An Overview of Fukushima and a Call for Meaningful International Collaboration

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This article can only hope to provide a partial and incomplete introduction to the complex situation on the ground at the Fukushima Daiichi plant and some context for the relative risks of the crisis there. In part this is a response to the epidemic of erroneous, misleading, and downright false information that has been widely circulating in the recent weeks. In part it is a call for meaningful international collaboration to address some of the very serious and real risks that are part of this situation.

An introduction to the situation at Fukushima

On 11 March 2011, (hereafter referred to as 3.11), a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the following tsunami set into motion a series of events in which Units 1-4 of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were devastated. The power lines to the plant were destroyed and shortly afterwards the backup generators were overrun by water. This led to a series of reactor core meltdowns and a possible melt-through event, as well as a series of hydrogen explosions that damaged the reactor buildings. Unit-3 and Unit-4 were especially badly damaged.

Initially there was an airborne release of radioactivity. The release of cesium-137 into the atmosphere during the period from 12 March to 31 March 2011 is estimated at around 10 PBq (petabecquerels) and the total atmospheric fallout from Fukushima has been estimated at between 10-16 Pbq. By contrast, the IAEA estimate the Chernobyl disaster at 85 Pbq in total atmospheric fallout. Radionuclide contamination from Fukushima also included cesium-134, strontium-90, and iodine-131. In addition to the atmospheric fallout, estimates of the direct ocean discharge of radioactivity at Fukushima vary between 3.5 – 15 Pbq.

The airborne release of radioactive material was also much smaller than the amount of radioactive material that is believed to have breached containment and is now contained in the basements of the damaged reactor buildings. The airborne release was quickly and widely dispersed by wind currents that largely took it out into the Pacific, but also over parts of Japan and North China. Radioactive fallout was most concentrated in a 200 km radius of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, both on land in Japan and in the Pacific Ocean. It is estimated that between 80-85% of that radioactive contamination fell into the Ocean.

The initial threat of radioactive iodine-131.

In the days after 3.11, and until the beginning of May in 2011, elevated levels of radioactive I-131 were detected in milk on the West Coast. The contamination levels didn’t reach above 1.1 bq/l, which is relatively low compared with contamination from the nuclear testing era, but no warnings were issued by any government agency, or mainstream media. There is a known link between I-131 in milk and thyroid cancer. US government officials estimated I-131 exposures from milk contaminated by Nevada above ground nuclear weapons tests in the period 1951 to 1958 as the basis for the projection that as many as 212,000 Americans developed thyroid cancer from Nevada test fallout. The I-131 was an airborne contaminant and has a very short half-life of just 8 days, so the threat from Fukushima-based I-131 has long since subsided. There is also concern that exposure to I-131 from Fukushima may have contributed to an increase in hyperthyroidism in infants. The highest levels of I-131 were documented in the five US States on the Pacific Ocean. The number of congenital hypothyroid cases in these five states from March 17-December 31, 2011 was 16% greater than for the same period in 2010. Contamination in Fukushima and its immediate environment was of course, much greater and between 15-52 children have developed thyroid cancer (which is extremely rare in cases without I-131 contamination). The percentage of children screened by Fukushima Medical University that have been found to have possibly precancerous cysts, or nodules in their thyroid glands has increased in the last two years from 35 to 56%, with the number of children having cysts, or nodules, of ‘significant’ size increasing from 186 to 548.
 

An unprecedented level of radionuclides released into the ocean. 

After 3.11, the initial concentrations of cesium-137 in the Pacific Ocean around Fukushima measured as high as 90,000 Bq/l, which is considered a ‘substantial threat to marine biota’. These fell to around 100 Bq/l by June 2011. By September of 2011 the cesium-137 levels offshore had fallen to around 9 Bq/l, a similar level to the EPA drinking water limit.

Fukushima pollution in the Pacific Ocean hasn’t reached the West Coast yet, but it’s coming. The Kuroshio current, which is just below Fukushima, is predicted to convey the majority of contamination across the Pacific, rather than it dispersing to the north and south. The majority of the impact is likely to be between Canada and Baja, with California bearing the considerable brunt.  The majority of the estimates of the plumes arrival vary between 3.2 and 3.9 years from 3.11. One complicating factor for determining its arrival and impact on the coast will be the unpredictability and complexity of coastal currents. These may potentially create significant hot spots of contamination.  What is most remarkable about this situation is that there is no US agency responsible for systemically monitoring radiation in the ocean. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute have just announced that they will analyze seawater samples sent to them by the public (for a fee) and publish the results on a website: http://ourradioactiveocean.org/

Although the water-born arrival of Fukushima cesium to the West Coast is receiving a huge amount of publicity and is creating very widespread concern, it is important to realize that the contamination reaching the shores of the West Coast will be many times more dilute than it was at Fukushima. Nonetheless, the most effective thing that the public could do at this point is to call for systemic testing and study both of the deep ocean contamination and its impact on the coastline.

There is confusion about debris from the tsunami being radioactive. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute have tested several samples and none have been contaminated. There is also a lot of conjecture about various land-based animal deaths. None of these are accompanied by a credible mechanism that explains how this may have been caused by Fukushima. Airborne contamination from cesium-134 and cesium-137 as recorded by UC Berkeley Department of Nuclear Engineering was never higher that 0.74 Bq/l in rainwater, although in the same time period iodine-131 reached 19.85 Bq/l. The effects of these levels of contamination are chronic, rather than acute, and impacts would expected to emerge on a much longer timescale. Waterborne contamination has yet to arrive and increased radiation levels, in themselves, which were very minor, would not have been sufficient.

Contamination in fish.

Japan’s Fisheries Agency says fish contamination has sharply declined since 3.11. In the three months following the catastrophe, 53 percent of fish sampled off Fukushima showed radiation levels surpassing the official safety limit of 100 bequerels per kilogram. By the following year, the proportion of contaminated fish had halved. And by November of this year, only 2.2 percent of samples tested unsafe. (Away from Fukushima, the ratio is less than one percent.)

A study by Nicholas Fisher, a professor of marine sciences at Stony Brook University in New York, caused a great deal of concern on the West Coast when it showed that fifteen out of fifteen blue fin tuna caught off of San Diego tested positively for cesium-134 and cesium-137 from Fukushima. The contamination levels were around 10 Bq/Kg, about one-tenth of what is considered the safety limit of 100 Bq/Kg and very substantially below the level of naturally occurring radioactive polonium-210, that was a thousand times higher. Yellow fin tuna, which does not migrate across the Pacific in the same way as blue fin tuna, was found to have no trace of cesium. Fisher has called for more extensive testing of fish, especially blue fin tuna.

Ken Buesseler of Wood Hole Oceanographic Institute also advises if you are concerned about eating fish, to avoid eating ground-feeding species like flounder, greenling, and cod, because of their possible exposure to ‘hot spots’ of cesium on the sea floor.

Although the radiation risk from cesium-134 and cesium-137 is trivial in fish, any exposure to cesium-137 (which is entirely an anthropogenic creation from the nuclear industry) carries risk. Cesium-137 can bioaccumulate in muscle tissue, and although it is not as immediately carcinogenic as iodine-131, it has a much longer half life of just over 30 years.

It is very important to understand that radiation from the Fukushima pollution is not the major health risk. The most significant current health risk is the ingestion of cesium-137. Once inside the body, the cesium-137 will continue to emit for the remainder of its half-life, potentially causing significant tissue damage and increasing cancer risk. Dr. Junro of Kosugi Medical Clinic near Tokyo, Japan has said. “The European Commission Committee on Radiation Risk has stated that they believe the risk from internal exposure is between 200 and 600 times greater than the risk from external exposure.” This differentiation is widely ignored by ‘nuclear experts’ when assessing the real health risks from Fukushima.

The growing ‘tank farm’ at Fukushima Daiichi 

Although these are the dangers of the radiological pollution from Fukushima that has already been released, there are also very significant current and future hazards in the containment and decommissioning of the nuclear power plant.  The damaged reactor buildings at Fukushima Daiichi and the spent fuel rod ponds above them need to be constantly cooled by having water pumped in them. This water then becomes contaminated with radioactivity and radionuclides. This water is then transferred by Tepco into tanks above and behind the reactor site. Nearly 300,000 tons of contaminated water are now held there in more than 1,000 containers on site and there are plans to increase this capacity to 800,000 tons. There have been complaints that this quickly erected ‘tank farm’ is poorly constructed. The tanks are bolted together, rather than welded and mostly have rubber seals. The longevity of the tanks is unsure and some estimates have suggested around 5 years, which is much less than half life of the cesium contaminated water. The tanks have leaked, including one day where Tepco admitted more than 300 tons of contaminated water escaped.

The groundwater issue

The main concern about radiological pollution currently coming out of Fukushima Daiichi is from the groundwater that is carrying contaminated water used to cool the reactors out into the sea. Some of this appears to be contaminated water seeping through the basements of the reactors. Some of this contaminated water is also escaping from leaks in and around the containment tanks that it is being stored in. Tepco is attempting to control this by building an underground steel wall in front of the reactor buildings. They have also tried, unsuccessfully, to create a chemical barrier.  There are also plans by the Japanese government to build a $300 million underground ‘ice wall’ to freeze the ground around the reactors. This will be done by a network of coils that will freeze the ground by transporting liquid nitrogen at 30 degrees kelvin. Essentially the issue is that an aquifer, much like an underground river, runs under the plant and into the ocean. Any water that escapes from the tanks, the basements, or from leaks, eventually flows downhill and into the ocean.

How contaminated is the water?

Nobody seems to really know the extent to which the contamination is concentrated, or even the exact quantity of water that is escaping, or indeed, exactly where the water is escaping from.  What we do know is that the Tepco monitoring points around the Fukushima Daiichi harbor and above and below the plant on the coast are all registering elevated levels of cesium-134 and cesium-137. The harbor is strongly tidal and exchanges approximately 20% of its water in each tide. Monitoring inside the exclusion zone further away from shore is sporadic and no government agency at all seems to be monitoring outside of the exclusion zone, although oceanographers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute conducted some tests in this area on a research cruise in 2011.

The engineering challenge of containing the contaminated water.

The ‘fill-a-bucket-and-then-store-it’ approach currently being pursued by Tepco with regard to the contaminated water is clearly a short term and rather desperate solution to a problem that will persist for decades. The strategic interventions that would be required to intercept the vast majority of the contamination entering the open ocean are an order of magnitude bigger than Tepco will be able to orchestrate. The Japanese government’s intervention and participation in the ‘ice wall’ plan is an example of how the situation is more likely to progress. Other possible solutions require engineering challenges that may stretch even the Japanese government, for example by attempting to divert the aquifer before it reaches the plant, or by erecting some more effective barriers at the harbor mouth of the port than the ‘silt fences’ Tepco have put in place to suppress seawater traffic. Even more radically, containment could potentially be deployed around the whole of the oceanfront area where contaminated water is currently escaping.

The reason that Tepco has been able to get away with the ‘bucket’ approach is that the level of radioactive contamination being recorded around the harbor and oceanfront area is considered reasonably acceptable by the standards of the nuclear industry. At the time of writing the contamination is around 2.2 Bq/l for cesium-137. Although the (very approximate) 300 tons of radioactive water a day leaking into the Pacific Ocean sounds like a huge amount, the Pacific Ocean is vast and dilution occurs relatively quickly to levels that would be considered acceptable by the EPA for drinking water, for example. This, of course, ignores the potential hazard to marine life and human health that exists from the possible ingestion of cesium-137.

Fuel rod removal

The removal of fuel rods from the reactors at Fukushima carries with it potential risks that are many orders of magnitude bigger than any possible contamination by radioactive water escaping into the Ocean.

Tepco is currently removing the first of the fuel rods stored on top of the Unit-4 reactor building.

It is doing this by using a crane to lower a steel transfer cask over the fuel rod assemblies and then removing them one-by-one. It is particularly urgent to remove the fuel rods from Unit-4 because it contains 204 fresh fuel rods as well as 1,331 irradiated ones. So far 132 have been successfully removed. It is often repeated erroneously that the fuel rods contain cesium. In fact, the fuel ponds in Unit-4 contain around 400 tons of mostly uranium and some plutonium oxide. The Unit-4 building exploded after 3.11 blowing the upper-floor walls and the ceilings away. Fortunately, the reactor was not in operation. This makes the removal easier than it will be in Unit-3 which was more badly damaged by explosions and will be the most difficult to decommission.

The removal of fuel rods is going to be a lengthy and dangerous process which requires innovative (and untested) methods. Of the possible scenarios associated with the removal of the fuel rods at Unit-4, a serious concern is that the containers enclosing the fuel rods may have been ruptured, or breached. This could lead to radioactive material escaping in the process of being removed.  An even more serious situation could occur if that breach in containment leads to combustion of the fuel, which requires constant cooling to keep it from igniting. If that happens to a single rod, it would be serious. If a breached container was encountered in a situation where it is still in proximity to other fuel rods, the situation could be very critical indeed. A radioactive fire is never a good thing and with live fuel rods in the mix, it could be calamitous. A major radioactive fire would require extensive evacuation in Japan. If the wind was not in the direction of the ocean, a major fire would be a very, very serious radiological hazard.

A much less likely scenario is the possibility of fission- and a subsequent nuclear explosion- occurring in the fuel rod ponds. This would require substantial and sustained breaches of containment and is only really a possibility in a situation such as similar size of earthquake as 3.11, or a very major industrial accident. It is because of this risk (and the risk of a major radioactive fire) that the fuel rods need to be removed urgently. So far it seems all is going well.

Decommissioning the reactors

The removal of fuel rods from the reactors will take many years. When that is complete, the decommissioning process for the reactors will begin. This is entering into more uncharted territory. Unit-3 was very badly damaged by the explosion that happened after 3.11. The reactor core broke through the initial containment vessel ( ‘melt-through’) and is in an uncertain state in top of the secondary containment vehicle. ( We know this because core material has been found outside of the reactor building). The reactor core is still hot and may well be in the process of eating it’s way through the concrete beneath it. This will continue for the foreseeable future, if the decommissioning plan sticks to Tepco’s schedule. The simple fact is that no-one has done this before and no-one really knows what awaits inside the damaged reactor buildings. Independent nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen of fairewinds.org, has claimed that there is a possibility a small nuclear detonation occurred after 3.11 in Unit-3, but this is highly controversial. We won’t know for certain until the decommissioning process actually gets around to entering the reactor building. Since the schedule for the decommissioning of an undamaged reactor at Oldbury in the UK is planned to take 90 years, (at a cost $1.5 billion) an estimate that decommissioning at Fukushima would take 50 years is extremely conservative. During that time there will continue to be substantial and ongoing risks of radioactive release into the environment.

One important thing to realize is that there are 23 reactors of the same GE Series 1 design as at Fukushima Daiichi operating in the United States today. The design flaws of the GE Series 1 reactors have long been known about. Indeed thirty-five years ago, Dale G. Bridenbaugh and two colleagues at General Electric resigned from their jobs after becoming increasingly convinced that the Series 1 reactor was so flawed it could lead to a devastating accident. The Series 1 reactors have since been retrofitted to improve their resilience to serious accidents, but concerns remain. According to Paul Gunther from Beyond Nuclear, ’These reactors, share the same  inherently dangerous flaws: a containment system long known to be vulnerable to failure during a severe accident that is then further compromised by an experimental venting system that violates the original licensing contract for an “essentially leak tight containment;” and no emergency backup power for cooling densely packed rooftop nuclear waste storage pools.’

The report released by the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission inquiry concluded that “It was a profoundly man-made disaster — that could and should have been foreseen and prevented,” according to Kiyoshi Kurokawa, the commission’s chairman.

Much of the hysteria and disinformation surrounding Fukushima distracts attention away from the really important issues surrounding the real risks involved in decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi plant and nuclear power in general. One effective response to this increasing public concern would be to radically increase the amount of radiological monitoring in the ocean, on land, and anywhere that radionuclides might enter the food chain and to publish those findings quickly and transparently. Education about these risks is also important, but in the search for potential solutions and mitigation of the risks from the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi, there is no substitution for meaningful international collaboration.

The call for international collaboration

Many independent researchers are calling for international oversight and collaboration on Fukushima. Tepco’s response to this so far has been to create an international oversight body called the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee. Most of the committee are nuclear industry insiders and there is no representation from either anti-nuclear experts, or neutral academics.

Many of the statements of the Committee have been absurdly self congratulatory, including this submitted statement by Lake Barrett, a former U.S. Department of Energy official, ‘Based on my review of the situation there, first of all I am pleased to report that the efforts being taken by the team is containing the significant amounts of radioactivity, and there is really no reason for the public or anyone to be concerned for a public health and safety situation about the water at Fukushima Daiichi.’ This is hardly the stuff of genuine critical oversight. Yet to ignore that Tepco and the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee have made significant progress towards greater oversight and transparency would also be misleading. This is in large part due to the fact that Tepco’s initial response was so poorly co-ordinated and opaque that they could do little but improve. When it began to become clear that the water containment tanks were leaking, Tepco had only ‘two workers to visually inspect all 1,000 tanks in two hours until the leak, and none of the tanks had water gauges.’ That has now been increased to 60 workers and daily and weekly reports of their findings are published online. Since the end of 2011, readings from radiation and radionuclide monitoring sites on the ground, in the air, and on the oceanfront are also available on the Tepco website. There is even a Fukushima webcam that you can access to view Reactors 1-4, although it is on a 5-minute delay, so if anything untoward were to happen, Tepco could make sure it was offline.

The genuine international collaboration that must emerge must be open to the collective genius of humanity to contribute to and be heard in. This is an unprecedented situation and it calls for unprecedented solutions. During the initial crisis after the tsunami and earthquake, I wrote to Tepco to see if they knew about the Croatian robotic fire-fighting truck, the Do-King FireRob, that has been deployed at Russian nuclear power stations. Needless to say, I never heard back. The collaboration must go beyond the politics of the Nuclear industry and narrow national self-interest, because the potential consequences of the situation also go far beyond both.

The collaboration should certainly include independent voices like Mycle Schneider of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, the Oceanographer Ken Buesseler of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Arne Gundersen of fairewinds.org, Paul Gunther of Beyond Nuclear, and Mochizuki Iori, of the excellent blog, Fukushima Diary, who have been vocal and useful sources in this crisis. It should also include representation from local people of the Fukushima prefecture.

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That Indigenous leaders from North and South America have called for international collaboration should also be listened to. Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe and Spiritual Leader of the Great Sioux Nation presented a council statement on Fukushima at the Tillman Chapel of the United Nations headquarters in New York City, calling for exactly this. The wisdom of indigenous elders would go a long way in cutting through the politics-as-usual surrounding Fukushima and would significantly contribute to a genuine solution-based approach that upheld the values of protecting the Earth, rather than the search for ‘acceptable’ levels of pollution that currently characterizes Tepco’s approach. Their statement on the issue can be read here.

I believe that in order to deal with this ongoing crisis, the world wants to see a new level of collective responsibility emerge, which may be the only saving grace of this whole deeply unfortunate situation. It is very noticeable that we now live in world of unparalleled global connectivity and technological interdependence, but that we are still struggling to manage the global village with outdated institutions like the nation state. Even our body of global governance is called the ‘United Nations’, not the ‘United People’. The ocean, and our contamination of it with cesium-137, knows no national borders. We now urgently need an ‘International Rescue’ force at the ready to deal with these emergencies. Instead we have enormous national military forces that stand by and watch distrustfully. That must end. Genuine and meaningful international cooperation must prevail.

Mark Heley is a member of the Fukushima Research Group, a group of independent journalists and researchers concerned about Fukushima and radiological pollution in general.
 

http://www.fukushimaresearchgroup.com/

http://www.facebook.com/fukushimaresearch

twitter: @fukushimaRG

Essential reading: 

A status report on Fukushima   http://www.worldnuclearreport.org/World-Nuclear-Report-2013.html#current_status_of_fukushima_daiichi_1_4

Fukushima and the ocean. http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/series/fukushima

Safecast -a global sensor network for collecting and sharing radiation measurements to empower people with data about their environments.  http://blog.safecast.org/

 

Petitions to sign calling for international collaboration:

http://caretakersofmotherearth.com/

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/the-world-community-must.fb62?source=s.fb&r_by=2295514

 

Sources and citations for the article: 

An introduction to the situation at Fukushima

http://www.worldnuclearreport.org/World-Nuclear-Report-2013.html

Impact of Fukushima on the Ocean

http://www.jst.go.jp/sicp/ws2013_j-rapid/presentation/presentation_0306pm_03_01.pdf

The  storage tanks at Fukushima

http://japandailypress.com/ex-fukushima-worker-says-duct-tape-wire-nets-used-to-repair-leaking-radioactive-water-tanks-0641871/ 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/20/fukushima-leak-nuclear-pacific

The ‘ice wall’ proposal

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/japan-spend-300m-ice-wall-isolate-fukushima-water/story?id=20144627

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=11203

Thyroid nodules in Fukushima Children 

http://www.fmu.ac.jp/radiationhealth/conference/presentation/day1/1109.pdf

http://www.radiation.org/

Contamination of fish

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-prove-fish-is-safe-after-fukushima-nuclear-disaster/

http://commcgi.cc.stonybrook.edu/am2/publish/General_University_News_2/Stony_Brook_s_SoMAS_Scientists_Find_That_Fukushima-Derived_Radioactivity_in_Seafood_Poses_Minimal_Poses_Minimal_Health_Risk.shtml

WSJ, May 29th 2012 ‘U.S. Tuna Has Fukushima Taint’

WSJ, Dec 31st 2013 ‘Nuclear Waste Sits on Ocean Floor’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18245037

http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?cid=94989&pid=83397&tid=3622

West Coast arrival of contamination

http://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journal/an-ensemble-estimation-of-impact-times-and-strength-of-fukushima-tkLchfrs8G/5

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/12/fukushima-radiation-hits-west-coast.html

http://enenews.com/head-of-tokyo-area-medical-clinic-risk-from-internal-exposure-is-200-600-times-greater-than-risk-from-external-exposure-video

Rainwater contamination

http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/UCBAirSampling/RainWaterSampling

GE Series 1 design flaws

https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fukushima-mark-nuclear-reactor-design-caused-ge-scientist/story?id=13141287

http://www.willamette.edu/events/fukushima/submission/gunter/

The call for international collaboration 

Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee http://www.nrmc.jp/en/index-e.html

Tepco’s radioactive analysis from Fukushima Daiichi http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/index-e.html

Chief Arvol Looking Horse

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/now-is-the-time-to-heal-the-earth.html

Image by ssoosay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing. 

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Ever wonder how to make DMT? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how DMT is made.

Having Sex on DMT: What You Need to Know
Have you ever wondered about sex on DMT? Learn how the God Molecule can influence your intimate experiences.

Does the Human Brain Make DMT? 
With scientific evidence showing us DMT in the brain, what can we conclude it is there for? Read on to learn more.

How to Use DMT Vape Pens
Read to learn all about DMT vape pens including: what to know when vaping, what to expect when purchasing a DMT cartridge, and vaping safely.

DMT Resources
This article is a comprehensive DMT resource providing extensive information from studies, books, documentaries, and more. Check it out!

Differentiating DMT and Near-Death Experiences
Some say there are similarities between a DMT trip and death. Read our guide on differentiating DMT and near-death experiences to find out.

DMT Research from 1956 to the Edge of Time
From a representative sample of a suitably psychedelic crowd, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who couldn’t tell you all about Albert Hofmann’s enchanted bicycle ride after swallowing what turned out to be a massive dose of LSD. Far fewer, however, could tell you much about the world’s first DMT trip.

The Ultimate Guide to DMT Pricing
Check out our ultimate guide on DMT pricing to learn what to expect when purchasing DMT for your first time.

DMT Milking | Reality Sandwich
Indigenous cultures have used 5-MeO-DMT for centuries. With the surge in demand for psychedelic toad milk, is DMT Milking harming the frogs?

Why Does DMT Pervade Nature?
With the presence of DMT in nature everywhere – including human brains – why does it continue to baffle science?

DMT Substance Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to DMT has everything you want to know about this powerful psychedelic referred to as “the spirit molecule”.

DMT for Depression: Paving the Way for New Medicine
We’ve been waiting for an effective depression treatment. Studies show DMT for depression works even for treatment resistant patients.

Beating Addiction with DMT
Psychedelics have been studied for their help overcoming addiction. Read how DMT is helping addicts beat their substance abuse issues.

DMT Extraction: Behind the Scientific Process
Take a look at DMT extraction and the scientific process involved. Learn all you need to know including procedures and safety.

Microdosing DMT & Common Dosages Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing DMT.

DMT Art: A Look Behind Visionary Creations
An entire genre of artwork is inspired by psychedelic trips with DMT. Read to learn about the entities and visions behind DMT art.

Changa vs. DMT: What You Need to Know
While similar (changa contains DMT), each drug has its own unique effect and feeling. Let’s compare and contrast changa vs DMT.

5-MeO-DMT Guide: Effects, Benefits, Safety, and Legality
5-Meo-DMT comes from the Sonora Desert toad. Here is everything you want to know about 5-Meo-DMT and how it compares to 4-AcO-DMT.

4-AcO-DMT Guide: Benefits, Effects, Safety, and Legality
This guide tells you everything about 4 AcO DMT & 5 MeO DMT, that belong to the tryptamine class, and are similar but slightly different to DMT.

How Much Does LSD Cost? When shopping around for that magical psychedelic substance, there can be many uncertainties when new to buying LSD. You may be wondering how much does LSD cost? In this article, we will discuss what to expect when purchasing LSD on the black market, what forms LSD is sold in, and the standard breakdown of buying LSD in quantity.   Navy Use of LSD on the Dark Web The dark web is increasingly popular for purchasing illegal substances. The US Navy has now noticed this trend with their staff. Read to learn more.   Having Sex on LSD: What You Need to Know Can you have sex on LSD? Read our guide to learn everything about sex on acid, from lowered inhibitions to LSD users quotes on sex while tripping.   A Drug That Switches off an LSD Trip A pharmaceutical company is developing an “off-switch” drug for an LSD trip, in the case that a bad trip can happen. Some would say there is no such thing.   Queen of Hearts: An Interview with Liz Elliot on Tim Leary and LSD The history of psychedelia, particularly the British experience, has been almost totally written by men. Of the women involved, especially those who were in the thick of it, little has been written either by or about them. A notable exception is Liz Elliot.   LSD Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety LSD, Lysergic acid diethylamide, or just acid is one of the most important psychedelics ever discovered. What did history teach us?   Microdosing LSD & Common Dosage Explained Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing LSD.   LSD Resources Curious to learn more about LSD? This guide includes comprehensive LSD resources containing books, studies and more.   LSD as a Spiritual Aid There is common consent that the evolution of mankind is paralleled by the increase and expansion of consciousness. From the described process of how consciousness originates and develops, it becomes evident that its growth depends on its faculty of perception. Therefore every means of improving this faculty should be used.   Legendary LSD Blotter Art: A Hidden Craftsmanship Have you ever heard of LSD blotter art? Explore the trippy world of LSD art and some of the top artists of LSD blotter art.   LSD and Exercise: Does it Work? LSD and exercise? Learn why high-performing athletes are taking hits of LSD to improve their overall potential.   Jan Bastiaans Treated Holocaust Survivors with LSD Dutch psychiatrist, Jan Bastiaans administered LSD-assisted therapy to survivors of the Holocaust. A true war hero and pioneer of psychedelic-therapy.   LSD and Spiritual Awakening I give thanks for LSD, which provided the opening that led me to India in 1971 and brought me to Neem Karoli Baba, known as Maharajji. Maharajji is described by the Indians as a “knower of hearts.”   How LSD is Made: Everything You Need to Know Ever wonder how to make LSD? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how LSD is made.   How to Store LSD: Best Practices Learn the best way to store LSD, including the proper temperature and conditions to maximize how long LSD lasts when stored.   Bicycle Day: The Discovery of LSD Every year on April 19th, psychonauts join forces to celebrate Bicycle Day. Learn about the famous day when Albert Hoffman first discovered the effects of LSD.   Cary Grant: A Hollywood Legend On LSD Cary Grant was a famous actor during the 1930’s-60’s But did you know Grant experimented with LSD? Read our guide to learn more.   Albert Hofmann: LSD — My Problem Child Learn about Albert Hofmann and his discovery of LSD, along with the story of Bicycle Day and why it marks a historic milestone.   Babies are High: What Does LSD Do To Your Brain What do LSD and babies have in common? Researchers at the Imperial College in London discover that an adult’s brain on LSD looks like a baby’s brain.   1P LSD: Effects, Benefits, Safety Explained 1P LSD is an analogue of LSD and homologue of ALD-25. Here is everything you want to know about 1P LSD and how it compares to LSD.   Francis Crick, DNA & LSD Type ‘Francis Crick LSD’ into Google, and the result will be 30,000 links. Many sites claim that Crick (one of the two men responsible for discovering the structure of DNA), was either under the influence of LSD at the time of his revelation or used the drug to help with his thought processes during his research. Is this true?   What Happens If You Overdose on LSD? A recent article presented three individuals who overdosed on LSD. Though the experience was unpleasant, the outcomes were remarkably positive.

The Ayahuasca Experience
Ayahuasca is both a medicine and a visionary aid. You can employ ayahuasca for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual repair, and you can engage with the power of ayahuasca for deeper insight and realization. If you consider attainment of knowledge in the broadest perspective, you can say that at all times, ayahuasca heals.

 

Trippy Talk: Meet Ayahuasca with Sitaramaya Sita and PlantTeachers
Sitaramaya Sita is a spiritual herbalist, pusangera, and plant wisdom practitioner formally trained in the Shipibo ayahuasca tradition.

 

The Therapeutic Value of Ayahuasca
My best description of the impact of ayahuasca is that it’s a rocket boost to psychospiritual growth and unfolding, my professional specialty during my thirty-five years of private practice.

 

Microdosing Ayahuasca: Common Dosage Explained
What is ayahuasca made of and what is considered a microdose? Explore insights with an experienced Peruvian brewmaster and learn more about this practice.

 

Ayahuasca Makes Neuron Babies in Your Brain
Researchers from Beckley/Sant Pau Research Program have shared the latest findings in their study on the effects of ayahuasca on neurogenesis.

 

The Fatimiya Sufi Order and Ayahuasca
In this interview, the founder of the Fatimiya Sufi Order,  N. Wahid Azal, discusses the history and uses of plant medicines in Islamic and pre-Islamic mystery schools.

 

Consideration Ayahuasca for Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Research indicates that ayahuasca mimics mechanisms of currently accepted treatments for PTSD. In order to understand the implications of ayahuasca treatment, we need to understand how PTSD develops.

 

Brainwaves on Ayahuasca: A Waking Dream State
In a study researchers shared discoveries showing ingredients found in Ayahuasca impact the brainwaves causing a “waking dream” state.

 

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a pro cannabis Peruvian Shaman.

 

Ayahuasca Retreat 101: Everything You Need to Know to Brave the Brew
Ayahuasca has been known to be a powerful medicinal substance for millennia. However, until recently, it was only found in the jungle. Word of its deeply healing and cleansing properties has begun to spread across the world as many modern, Western individuals are seeking spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical well-being. More ayahuasca retreat centers are emerging in the Amazon and worldwide to meet the demand.

 

Ayahuasca Helps with Grief
A new study published in psychopharmacology found that ayahuasca helped those suffering from the loss of a loved one up to a year after treatment.

 

Ayahuasca Benefits: Clinical Improvements for Six Months
Ayahuasca benefits can last six months according to studies. Read here to learn about the clinical improvements from drinking the brew.

 

Ayahuasca Culture: Indigenous, Western, And The Future
Ayahuasca has been use for generations in the Amazon. With the rise of retreats and the brew leaving the rainforest how is ayahuasca culture changing?

 

Ayahuasca Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
The Amazonian brew, Ayahuasca has a long history and wide use. Read our guide to learn all about the tea from its beginnings up to modern-day interest.

 

Ayahuasca and the Godhead: An Interview with Wahid Azal of the Fatimiya Sufi Order
Wahid Azal, a Sufi mystic of The Fatimiya Sufi Order and an Islamic scholar, talks about entheogens, Sufism, mythology, and metaphysics.

 

Ayahuasca and the Feminine: Women’s Roles, Healing, Retreats, and More
Ayahuasca is lovingly called “grandmother” or “mother” by many. Just how feminine is the brew? Read to learn all about women and ayahuasca.

What Is the Standard of Care for Ketamine Treatments?
Ketamine therapy is on the rise in light of its powerful results for treatment-resistant depression. But, what is the current standard of care for ketamine? Read to find out.

What Is Dissociation and How Does Ketamine Create It?
Dissociation can take on multiple forms. So, what is dissociation like and how does ketamine create it? Read to find out.

Having Sex on Ketamine: Getting Physical on a Dissociative
Curious about what it could feel like to have sex on a dissociate? Find out all the answers in our guide to sex on ketamine.

Special K: The Party Drug
Special K refers to Ketamine when used recreationally. Learn the trends as well as safety information around this substance.

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

Ketamine vs. Esketamine: 3 Important Differences Explained
Ketamine and esketamine are used to treat depression. But what’s the difference between them? Read to learn which one is right for you: ketamine vs. esketamine.

Guide to Ketamine Treatments: Understanding the New Approach
Ketamine is becoming more popular as more people are seeing its benefits. Is ketamine a fit? Read our guide for all you need to know about ketamine treatments.

Ketamine Treatment for Eating Disorders
Ketamine is becoming a promising treatment for various mental health conditions. Read to learn how individuals can use ketamine treatment for eating disorders.

Ketamine Resources, Studies, and Trusted Information
Curious to learn more about ketamine? This guide includes comprehensive ketamine resources containing books, studies and more.

Ketamine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to ketamine has everything you need to know about this “dissociative anesthetic” and how it is being studied for depression treatment.

Ketamine for Depression: A Mental Health Breakthrough
While antidepressants work for some, many others find no relief. Read to learn about the therapeutic uses of ketamine for depression.

Ketamine for Addiction: Treatments Offering Hope
New treatments are offering hope to individuals suffering from addiction diseases. Read to learn how ketamine for addiction is providing breakthrough results.

Microdosing Ketamine & Common Dosages Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing ketamine.

How to Ease a Ketamine Comedown
Knowing what to expect when you come down from ketamine can help integrate the experience to gain as much value as possible.

How to Store Ketamine: Best Practices
Learn the best ways how to store ketamine, including the proper temperature and conditions to maximize how long ketamine lasts when stored.

How To Buy Ketamine: Is There Legal Ketamine Online?
Learn exactly where it’s legal to buy ketamine, and if it’s possible to purchase legal ketamine on the internet.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System?
How long does ketamine stay in your system? Are there lasting effects on your body? Read to discover the answers!

How Ketamine is Made: Everything You Need to Know
Ever wonder how to make Ketamine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how Ketamine is made.

Colorado on Ketamine: First Responders Waiver Programs
Fallout continues after Elijah McClain. Despite opposing recommendations from some city council, Colorado State Health panel recommends the continued use of ketamine by medics for those demonstrating “excited delirium” or “extreme agitation”.

Types of Ketamine: Learn the Differences & Uses for Each
Learn about the different types of ketamine and what they are used for—and what type might be right for you. Read now to find out!

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

MDMA & Ecstasy Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to MDMA has everything you want to know about Ecstasy from how it was developed in 1912 to why it’s being studied today.

How To Get the Most out of Taking MDMA as a Couple
Taking MDMA as a couple can lead to exciting experiences. Read here to learn how to get the most of of this love drug in your relationship.

Common MDMA Dosage & Microdosing Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing MDMA.

Having Sex on MDMA: What You Need to Know
MDMA is known as the love drug… Read our guide to learn all about sex on MDMA and why it is beginning to makes its way into couple’s therapy.

How MDMA is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make MDMA? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how MDMA is made.

Hippie Flipping: When Shrooms and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Explore the mechanics of hippie flipping and how to safely experiment.

How Cocaine is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make cocaine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how cocaine is made.

A Christmas Sweater with Santa and Cocaine
This week, Walmart came under fire for a “Let it Snow” Christmas sweater depicting Santa with lines of cocaine. Columbia is not merry about it.

Ultimate Cocaine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
This guide covers what you need to know about Cocaine, including common effects and uses, legality, safety precautions and top trends today.

NEWS: An FDA-Approved Cocaine Nasal Spray
The FDA approved a cocaine nasal spray called Numbrino, which has raised suspicions that the pharmaceutical company, Lannett Company Inc., paid off the FDA..

The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Bioavailability
What is bioavailability and how can it affect the overall efficacy of a psychedelic substance? Read to learn more.

Cannabis Research Explains Sociability Behaviors
New research by Dr. Giovanni Marsicano shows social behavioral changes occur as a result of less energy available to the neurons. Read here to learn more.

The Cannabis Shaman
If recreational and medical use of marijuana is becoming accepted, can the spiritual use as well? Experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews Hamilton Souther, founder of the 420 Cannabis Shamanism movement…

Cannabis Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to Cannabis has everything you want to know about this popular substances that has psychedelic properties.

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a procannabis Peruvian Shaman.

CBD-Rich Cannabis Versus Single-Molecule CBD
A ground-breaking study has documented the superior therapeutic properties of whole plant Cannabis extract as compared to synthetic cannabidiol (CBD), challenging the medical-industrial complex’s notion that “crude” botanical preparations are less effective than single-molecule compounds.

Cannabis Has Always Been a Medicine
Modern science has already confirmed the efficacy of cannabis for most uses described in the ancient medical texts, but prohibitionists still claim that medical cannabis is “just a ruse.”

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