Researchers have found radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant in bluefin tuna found in the Eastern Pacific.
The tuna contained levels of cesium-134 nearly ten times higher than in previous years. Judging by the age of the fish at capture, the tuna had left the waters around Fukushima about one month after the tsunami and ensuing nuclear plant disaster of March 2011.
The big surprise is that the levels are still so high. Tuna and other large fish metabolize and excrete cesium as they go about their lives. The concentration in a fish’s body also reduces as they grow larger.
More study is needed to determine how the radiation is affecting other sea life.
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Bluefin Tuna Carry Radiation From Japan’s 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Disaster (via redOrbit)
Low-level radiation has been found in populations of bluefin tuna off the coast of California, a new study has found, noting that the fish are carrying radioactive material from Japanese waters more than 6,000 miles away. Researchers have found “modestly elevated levels” of two radioactive isotopes…
Tuna photo via Shutterstock
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