“While the state of Oregon gears up to test
its shores for radioactive contamination from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear
disaster, university scientists have found that radiation levels in some
albacore tuna caught off its coast have tripled.”
Researchers
from Oregon State University examined albacore tuna in 2008 and compared it to
tuna after the Fukushima accident and found there to be three times as much cesium
as before. Even though the radiation levels have grown, it is still a thousand
times less than what the U.S. Department of Agriculture deems unsafe.
Researchers
stated that the migration paths of the tuna could also affect the levels of
radiation going forward. Most of the 3-year-old tuna tested had no traces of
Fukushima radiation, but 4 year old tuna, which likely traveled through the
radioactive plume a couple of times, had higher cesium levels. Continued
migration could increase cesium levels further, but the researchers said it
would still be far below maximum safety levels.
Some believe
that the increase in radiation can help map the migration routes of tuna by
seeing how often the swim through the radioactive plume by measuring the amount
of radiation in the fish.
Oregon
State plans to test other coasts for radioactivity around the country. Just
like in Oregon, many other coastal communities in Alaska should test their
water. So far the tests here at Long Bay by Shelby Surdyk are the first in the
state. Others should follow because the day we stop paying attention to it is
the day it becomes a problem.
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