Troubled waters: Nuclear radiation found in B.C. may pose health concerns

Discovery of Fukushima radioactivity raises concerns for local marine life, and the effect it may have on humans

By Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun

A radioactive metal from the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan has been discovered in the Fraser Valley, causing researchers to raise the alarm about the long-term impact of radiation on B.C.’s west coast.

Examination of a soil sample from Kilby Provincial Park, near Agassiz, has for the first time in this province found Cesium 134, further evidence of Fukushima radioactivity being transported to Canada by air and water.

“That was a surprise,” said Juan Jose Alava, an adjunct professor in the school of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University, in an interview on Tuesday. “It means there are still emissions ... and trans-Pacific air pollution. It’s a concern to us. This is an international issue.”

Cesium 134 has a half-life of two years, meaning its radioactivity is reduced by half during that time. Its presence in the environment is an indication of continuing contamination from Fukushima.

A more persistent danger to people and marine life is radioactive Cesium 137, which has a half-life of 30 years, and bioaccumulates in the food chain.

Researchers developed a model based on the diet of fish-eating killer whales along with the levels of Cesium 137 detected and predicted (less than 0.5 becquerels per cubic metre, a measurement of radioactivity) by other researchers in the Pacific waters offshore of Vancouver Island.

The models suggests that in 30 years, Cesium 137 levels in the whales will exceed the Canadian guideline of 1,000 becquerels per kilogram for consumption of seafood by humans — 10 times the Japanese guideline.

...

www.vancouversun.com...

Fukushima appears to be causing great harm over 4 years later. I feel like everytime I read up on the disaster, there is just more bad news and little anyone can do about it.

I've noticed a lot of commercials on TV for cancer stuff. Also I've noticed how a lot of drugs they push on TV have cancer listed as a side effect. I'm not sure if it all goes back to Fukushima but it's a hell of a coincidence.

To my knowledge, this is the first time since the disaster that someone makes a claim of scientific analysis of harm. So for me this is a big deal.

Could you provide the link, OP?

a reply to: aboutface

www.vancouversun.com...=1

a reply to: aboutface

I just fixed my OP, forgot to add the link.

This is the first time I've read anywhere that made the definite link between Fukushima radiation and the West Coast of N. America, though many of us have speculated about this being our reality long ago.

FukuGate: We've been conned was posted over 2 years ago.

I heard this on the radio a few hrs ago..of course they say there is nothing to worry about..not a panic thing but I think it is very worrysome.

News1130 is reporting that they've also found traces of Cesium 134 on Vancouver Island but the levels are well within the safe range.

How much I totally buy that, time will tell. I don't necessarily trust the Canadian MSM to report all the facts.

a reply to: vonclod

The article in the 0P is from march 2014.

The half life of Cesium 134 is two years, meaning it will stay in existence four years and be detectable.

The samples in the article were taken in November 2013.

Fukushima happened in March 2011.

Now do the math everybody. I agree that the isotope could have come from the Fukushima accident originally.


But the claim posed by that article concerning ongoing emissions is suspect.

That was a surprise,” said Juan Jose Alava, an adjunct professor in the school of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University, in an interview on Tuesday. “It means there are still emissions ... and trans-Pacific air pollution. It’s a concern to us. This is an international issue.”

a reply to: Greathouse

There are indeed still emissions going on.

Nice attempt at cherry picking on Cs-134 in an attempt to downplay the event.

Cesium 134 has a half-life of two years, meaning its radioactivity is reduced by half during that time. Its presence in the environment is an indication of continuing contamination from Fukushima.

A more persistent danger to people and marine life is radioactive Cesium 137, which has a half-life of 30 years, and bioaccumulates in the food chain.

Researchers developed a model based on the diet of fish-eating killer whales along with the levels of Cesium 137 detected and predicted (less than 0.5 becquerels per cubic metre, a measurement of radioactivity) by other researchers in the Pacific waters offshore of Vancouver Island.

The models suggests that in 30 years, Cesium 137 levels in the whales will exceed the Canadian guideline of 1,000 becquerels per kilogram for consumption of seafood by humans — 10 times the Japanese guideline.

“It’s a reference, the only benchmark we have to compare against,” Alava said

a reply to: jrod

No cherry picking I just supplied the dates for everything.

If Cesium 137 detected at elevated levels on the West Coast you will read about it in every newspaper you will hear about it on every news site and there will be lists of threads on the Internet concurring those facts.


The quote You included on Cesium 137 in your reply, makes no mention of elevated levels detected from Fukushima it merely references a model somebody did on existing levels.

You know, older article or not, it is disgraceful and unforgiveable that this research has to be done by private citizens and academics.

He said recent federal government cutbacks have placed a greater burden of testing and monitoring for aquatic impacts on academics, non-governmental organizations and even private citizens.

“The Canadian government is the one that should be doing something, should be taking action to keep monitoring to see how these contaminants are behaving, what are the levels, and what is next.”

The laying off of coastal water scientists by the Harper government has assured that we are kept in the dark. I really object to this method of keeping the thinking people in a state of anxiety about things we ought to know. And Harper got elected by promoting transparency, remember? Despicable!

a reply to: jrod

He wasn't doing that.. His point.. IS that based on the timing of the sample taken it's likely that the Cesium 134 that would prove emissions from Fukushima came at the same time as the plants blew up.. Not an ongoing emission.. At the time the Sample was taken you would expect to still have something (total random ball park guess) of say 30-35% of the original Cesium 134 that came here across the ocean in 2011..

So that was his point. He wasn't trying to downplay the danger of cesium, or Fukushima I don't think, anyway.

I agree with him. BUT..

I also think there are on going emissions. We won't be done with that wonderful Nuclear accident for a LONG time. I susepct they are trying to cover it up as best they can. The Cynic in me almost thinks Fukushima is on purpose.

originally posted by: KnightLight
....

I agree with him. BUT..

I also think there are on going emissions. We won't be done with that wonderful Nuclear accident for a LONG time. I susepct they are trying to cover it up as best they can. The Cynic in me almost thinks Fukushima is on purpose.

Not on purpose, simply human ignorance.

Scientists detect Fukushima radiation on North American shores” — Coastal communities ‘concerned’ — Over 7 Bq/m3 of cesium from dock in Pacific Northwest — Professor: It indicates arrival of other radioactive substances — “Represents potential radiological health risk

Sure we can be assured that the levels detected are nothing we can be alarmed about. We just need to be aware of the even that happened.

This is a good source of information more often than not: enenews.com...

a reply to: jrod

Maybe the Japanese should stop trying to appease and cover up because of foolish pride. Imagine Tepco pulling this kind of crap in Europe or the US....YA RIGHT.



Pride is a good thing unless it is covering up crap like this.

a reply to: Greathouse

no you wouldn't because then our government would have to explain why they didn't send troops over to help the Japanese correct or help try to correct the problem also if it hit mainstream news that massive amounts of radiation was hitting west coast and surrounding Hawaii then you might see alot of people evacuating area where are they to go? also you would destroy seafood industry who wants to eat irradiated foods. so no you will not see this news anywhere.

a reply to: proteus33

Baloney every real environmentalist on the west coast would be screaming about Cesium 137. Or the claims would not only be restricted and most articles sourced to one site like ENE.

ENENews, or Energy News, is a fear mongering anti-nuclear news aggregator that was created in response to the Fukushima I nuclear accident. The site tends to have three different types of posts: posts that claim Fukushima I has poisoned the entire Pacific Ocean and adjacent coastlines and that world governments are covering it up to keep the nuclear industry from imploding[1][2][3][4][5], posts that report on any and every case of animal death and disease that occurs in the Pacific Ocean and adjacent coastlines[6][7], and posts that claim the Fukushima reactors are minutes away from detonating like an atomic bomb and killing everyone in the world with radioactive fallout.

ABC news story

Notably
“If someone were to swim for 6 hours a day every day of the year in water that contained levels of cesium twice as high as the Ucluelet sample, the radiation dose they would receive would still be more than one thousand times less than that of a single dental x-ray,” according to a statement published by Woods Hole.

a reply to: jrod

I think there IS a coverup for the following reasons.

1. There is nothing anyone can do about it.
2. If people really knew how dangerous nuclear power can be, there would be calls globally to shut down all the power plants. Compound with reason #1.
3. The fatalities from the accident, at least initially will be lost in the noise of mortality rates. So they can get away with a few thousand deaths a year.

All we can do is try to second guess and extrapolate how to protect ourselves. I for one haven't eaten tuna since 2011, and no longer eat pacific seafood. For all the good that will do, which I am sure is not much considering every minute that passes our biosphere is becoming more contaminated by the disaster.

originally posted by: Greathouse
a reply to: vonclod

The article in the 0P is from march 2014.

The half life of Cesium 134 is two years, meaning it will stay in existence four years and be detectable.

The samples in the article were taken in November 2013.

Fukushima happened in March 2011.

Now do the math everybody. I agree that the isotope could have come from the Fukushima accident originally.


But the claim posed by that article concerning ongoing emissions is suspect.

That was a surprise,” said Juan Jose Alava, an adjunct professor in the school of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University, in an interview on Tuesday. “It means there are still emissions ... and trans-Pacific air pollution. It’s a concern to us. This is an international issue.”

I've only read up to the post I'm replying to so far, but just want to clear this up in case it hadn't been done by someone else. A half life of 2 years means that in 2 years half of the material will have decayed. In another 2, another half. So at 4 years, 25% remains. At 6 years, 12.5%, etc.

Shorter half-life means higher radiation emissions, so if you had something will be radioactive for a million years, don't worry about it. It's barely enjoying any dangerous radiation. That's why a half-life of 30 is really concerning. Is decaying faso enough to turn you into the swamp thing, and 25% of it will still be doing so in 60 years.

The biggest question is when will the emissions from Fukushima stop? Cuz that's when we can start counting.

a reply to: jrod

ahemm!

I'd be more worried about dangers closer to home than attack whatever scapegoat the authorities offer up.

Fukushima anniversary: B.C. looks south to closest nuclear plant

An almost featureless long, flat stretch of highway leads to the Columbia Generating Station, near Hanford, Washington – the closest nuclear plant to B.C. and one that raises questions of how safe Canadians are in the event of a disaster to our south.

Only 550 kilometres from Vancouver, the facility – a slightly newer model than Fukushima's General Electric Mark 1 plants – rises like a cube from the fields, unlike the famed cones of the Simpsons or the ill-fated Three Mile Island plant.

Concerns raised over Washington reactor

The crisis at a Japanese nuclear plant is raising new concerns in B.C. about a similar nuclear reactor in Washington, about 400 kilometres southeast of Vancouver.

The Columbia Generating Station, near Hanford, Wash., uses the same kind of radioactive fuel rods as the Fukushima reactors, but its operators say the U.S. plant is safer.

"We're a newer reactor, by about 15 years," said Energy Northwest spokesman Mike Paoli. "We're a larger reactor."

However, when the station went into operation in 1984, the Hanford area was believed to be geologically safe.

Now, studies show geological faults that run from Vancouver Island to Hanford.

Mount St. Helens sits to the west of the reactor and seismically active Yellowstone National Park is to the east.

Also, while the Columbia reactor was built to withstand a 6.9 earthquake, geologists now believe there is a potential for tremors could hit a magnitude of 7.5.

it's become fashionable to blame the japanese lately.
as if nuking them 3 times weren't enough