Scientists sound alarm as Fukushima radiation is detected on British Columbia's coast
(NaturalNews) Canadian scientists and authorities, as well as local
residents, are alarmed at the discovery of radioactive metal in the
Fraser Valley that came from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, as they
voiced concerns recently about the long-term impact of radiation along
British Columbia's west coast.
According to The Vancouver Sun,
an examination of soil taken from Kilby Provincial Park, near Agassiz,
has -- for the first time -- turned up cesium-134, which is further
evidence that radioactivity from the crippled Fukushima plant is
reaching the North American west coast, both by air and by sea, local
experts said.
"That was a surprise," Juan Jose Alava, an adjunct
professor in the school of resource and environmental management at
Simon Fraser University (SFU), told the Sun. "It means there are still emissions... and trans-Pacific air pollution. It's a concern to us. This is an international issue."
Reactors
at the Fukushima plant were badly damaged by a major tsunami on March
11, 2011. The tsunami was caused by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Reports
have said that between 16,000 and 19,000 people were killed.
Contamination is low - for now
Cesium-134
has a half-life of about two years. That means its radioactivity level
is reduced by half during that period of time. Still, its presence on
Canada's west coast is disturbing.
A more dangerous radioactive
compound, cesium-137, is a bigger danger to humans and plant life. It
has a half-life of 30 years, and it can accumulate in the food chain.
As reported by the Sun:
Researchers
developed a model based on the diet of fish-eating killer whales along
with the levels of Cesium 137 detected and predicted (less than 0.5
becquerels per cubic metre, a measurement of radioactivity) by other
researchers in the Pacific waters offshore of Vancouver Island.
The
models suggests that in 30 years, Cesium 137 levels in the whales will
exceed the Canadian guideline of 1,000 becquerels per kilogram for
consumption of seafood by humans -- 10 times the Japanese guideline.
"It's
a reference, the only benchmark we have to compare against," Alava
said, adding that government cutbacks have meant that academics,
non-governmental organizations and even private citizens have had to do
more of the aquatic testing for radioactivity.
"The Canadian
government is the one that should be doing something, should be taking
action to keep monitoring to see how these contaminants are behaving,
what are the levels, and what is next," Avala said.
In fact, it
was a Canadian citizen, Aki Sano, who provided SFU with the soil sample
from Kilby Park. Sano turned it over on Nov. 16.
Though the soil
tested positive for cesium-134, the levels are believed to be low,
though the exact amount is unknown. Soil sampling from Burnaby Mountain,
closer to Vancouver, is planned next.
Alava noted that the Fukushima
plant continues to leak radiation, meaning that the problem is
persisting. "There's going to be a long-term exposure to organisms
building up in the marine environment," he said.
Natural News
reported in August that, according to Japan's nuclear watchdog, the
crippled plant was leaking 300 million gallons of contaminated water a
day into the nearby sea (see that report here: http://www.naturalnews.com).
True accountability of the damage is still forthcoming
And
while levels measured along the North American west coast continue to
be low, we are told, experts like Avala say the region should be
continually monitored nonetheless, with an eye toward identifying
long-term implications.
"So far the levels are safe," Alava said.
"We shouldn't be worried now, but we need to keep monitoring in the
long term to see whether these levels are building up in the food web."
Debris from Fukushima that no doubt also contains some level of radiation is also headed toward the U.S. West Coast, and California in particular.
Officials
in the United States have also said that any radiation fallout measured
from Fukushima thus far has been minimal, but given the gravity of the
meltdown -- four of the plant's six reactors were damaged, one exploded,
and at least two are leaking contaminated water into the ocean -- it is
not unreasonable to assume the worst (http://www.naturalnews.com).
Sources:
http://www.vancouversun.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
No comments:
Post a Comment