocean.  Global hawk flights at 30-60 thousand feet are coming home with lots of data out of Fukushima, but are clean on arrival.  If larger volumes of fission products are out there,  they are likely swirling around in the lower atmosphere within the regional hemisphere and/or ending up in the ocean around Japan.

Some recent developments:

Power cables are attached to all six reactors,  but a pump in only one of them works

Smoke and steam are still spewing out reactors 2 and 3 [the two worst]

The reactor 1 core is now at a worrisome 390 degrees celsius, but built to run at 302C tops.

There have been several blasts of steam from the reactors during recently, which experts say probably released a small amount of radioactive particles

It has been raining quite a bit in the surrounding Fukushima area - good for us, bad for Japan

Readings 60+ miles south of Fukushima:

Isobe Hitatioota City - Current reading: 532 nGy/h [0.532 microsieverts per hour]

Sawa Hitachinaka City - Current reading: 661 nGy/h [0.661 microsieverts per hour]

Onuma Hitachi City - Current reading: 1018 nGy/h [1.018 microsieverts per hour]

Mayumi Hitatioota City - Current reading: 442 nGy/h [0.442 microsieverts per hour]

City Uridura Naka - Current reading: 374 nGy/h [0.374 microsieverts per hour

Any reading above 0.57 microsieverts per hour  (if sustained for an entire year) will put the population above its 500 millrem maximum permissible dose.  I will be observing if the readings are either transient or persistently high; the later likely indicating that isotopes are not merely airborne but in the soil and vegetation.

Update:  Lower atmospheric airflow seems to be headed straight for the Philippines from Japan.  This on and off wind pattern over the last few days is quite disconcerting and frustrating.  I am not in possession of a geiger counter, nor do i have any connections with someone who could give me a live reading.  

Update 2:  According to translated Asahi news, Tokyo Iodine and Cesium levels just rose ten fold over previous day.  I-131 readings are now at 12,000 becquerels.

Iodine 131 Levels in Hitachinaka Surged to 85,000 Becquerels with Cesium levels at 12,000 Bq.   Here are perfect working examples of radioactive rain, folks.