Tara Rudo
11/8/12
3:41 pm
About 18 months
ago the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant incident released tons of
radioactive material into the waters of Japan. The effects of those radioactive
materials can be seen in the current cesium levels in fish being captured off
the Japanese coast. Elevated levels of cesium found in these fish suggest that
those radioactive particles from the accident have settled on the seafloor and
may contaminate many forms of sea life for decades to come. Fishing is one of
Japan’s main sources of income and with the government banning the fishing of
over 30 species many fishermen can do nothing but remain idle. Radioactive
materials from the plant that were being released into the oceans were
dispersed pretty quickly due to currents but remained in fish which were being
caught. The contaminated fish have led to higher levels of cancer in humans.
One species that is safe to fish for off Fukushima is octopus because cesium
levels are low enough, that people can consume that sea creature. It has been
recorded that about 40% of fish caught off Fukushima still have cesium levels
that are too high to be safe to eat under regulatory limits. Cesium tends to
not stay very long in the tissues of the fish, but because radiation levels have
been detected in bottom-feeding fish, some fish are being newly contaminated
from the cesium on the seafloor. Since the half-life of cesium is about 30
years, the chemical is predicted to remain in sediments for many decades
causing problems for the future. To keep from more radioactive materials from
seeping into the water from the plant, Tokyo Electric plans to build a long
wall between the reactors and the ocean. This goes to show how one incident can
cause others to happen. Hopefully, Japan will look into new ways to generate
energy that won’t cause problems for them in the future.
Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/26/world/asia/fish-off-fukushima-japan-show-elevated-levels-of-cesium.html?ref=earth&_r=0
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