General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Plutonium from Fukushima is a global catastrophe. [View all]RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Humans are not as susceptible to the radionuclides in the tidepools and near shore. But the creatures that live there are quite impacted by minute amounts that they ingest.
The Department of Energy, in it's long term testing program, found plutonium in starfish prey - mussels - in the Pacific.
Department of Energy: Biological Monitoring at Amchitka Appears to Show Impacts from Fukushima Dai-ichi Incident The U.S. Department of Energy Office Legacy Management (LM) has a long-term stewardship mission to protect human health and the environment from the legacy of underground nuclear testing conducted at Amchitka Island, Alaska, from 1965 to 1971. Atmospheric monitoring in the United States showed elevated cesium activities shortly after the nuclear incident. LM scientists anticipated that atmospheric transport of cesium would potentially increase the cesium activities in the 2011 biological samples collected near Amchitka. Because cesium-134 has a relatively short half-life of 2 years and indicates leakage from a nuclear reactor, it is a clear indicator of a recent nuclear accident.
Because the Amchitka 2011 sampling event occurred soon after the Fukushima nuclear accident, the biota impacted by atmospheric precipitation showed the greatest impact (e.g., species that live in freshwater or shallow ocean waters) when compared to marine biota living in deeper water. This is because ocean currents are a slower transport process than wind currents. LM scientists anticipate that the marine biota will show the impacts of Fukushima during the next sampling event, currently scheduled to occur in 2016.
* Plutonium-239 .039 pCi/kg Dolly Varden
* Plutonium-239 .186 pCi/kg Goose Egg no shell
* Plutonium-239 .104 pCi/kg Gull egg
* Plutonium-239 .298 pCi/kg Chiton
* Plutonium-239 .093 pCi/kg Dragon Kelp
* Plutonium-239 .084 pCi/kg Rockweed
* Plutonium-239 .379 pCi/kg Greeling
* Plutonium-239 .038 pCi/kg Halibut
* Plutonium-239 4.194 pCi/kg Horse Mussel tissue
* Plutonium-239 .378 pCi/kg Irish Lord
* Plutonium-239 .036 pCi/kg Octopus
* Plutonium-239 .05 pCi/kg Pacific Cod
* Plutonium-239 .279 pCi/kg Rockfish
* Plutonium-239 .152 pCi/kg Reindeer Lichen
* Plutonium-239 .195 pCi/kg Sea Urchin
US Govt: Alaska island appears to show impacts from Fukushima Significant cesium isotope signature detected Scientists anticipate more marine life to be impacted as ocean plume arrives
http://enenews.com/us-govt-headline-alaska-island-appears-to-show-impacts-from-fukushima-significant-cesium-isotope-signature-detected-video