In the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident, the Japanese government performed intensive decontamination in the human-occupied parts of the affected area by removing soil surface layers. But a major affected region consists of dense, uninhabited forests, where such decontamination strategies are not feasible. So, finding ways to avoid the spread of radioactive contaminants like […]
Venus flytrap for nuclear waste: New material finds ‘needle in a haystack,’ shows promise for clean-up
Not every object is food to a Venus flytrap. Like the carnivorous plant, a new material developed at Northwestern University permanently traps only its desired prey, the radioactive ion cesium, and not other harmless ions like sodium. The synthetic material, made from layers of a gallium, sulfur and antimony compound, is very selective. The Northwestern […]
Fukushima radioactive particle release was significant, says new research
Scientists say there was a significant release of radioactive particles during the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident. The researchers identified the contamination using a new method and say if the particles are inhaled they could pose long-term health risks to humans. The new method allows scientists to quickly count the number of caesium-rich micro-particles in Fukushima soils […]
Radioactive contamination in the Tokyo metropolitan area in the early stage of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident and its fluctuation over five years
Radioactive contamination in the Tokyo metropolitan area in the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident was analyzed via surface soil sampled during a two-month period after the accident. 131I, 134Cs, and 137Cs were detected in these soil samples. The activity and inventory of radioactive material in the eastern part of […]
Fukushima Passes Chernobyl as Worst Nuclear Disaster in History: Does Anyone Care?
The continued cover-up of the Fukushima impacts in Japan is likely due to the widespread contamination of soil, vegetation, and water prolific enough that it would lead to evacuations so massive in scope they could collapse Japan’s economy, the third largest in the world. According to peace and environmental justice watchdog NukeWatch, the Fukushima disaster has […]
Fukushima’s nuclear stamp found in California wine
The Japanese nuclear disaster bathed north America in a radioactive cloud. Now pharmacologists have found the telltale signature in California wine made at the time. After release into the atmosphere, cesium-137 was swept around the world and found its way into the food supply in trace quantities. Such an addition is rarely welcomed. But in […]
Japan to drain radioactive Fukushima water DIRECTLY into the Pacific Ocean
Government authorities in Japan have announced new plans to start dumping highly radioactive wastewater from the failed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility directly into the Pacific Ocean. Though the amount of radiation in the water far exceeds legally-permitted levels, according to the plant’s operator and documents reviewed by the U.K.’s Telegraph, there’s apparently no other place to put […]
Health Concerns as Japan Plans to Dump a Million Tons of Radioactive Fukushima Water Into Ocean
In a move that has sparked outrage from local residents and dire health warnings from environmentalists, the Japanese government is reportedly planning to release 1.09 million tons of water from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean despite evidence that it contains “radioactive material well above legally permitted levels.” While both the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric […]
Study Finds Trace Amounts Of Radiation In Migratory Salmon From Columbia River
Fukushima radiation continues to contaminate West Coast fish. In early December, a number of news agencies reported seaborne radiation from Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear plant was detected in the Pacific Ocean along on the West Coast. The plant, which first leaked radiation into the Pacific in 2011 following a massive earthquake and tsunami that killed nearly […]
Fukushima Radiation Is Constantly Increasing, And Is Steadily Building Up In Our Food Chain
Cesium-134, the fingerprint of seaborne radiation from the nuclear disaster at Fukushima in Japan, has been detected on the West Coast of the United States for the first time, as well as in Canadian salmon. Seaborne radiation from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster has been detected in seawater samples taken from Tillamook Bay and Gold Beach […]