– Nuclear Expert: Plutonium from Fukushima in Pacific fish presents health risk — Study: “Long-distance transport” of Fukushima-sourced plutonium should be addressed (ENENews, Oct 3, 2013):
Georgia Straight (Canada), Oct. 2, 2013 (Emphasis Added): […] Two nuclear experts who saw the Straight’s figures said the real cancer toll could be 100 times higher—or 80,000 cancers. […] That could be the toll, [Daniel Hirsch, a nuclear-policy lecturer at the University of California at Santa Cruz, said in a phone interview], if all factors are taken into account, including: future fish consumption; highly damaging isotopes that were released in the disaster but aren’t being monitored, such as strontium 90 and plutonium 239; consumption of contaminated fish caught in the entire Pacific; and research suggesting that radiation causes many more cancers than official formulas predict. […] “Apologists say it’s a large ocean and dilution is the solution to pollution […] Dilution actually does nothing except expose a larger population.” […] The cancer numbers also don’t include other possible health impacts from radiation in the fish, such as heart disease, stillbirths, and genetic damage to subsequent generations. […]
Release of Plutonium Isotopes into the Environment from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident, July 31, 2013: […] the contamination situation within the 30 km zone around the plant remains unknown. A recent numerical modeling study indicated that Pu contamination originating from the FDNPP accident could be present in marine sediments near Fukushima inside the 30 km zone. Further studies on the determination of Pu isotopes in seawater and sediments within the 30 km zone are required to make a more comprehensive assessment on the environmental impact of the FDNPP accident and to understand the marine environmental behavior of Pu isotopes derived from the FDNPP accident. […] the following aspects should be addressed in future studies: […] the possibility of Pu release into the ocean from the direct discharge of highly radioactive liquid waste remains unknown. Considering the fact that a continuing release of radionuclides to the sea from June 2011 until September 2012 has been reported, long-term monitoring of Pu activity and isotopic composition in seawater, sediment and marine organisms is critical to strengthen consumer confidence in seafood safety. […] Highly sensitive particle analytical techniques for Pu isotopes should be developed to verify the possible long-distance transport of the FDNPP-sourced Pu isotopes in the environment.