Water samples taken from different areas along the North American shores were found to be contaminated with cesium-134.
When the tsunami hit the shore, a large quantity of saline water infiltrated in the nuclear plant’s cooling system, clogging them. This, in term, led to the reactor’s meltdown, that, basically, flooding the entire area Catalogued as being the second most disastrous nuclear event after Chernobyl, the effects of the 2011’s reactor meltdown can be felt even today. Lately, a troublesome piece of news reached our ears. It looks like Fukushima Radiation hits North American Shores.
The paper that was considered to the bearer of grave news was drafted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The scientists that came up with the measurements is Ken Buesseler. He and his team of scientists have discovered that recently tested water samples from the Pacific Ocean are contaminated with the cesium-134, a radioactive isotope.
He also declared for the general public that all the water samples were harvested from the Pacific Ocean. Lab results pointed out that areas situated hundreds of miles off the California, Oregon and Washington show signs of radiation contamination.
Although the scientists pointed out that the levels of radiation are quite low, far below the limit considered to be threatening to both human of life, he also said that the levels could actually increase in the nearby future. Buesseler also stated that these levels most be constantly monitored in order to ensure that they do not reach a critical level. Moreover, it would also seem that the contamination is not only restricted to the area around Fukushima, as previously thought.
In late April, a team of Canadian scientists declared that the waters around Canadian shores also tested positive for cesium-134 contamination. According to recent estimations, it would seem that the radiation following the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant spread on an area of 1000 miles.
More on the incident. In the early morning of March 2011, the seismology center from Japan issued an all-out tsunami warning. By their early estimates, it would seem that the gigantic tidal wave, that was about to hit the Japanese shore, was prompted by an underwater earthquake. The quake’s magnitude scored a 9 on the Richter scale. The tsunami clogged the reactor’s cooling system, working its way up towards an overload. When the reactor melted downs, it filled the entire area with life-threatening radiation.
Clean up crews and volunteers were drafted in order to clean up the area in order to prevent the radiation from spreading even further. Four years have passed from the disaster at Fukushima, and it would seem that work to purge out the radiation is never-ending. Over the years, many workers, assigned to the clean-up detail have experienced symptoms consistent with cancer, after being exposed to a significant quantity of radiation.
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