
A team from the IAEA looks at water storage tanks at Fukushima in Nov. 2013. (Photo: IAEA Imagebank)
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
A team from the IAEA looks at water storage tanks at Fukushima in Nov. 2013. (Photo: IAEA Imagebank)
A plume of radiation from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan has voyaged through the Pacific Ocean and reached the west coast of North America, scientists confirmed in a new article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.
The radiation, which is expected to peak at the end of 2015, will remain well below levels deemed safe for drinking and "does not represent a threat to human health or the environment," say the researchers.
Lead author John N. Smith, research scientist at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and several colleagues conducted what they say is the "first systematic study to our knowledge of the transport of the Fukushima marine radioactivity signal to the eastern North Pacific."
The researchers collected data between 2011 and 2013 from 26 sites, looking for radioactive substances Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 from the Fukushima meltdown, which was touched off by Japan's March 2011 earthquake and tsunami and is believed to be the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
By June 2012, radiation from Fukushima had arrived 1,500 kilometers west of British Columbia, Canada, and by June 2013, had spread to the Canadian continental shelf, say the scientists. By February 2014, radiation levels had increased, and scientists expect them to peak at 3 to 5 Becquerels per cubic meter of water, before declining.
Even at peak levels, however, this radiation is nowhere near Canada's drinking water standard for Cesium-137, which stands at 10,000 Becquerels per cubic meter.
Radiation levels near the wrecked Fukushima plant, however, reached much higher levels immediately following the incident, at 50 million Becquerels per cubic meter, a very dangerous level, according to senior scientist Ken Buesseler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Months after the crisis, radiation near Fukushima had fallen to the lower thousands, Buesseler told the Washington Post--a level still considered dangerous for food consumption.
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
A plume of radiation from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan has voyaged through the Pacific Ocean and reached the west coast of North America, scientists confirmed in a new article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.
The radiation, which is expected to peak at the end of 2015, will remain well below levels deemed safe for drinking and "does not represent a threat to human health or the environment," say the researchers.
Lead author John N. Smith, research scientist at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and several colleagues conducted what they say is the "first systematic study to our knowledge of the transport of the Fukushima marine radioactivity signal to the eastern North Pacific."
The researchers collected data between 2011 and 2013 from 26 sites, looking for radioactive substances Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 from the Fukushima meltdown, which was touched off by Japan's March 2011 earthquake and tsunami and is believed to be the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
By June 2012, radiation from Fukushima had arrived 1,500 kilometers west of British Columbia, Canada, and by June 2013, had spread to the Canadian continental shelf, say the scientists. By February 2014, radiation levels had increased, and scientists expect them to peak at 3 to 5 Becquerels per cubic meter of water, before declining.
Even at peak levels, however, this radiation is nowhere near Canada's drinking water standard for Cesium-137, which stands at 10,000 Becquerels per cubic meter.
Radiation levels near the wrecked Fukushima plant, however, reached much higher levels immediately following the incident, at 50 million Becquerels per cubic meter, a very dangerous level, according to senior scientist Ken Buesseler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Months after the crisis, radiation near Fukushima had fallen to the lower thousands, Buesseler told the Washington Post--a level still considered dangerous for food consumption.
A plume of radiation from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan has voyaged through the Pacific Ocean and reached the west coast of North America, scientists confirmed in a new article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.
The radiation, which is expected to peak at the end of 2015, will remain well below levels deemed safe for drinking and "does not represent a threat to human health or the environment," say the researchers.
Lead author John N. Smith, research scientist at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and several colleagues conducted what they say is the "first systematic study to our knowledge of the transport of the Fukushima marine radioactivity signal to the eastern North Pacific."
The researchers collected data between 2011 and 2013 from 26 sites, looking for radioactive substances Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 from the Fukushima meltdown, which was touched off by Japan's March 2011 earthquake and tsunami and is believed to be the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
By June 2012, radiation from Fukushima had arrived 1,500 kilometers west of British Columbia, Canada, and by June 2013, had spread to the Canadian continental shelf, say the scientists. By February 2014, radiation levels had increased, and scientists expect them to peak at 3 to 5 Becquerels per cubic meter of water, before declining.
Even at peak levels, however, this radiation is nowhere near Canada's drinking water standard for Cesium-137, which stands at 10,000 Becquerels per cubic meter.
Radiation levels near the wrecked Fukushima plant, however, reached much higher levels immediately following the incident, at 50 million Becquerels per cubic meter, a very dangerous level, according to senior scientist Ken Buesseler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Months after the crisis, radiation near Fukushima had fallen to the lower thousands, Buesseler told the Washington Post--a level still considered dangerous for food consumption.